MBA Healthcare Management

Your guide to getting an MBA in Healthcare Management

DeSales University

DeSales University is also featured in our ranking Top 50 Best Online MBA in Healthcare Management Degree Programs.

DeSales University was founded by the Allentown Diocese’s Bishop Joseph McShea in 1964. The goal was to deliver all-male liberal arts education rooted in Christian humanism. Named for the “Gentleman Saint” Francis de Sales from Savoy, the college welcomed women in 1970. It introduced its first master’s in 1984.

Now endowed for $69.3 million, DeSales University operates as a private, nonprofit Catholic MAC member with its renowned Forum for Ethics in the Workplace. DeSales currently has 3,254 students from 25 states in 45 majors and 16 graduate programs.  This includes a Part-Time MBA in Healthcare Management. It occupies a 400-acre Center Valley campus near Lehigh University. DeSales has expanded with ACCESS courses in Bethlehem, Lansdale, and online via Blackboard. Linked to 12,573 LinkedIn alumni, DeSales University has taught:

  • Steve Burns
  • Dee Roscioli
  • Peter Augustine Lawler, and more

The U.S. News & World Report ranked DeSales University as the North’s:

  • 64th best regional school
  • 42nd best value
  • 96th best online MBA training nationally

On Niche, DeSales is America’s:

  • 14th safest college
  • 186th most conservative school
  • 421st best business university

College Factual placed DeSales as the 72nd best Catholic institution and 237th top health professions school. In Washington Monthly, DeSales University was lauded for the country’s 249th best financial aid and 288th most service participation. The Cardinal Newman Society Guide recommended this “College of Distinction.”

According to the Education to Career (ETC) Index, DeSales University lands 52nd nationwide for career outcomes. Reporting a 20-year net ROI of $209,000 on PayScale, DeSales also had the 59th strongest MBA selectivity on Poets & Quants.

Becoming a Healthcare Manager at DeSales University

The Division of Business at DeSales University boasts Pennsylvania’s second-largest Online MBA offering. 625 students choose from 11 concentrations, including Healthcare Management. The 36-credit, non-thesis program infuses Catholic values into leadership skill development for ethical delivery of patient care. Online ACBSP-accredited courses averaging 14 peers will dive into:

  • Quality Management
  • Community Health Assessment
  • Healthcare Policy
  • Managed Care, and more

Part-time scheduling helps working adults study asynchronously until the capstone strategy integration project. Online learners could still:

  • benefit from the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas partnership
  • access Kamran Afshar Center resources
  • intern at Lehigh Valley Hospital
  • pursue ACHE membership.

DeSales University’s Division of Business also partners with the Division of Health Sciences to provide an Online Nurse Executive MSN/MBA Dual track. Its aligned to ANCC certification. This 58-credit, Christ-centered program takes five years part-time for registered nurses to assume management roles. The curriculum integrates 525 practicum hours in students’ own cities between courses like Nursing Informatics and Financial Management. DeSales offers a Dual DNP/MBA in Clinical Leadership for APRNs seeking Doctor of Nursing Practice credentials for chief positions. This 68-credit, CCNE-accredited major builds scholarly project portfolios with:

  • courses like Applied Managerial Epidemiology
  • 525 internship hours
  • translational research.

DeSales University Accreditation Details

In 2013, DeSales University was reaffirmed at Level VI by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). This 10-year regional accreditation covers all five academic divisions for Federal Title-IV eligibility from the U.S. Department of Education. The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) specifically approved the Division of Business’s Part-Time MBA in Healthcare Management. The Dual MSN/MBA and DNP/MBA options are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). DeSales also meets the standards of the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

DeSales University Application Requirements

Getting into the Part-Time MBA in Healthcare Management at DeSales University is “selective.” The Fall 2016 acceptance rate was 87 percent on the U.S. News & World Report. Grad school applicants must have finished a four-year bachelor’s in any major at regionally accredited universities. Certain prerequisites like Financial Accounting and Business Computing can be added online.

The Division of Business expects a cumulative 3.0 GPA, but the average is currently 3.4. Admitted post-grads achieve an average score of 556 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). All Part-Time MBA entrants must be working adults with 24 months of relevant full-time experience. International students are accepted with I-20 forms for minimum TOEFL scores of 400 (paper) or 90 (Internet).

DeSales University runs rolling admission with final deadlines just two weeks before starts in:

  • January
  • April
  • July
  • September

Non-U.S. citizens are the only exception with an April 1st deadline and $400 deposits due May 1st. Healthcare Management MBA majors should send the Graduate Studies Application online with a $50 fee. This could be waived by joining an information session. Extra materials can be emailed to gradadmissions@desales.edu or sent to 2755 Station Avenue in Center Valley, PA 18034. The Division of Business requests the following:

• Undergraduate transcripts

• Official GMAT test reports

• Three professional references

• Résumé or CV of experience

• Typed personal statement

• TOEFL competency exam (if applicable)

DeSales University Tuition and Financial Aid

DeSales University has an average full-time tuition rate of $34,500 per year. Living at the Center Valley campus adds $12,800 for room and board to total $48,900 annually. However, earning the Online Master of Business Administration will cost part-time graduates $840 per credit. It’s expected that the 36-credit MBA will charge $30,240 total. For Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credits, students can pay 30 percent of course tuition. The Dual MSN/MBA also bills $840 per credit, but the DNP/MBA in Clinical Leadership pushes costs higher to $1,090 per credit taken.

According to the NCES College Navigator, 99 percent of beginning DeSales students earn financial aid packages 10 percent higher than average at $17,431. MBA students should file the FAFSA form via code 003986 before June 30th to receive Graduate PLUS loans. Discounts of $8,000 are given to veterans qualifying for the Yellow Ribbon Program’s Post-9/11 Bill benefits.

Some individuals qualify for Pennsylvania’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Graduate assistantships provide part-time work for 10 to 20 hours weekly with tuition waivers. Institutional funds include:

  • the Catholic Schools Grant
  • Leadership Scholarship
  • Moriello Scholarship
  • Tuition Incentive Program
  • Presidential Scholarship

There are also external programs, such as:

  • the Albert Dent Scholarship
  • Winston Health Policy Scholarship
  • Elliott C. Roberts Scholarship
  • Foster McGaw Scholarship
  • MGMA Scholarship

These may help students afford the Part-Time MBA in Healthcare Management at DeSales University.