AU adds major, minor in health planning and management

April 13-- Apr. 13--ALFRED -- Last year, the health care industry become the largest employer in the country, with a majority of new positions managerial and administrative in nature. To help prepare students for this growing field, Alfred University's College of Business has added a new major and minor in health planning and management.

Mark Lewis, dean of the College of Business, said health planning and management will be offered as a major and minor beginning with the 2019-20 academic year. The first minors are expected to be awarded next spring, 2020; the first Bachelor of Science degrees in health planning and management will be awarded in spring 2021.

The new major and minor offerings, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focus in health planning and management already in place, will prepare students to meet the job demands of one of the country's fastest-growing industries.

"Healthcare has become the largest industry and the second largest employer in the United States, with more than 11 million jobs," said Fred Farley, assistant professor of management, who led efforts to devise the new major and minor. Farley, who has a Ph.D. in nursing, is a former health care administrator, having served as president and CEO of Arnot Ogden Medical Center, Elmira, and president of St. Joseph's Hospital, Elmira.

Farley cited U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showing jobs in medical and health services management are projected to grow 20 percent by 2026, more than double the 8-percent rate of growth in all other management positions. "Further, the majority of new private sector jobs over the past five years came from healthcare, and the sector continues to grow faster than most other segments," he said.

"Graduates of healthcare management programs can find career opportunities in wide ranging areas, from small rural communities, to large metropolitan areas and throughout the world," Farley said. Job opportunities are plentiful, coming from a wide variety of health care-related businesses and industries: hospitals, satellite clinics and medical practices; skilled nursing and assisted living facilities; public health agencies; insurance providers and health maintenance organizations; consulting firms, and pharmaceutical companies to name a few.

Alfred University offered a health planning and management major but it was discontinued in the late 1990s. Lewis said bringing it back as a major and minor, along with the MBA focus, will be attractive to current and prospective students.

"We have excellent programs in accounting, finance, marketing and business administration," Lewis said. "This will be appealing to students because it will open up a whole new range of opportunities."

A degree in health planning and management will put graduates on a path where they can make a meaningful difference in their communities, Farley said.

"Healthcare managers make decisions every day that impact the health of individuals and the communities in which they practice. There are very few careers where an individual can be so impactful and this gives these managers a sense of social mission that goes way beyond most career opportunities," he commented. "As a healthcare manager you will have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of the people in your community."

Courses offered to earn a Bachelor of Science degree, with a major or minor in health planning and management, include: Power and Politics in Healthcare; Healthcare Financial Management for Non-Financial Managers; Healthcare Legal and Ethical Issues; Healthcare Policy; US Healthcare System; and International Healthcare System Exploration.

A program focus on health planning and management will create a host of new work-study opportunities, which may be supported by Alfred University's Applied and Experiential (APEX) learning program. APEX provides financial awards to juniors and seniors to support experiential learning (work, study, research initiatives, such as internships. That experience, combined with the health care focus in the classroom, will make degree recipients in health planning and management attractive to employers, Farley said.

"Alfred University offers a unique program by providing internships where students will gain a first-hand knowledge of a segment of the industry through experiential learning.

"These internships will provide the students an experience that will help differentiate them from other job applicants."

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