The Healthcare Leadership and Administration Certificate can be transferred to the PhD in Health Sciences program. Students can opt to take individual courses to sharpen specific skills within the certificate curriculum instead of completing the entire certificate program. Before starting a course, students participate in a program-specific orientation where they learn how to navigate the Learning Resource Center, utilize the online learning platform (Canvas), and balance being a successful online student. During orientation, students also meet program directors and fellow students. All students have access to the Learning Resource Center, where they can find literature and other resources; the Writing Center, where they can submit assignments for review before submitting for a grade. Students also have the opportunity to work in collaborative online student groups through Canvas. Most class sessions and forum discussions can be completed according to each student’s schedule (asynchronous), but some orientations and expert guest lectures are scheduled (synchronous) to bring additional value to the course topics and overall student experience. Students in the HLA Certificate program can expect to spend 5-10 hours per course per working on a variety of coursework assignments to be submitted through Canvas. Students do not routinely take exams but rather are challenged to think and reflect critically using evidence and best practices of teaching and learning to complete assignments and participate in class discussions. Instructors with a wide variety of experience lead class sessions that focus on skills to prepare healthcare administrators/managers to:

• Build, adapt, and improve healthcare organizations to meet the changing needs of healthcare communities.
• Integrate leadership theory into day-to-day administrative practices.
• Mediate and manage communication at every level within an organization.
• Collect and critically analyze research and data.
• Integrate current literature and evidence-based practices into leading and supervising healthcare delivery to patients.