University of Southern California

Course Sequencing and Planning

» Program Requirements
» Course Planning
» Electives
» Contact

Program Requirements

The requirements for the MHA consist of 44 units of study, 36 required units and 8 elective units, plus a Residency. Prerequisites in statistics and financial accounting are required for several courses. If a student has not satisfied these two prerequisites prior to starting the MHA, it is strongly recommended that you do so in your first semester.

Course Planning

The Academic and Faculty Advisors of the Health Services Administration Program will assist in developing an academic plan for all incoming students. You should follow the below sequence as closely as possible. Prior to registration each semester, students should meet with your faculty advisor to review their planned course of study.

Prerequisites
Many of the required or elective courses have prerequisites that must be completed before enrolling in specific classes. As a result it is strongly suggested that students satisfy the Financial Accounting (PPD 516x) and Statistics (PPD 404x) requirements during the first semester by passing the challenge exams or the class. The Statistics Challenge Competency Exam is offered in January, March, June, September and October. The Accounting Exam is offered in January, June and September. For more information on these examinations, please contact Cynthia Clayton in RGL 108C, by phone (213) 740-0525, or email: cclayton@usc.edu. Students need to satisfy the economics prerequisite prior to enrolling in PPD 514.

Units Prior to Residency
Students must complete at least 20 units of the MHA program before beginning the Residency (Field Work) or the Residency Seminar. It is essential that students have the appropriate academic foundation that prepares them for this component of the program. PPD 509, PPD 545, and PPD 510a provide this foundation. However, it is important to keep in mind that these three courses comprise 12 of the minimum 20 units needed before beginning the Residency. Many residency sites require most units to be completed prior to the residency.

Other Scheduling information
While the above sequence of courses in strongly recommended, deviations are likely to occur since a student must plan classes around the schedule of courses that is offered each semester. At the Los Angeles campus, courses are typically offered:

  1. Several core courses (PPD 509, PPD 510a, PPD 514, PPD 557, and PPD 512) are usually offered every semester, except summer.
  2. Several sections of PPD 545 are usually offered every semester.
  3. The elective health courses are offered every year.

Electives

A student must take 8 units of electives, which provide opportunities to broaden your knowledge base and obtain more specialized skills. With the exception of courses taken to satisfy the statistics or accounting prerequisites, any graduate level course offered at USC can satisfy the elective requirement. However, most MHA student satisfy their elective requirements by selection among the many health administration courses offered but not required by the MHA program and courses offered by the School of Business Administration.

Professionals in the health field usually teach these courses:

  • PPD 601 Management of Long-Term Care Organizations
  • PPD 510b Financial Management of Health Services
  • PPD 602 Strategic and Operational Planning for Health Services
  • PPD 603 Marketing of Health Services
  • PPD 604 Seminar in Hospital Administration
  • PPD 605 Frontline Issues in Health Services Administration and Policy

Marshall School of Business Electives
The Marshall School of Business Administration offers many classes that MHA students may find of interest. Course offerings include classes in finance, information systems, marketing and accounting. Refer to the University Catalog and Schedule of Classes for course descriptions and listings.

While MHA courses carry 4 units of credits, most Marshall School of Business Administration classes are 3 units. To complete the 8 units minimum requirement, student must complete the additional 2 units in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development or the Marshall School of Business Administration. In addition, students may pursue a directed research (PPD 590), provided a faculty member agrees to oversee the research project.

Contact

Please be sure to contact your faculty advisor regarding the MHA curriculum and course scheduling or contact:

LaVonna Lewis
Health Services Administration
School of Policy, Planning, and Development
Ralph & Goldy Lewis Hall 309
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626
llewis@usc.edu
(213) 740-4280