Bachelor of Science in Health Care Leadership

National Louis University’s Bachelor of Science in Health Care Leadership is designed for people whose primary professional focus is working and growing within the booming health care field. It’s particularly suited for people who have the essential clinical skills but want to enhance their career.

Are you a health care professional seeking career advancement? Health care professionals work in a complex and demanding regulatory environment that is subject to shifting economic pressures. The Bachelor of Science in Health Care Leadership (HCL) program at National Louis University (NLU) provides an in-depth understanding of this environment while equipping graduates with the management skills and perspectives needed to succeed. NLU’s HCL program features:

• Relevant, applications-oriented management education tailored for health care professionals
• Generous credit for transfer coursework and prior learning experience
• Quick “time-to-degree” scheduling and the option of online or classroom learning

Why NLU for Health Care Leadership

NLU’s HCL program is designed for health care professionals who have the essential clinical skills and want to move into supervisory and management roles.

The HCL program is distinguished by its flexibility, relevance and focus. Students may pursue their degrees online or face-to-face in our classrooms—or they may choose a combination of on-campus and online courses. Our curriculum is applications-oriented, drawing upon real world examples including the experiences of our students. Focused on developing managers and supervisors who can lead and innovate, motivate and negotiate, NLU’s curriculum reinforces the need to establish positive, productive relationships in the workplace. Our faculty—the majority of whom have practical experience in health care settings—are focused on you and your success.

What You Will Learn

• How to manage people, programs, facilities and budgets
• Team building and leadership techniques
• Ethical and legal aspects of health care
• How to plan, communicate effectively and solve problems
• The importance of effective health care delivery systems
• The contemporary issues in health care delivery

Career Outlook

Health care is an increasingly complex regulatory and business environment, and students who pursue a degree at NLU graduate with an understanding of management issues. Employment of medical and health services managers is expected to grow 16 percent between 2008 to 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. The health care industry will continue to expand and diversify, requiring managers to help ensure smooth business operations.[1]

General medical and surgical hospitals, outpatient clinics, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, and physicians offices are looking for managers who know how to lead teams and solve problems and who understand the increasingly complex regulatory, legal and business environment of health care. The career options open to graduates of the HCL program include:

• Physician’s Office Manager
• Health Care Administrator
• Health Services Manager
• Health Finance Specialist

Bachelor of Science in Management 4 year Delivery Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Management program is a solid 180 quarter hours in length and, depending upon your prior college work and experience, may include general education coursework, courses in business support areas, elective coursework and coursework in the major. The curriculum is designed to meet you where you are in your college journey. Working with an academic adviser, students engage the curriculum at a point that reflects their preparation and readiness.

General education courses: NLU requires 60 credits of general education courses distributed over the following areas: communications, humanities, fine arts, quantitative reasoning, physical and life sciences, social sciences and behavioral science. In addition to college courses, students may complete general education requirements through credit by portfolio, credit by examination (CLEP or DANTES), or credit by proficiency.

Business support courses: In order to prepare for your major program of study, business students typically take coursework in accounting, economics, computer applications, information systems and finance.

Elective courses: Most students will have the opportunity to take some elective coursework during their program of study.

Bachelor of Science in Management major courses: As you move into the 51 credit core program, you'll engage in a time-tested business curriculum with a focus on management, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, communication, information systems, legal and ethical principles, project management and strategic management.

Admission Requirements

All applicants must meet NLU's general admission requirements. Refer to the appropriate application checklist available online at www.nl.edu/applyonline.

In addition to NLU’s general admission requirements, applicants to the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Leadership program must also satisfy the following:

• Licensure, registration or certification in a health care profession with work experience or employment in a health-related field

[1] www.bls.gov/oco/ocos014.htm#nature