Admissions requirements

Candidates applying for admission must have the following:

1. Application:
   • Completed and signed admissions application along with a nonrefundable application fee.
2. Academic:
   • An accredited bachelor’s degree from a university recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Applicants who received their qualifying degree from a university outside the United States will have to provide a degree equivalency evaluation.*
   • An official transcript from the qualifying degree-granting institution. For students using VA benefits transcripts for all institutions attended are required.
   • A minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) at the qualifying degree institution.
3. Elements of success:
   • A current resume
   • Completion of an essay
   • English proficiency **
   • Meet technology requirements***

* Applicants who have graduated from a foreign college or university should submit acceptable evidence of U.S. degree/course equivalency. All course work taken at the foreign institution must be evaluated for American institution equivalence by one of the following services:

** Applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in English when applying to A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Studies. Written and spoken proficiency in the English language may be demonstrated by one of the following options:

• Option 1 - English is your first language.
• Option 2 - Graduated from a regionally accredited four year college/university in the United States with a BA/BS or graduate degree.
• Option 3 - You are demonstrating your English proficiency by submitting acceptable scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Accepted test types for CGHS are: The Computer Based Test (CBT), Internet Based Test (iBT), or the Paper Based Test (PBT) are accepted. The following are the minimum required score based on test type:

• CBT - minimum total score of 213
• iBT - minimum total score of 80
• PBT - minimum total score of 550

The TOEFL is administered by:
TOEFL Educational Testing Services
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ, 08541-6151
P: (609) 771-7100

A.T. Still University’s institutional code is 0339. Please be sure to include this information when you submit your application packet to the TOEFL Educational Testing Services.

*** ATSU technology requirements

Learning outcomes

1. Develop and demonstrate a leadership skill set that encourages transformational and ethical leadership, cultural competence, strategic management, continuous learning, accountability, and collaborative engagement to effectively guide CHC organizations in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care while addressing the unique challenges of underserved populations and fostering a positive, inclusive work environment.
2. Analyze the unique challenges and opportunities faced by Community Health Centers in providing comprehensive, affordable healthcare to underserved populations, demonstrating critical thinking and systems-level understanding of the CHC landscape.
3. Develop and assess initiatives that address the specific needs of Community Health Centers, such as resource allocation, service expansion, and community engagement, while adhering to federal regulations and maintaining financial sustainability.
4. Evaluate and implement evidence-based quality improvement initiatives, with a focus on enhancing patient outcomes and reducing health disparities in underserved communities.
5. Analyze and apply a variety of financial management principles and practices, such as grant writing, federal funding mechanisms, and sliding fee scales, to ensure long-term fiscal viability while maintaining the mission of serving vulnerable populations.

Why get a health administration certificate designed for CHC leaders?

Community Health Centers (CHCs), also known as federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), are vital in delivering comprehensive, affordable healthcare to underserved rural and urban communities across the United States. As these centers expand their reach and services, the need for experienced executive leaders to guide their operations and strategic growth is becoming increasingly critical.

With continued federal funding and initiatives to improve healthcare access, the CHC network is poised for substantial growth over the coming decade. This expansion will require skilled executives to oversee new facilities and programs effectively.

Additionally, many long-tenured CHC CEOs and executives are approaching retirement age, creating a significant demand for qualified candidates who understand the unique challenges and mission of community health centers. Providing leadership development opportunities for these current and future executives is essential to ensuring the continued success of CHCs.

A.T. Still University’s certificate program is uniquely aligned with this need, offering targeted education and training that equips health services professionals to lead CHCs successfully.

Program goals

ATSU strives to prepare highly competent professionals through innovative academic programs with a commitment to continue its osteopathic heritage and focus on whole-person healthcare, scholarship, community health, interprofessional education, diversity, and underserved populations.

This graduate-level certificate program supports ATSU’s mission, preparing mid-career health professionals to become innovative leaders and problem solvers within the healthcare industry, which also aligns with the goals of a CHC leader.

Required courses

DHAD7000 Leadership and Practice
Credits: 3
Theoretical perspectives will allow students to discover the importance of incorporating leadership into healthcare practice. Each student will be able to link these theories to developing personal leadership competency. Students will also learn the features and benefits of involvement with a professional health care organization such as the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

You will select one of the following finance course offerings:

MHAD6550 Healthcare Financial Management
Credits: 3
This course introduces the essential and practical elements of healthcare financial management to health administration students who may not be financial managers. It places an emphasis on key financial management concepts and their applications that are critical to making business decisions in both non-profit and for-profit healthcare organizations. It integrates finance, economics, and financial and managerial accounting principles. It provides real world examples to guide students through topics in financial statement analysis, value-based purchasing, revenue cycle management, financial planning and analysis, cash budgeting and working capital management, capital budgeting and long-term financing, and organizational financial performance analysis. This course includes a field-work assignment that can be completed in-person or virtually.

DHAD8200 Healthcare Economics and Financial Management
Credits: 3
Students will use key financial and economic principles to examine executive level decisions relative to capitalization, credit ratings, debt capacity, alternate funding sources, business plan development, and overall organizational finance strategy. The concepts will be considered from both non-profit and for-profit healthcare organizational perspectives.

Additional course offerings

You will select two additional courses from the following approved courses.

MHAD6050 Managing Human Resources
Credits: 3
The focus of this course is workforce planning, recruitment, hiring, supervision, motivation, training, evaluation and overall leadership of staff members in healthcare organizations. Emphasis is placed on building strategies to manage both individual employees and teams of employees. Students also will study methods for handling difficult or under-performing employees. This course includes a field-work assignment that can be completed in-person or virtually.

MHAD6350 Data Analytics and Decision Making
Credits: 3
In this course, students will learn how to best analyze, categorize, and manage internal and external data of healthcare organizations. Students will work with actual data sets when analyzing diagnostic, procedural, pharmacy, and administrative data. The emphasis of this course is on administrative data analytics. Students will learn value-based purchasing analytics and risk adjustments. They will also learn data analytics that will facilitate better revenue cycle management with an interdisciplinary approach. Students will gain a better understanding of interdepartmental dependencies and the importance of interdepartmental collaboration on organizational success.

MHAD6850 Project Management for Healthcare Administrators
Credits: 3
Project management expertise is an essential skill for healthcare administrators to ensure that projects are conducted with a proven framework and that these initiatives are aligned with organizational strategy. This course introduces tools and techniques designed to facilitate critical project management knowledge areas, such as scope, schedule, cost, quality, resource, communication, risk, procurement, and stakeholder. Emphasis is placed on the skills and abilities of effective project managers. Students will learn the value of delivering a project on time, within schedule, and to the customer’s satisfaction.

DHAD7500 Population Health
Credits: 3
In this executive course students will investigate healthy people and healthy populations. Students will understand historical perspectives and emerging trends of health issues, populations, shared concerns of society and vulnerable groups. This will include public health risks and how they relate to epidemiology, globalization, changing demographics, and other factors that can affect the health and welfare of the overall population. The role of the health care administrator in promoting population health and wellbeing, as well as identification of potential resources for data and optimization of services will be explored.

DHAD7600 Quality Improvement and Performance Evaluation
Credits: 3
In this executive course, concepts and principles of continuous improvement and patient safety using the Baldrige Criteria will be used. Group work and case studies will allow participants to develop evidence based management principles leading to patient centered, quality driven practices that will result in improved patient outcomes and more efficient and effective organizational practices.

DHAD7800 Health Policy, Law and Regulation
Credits: 3
This executive course will cover significant legislation affecting the health care industry, including current topics in health care reform, advocacy, and policy development. Students will learn about significant legal issues and ethical questions affecting health care administrators, as well as the health policy analysis process.

DHAD8400 Healthcare Organization Informatics
Credits: 3
In this executive course, students will investigate the qualities necessary to strategically evaluate, select and implement system wide informatics. Consideration is given to the effects of the rapidly evolving informatics field and resulting organizational adaptation. Decision support systems integrating financial, human resources, continuous quality improvement, and strategy and resource utilization will be introduced and applied.

DHAD8600 Health Organization Governance
Credits: 3
In this executive course students are involved in processes used to identify and recruit governing boards, and the use of effective management and communication skills to establish board accountability and buy-in. Board development, board composition, fiduciary responsibility, leadership roles and the governing role of the board and its infrastructure are examined.

DHAD8800 Strategic Change Management for Health Care Organizations
Credits: 3
In this executive course, students will investigate and integrate change management practices to strategically position the healthcare organization for the future. Students will assess their organization’s current strategic position and apply relevant theoretical models and the necessary change management practices resulting developing organizational adaptability.

PUBH5700 Grant Writing for Public Health Professionals
Credits: 3
The course is an overview of the importance and process of grant writing for public health professionals. Students are exposed to different types of funding organizations/programs and types of grant proposals. Students will build and apply basic grant writing skills through the exploration of potential funding sources for programs/projects, identification of the basic elements of grant proposals, developing and drafting a grant proposal, and critiquing their drafts and those of their peers.

PUBH6100 Identifying Community Health Needs
Credits: 3
Needs and capacity assessment strategies are designed for people planning to practice within the fields of public health, health promotion, or health education. Students take an in-depth look at individual, group, and self-directed assessment strategies. This course gives students an opportunity to practice learned skills, decipher what assessments are best for a given situation, and learn how to implement their new skills within their professional environments.

PUBH6600 Public Health Policy
Credits: 3
This is a survey course that provides introductory content dealing with how public health and other health organizations relate to policy and politics. It covers the historical context behind current policies and the role of the public health professional in advocacy, policy development, and implementation. Current policies and their impact on the health of communities and populations will also be discussed.

PUBH7500 Development of Community-Based Programs
Credits: 3
This course looks at various community-based programs and how best to develop, implement, and evaluate these programs as well as financing these programs.

Tuition

Review tuition and fees for the Health Administration for Community Health Center Leaders Certificate program. Please note tuition and fees are subject to change.

Financial aid

Federal financial aid is not available for certificate and non-degree enrollments. However, students who go on to pursue ATSU’s Doctor of Health Administration or Master of Health Administration degrees may be eligible for federal financial aid.

A.T. Still University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500,
Chicago, IL 60604

Phone: 800.621.7440 | Fax: 312.263.7462
Email: info@hlcommission.org

hlcommission.org