Saint Leo University 

Saint Leo University is also featured in our ranking 20 Best Online MBA in Healthcare Management Degree Programs.

Health Care Management MBA at Saint Leo University

The Donald R. Tapia School of Business offers an MBA with 11 different concentrations including healthcare management. The school year is broken into six terms, and students in this program usually take one or two classes for eight weeks at a time. It is possible to earn an MBA in as little as one year.

The program consists of 36 total credit hours that make up seven core business courses along with five courses related to healthcare. The business core is identical in every MBA concentration and includes classes related to human resources, accounting, marketing, and management. The specific health-related courses are as follows.

  • Health Care Organization/Managed Care
  • Community Health Evaluation/Epidemiology
  • Critical Issues in Health Care
  • Health Care Management
  • Health Policy and Evaluation

Students also have the opportunity to take five more courses and add an additional concentration to their MBA. Some options are Project Management, Sports Business, and Data Analytics.

About Saint Leo University

Located about a half hour north of Tampa, Florida, Saint Leo University is the oldest Catholic college in Florida. It’s rooted in the Benedictine tradition. Faculty attempt to emulate these values, teaching students to be:

  • community-focused
  • grounded in their faith
  • accepting of diversity
  • fair
  • honest
  • respectful
  • goal-oriented

The university offers over 50 different degree programs and serves roughly 13,000 students each semester. Saint Leo University was one of the first colleges in the United States to offer distance learning. This was back in 1973, so classes were not online. Instead, students communicated through the mail, and programs were geared toward soldiers in the Vietnam War.

U.S. News and World Report has ranked Saint Leo:

  • #61 on their list of Best Regional Universities – South
  • 36th best college for veterans
  • #23 for Best Value Schools South

The school has also received recognition for its diversity and commitment to service earning a place on Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s top 100 list. It’s also listed on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Saint Leo University Accreditation Details

Saint Leo University is located in Florida. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC, is the regional accrediting agency responsible for evaluating this college and others in the southeastern portion of the United States. The SACSCOC evaluates schools based on six key principles:

  • integrity
  • quality of student education
  • self-regulation and improvement
  • accountability
  • transparency

Saint Leo University first received accreditation in 1967.

The Health Care Management MBA degree program is also accredited by an organization for business education professionals, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. The ACBSP ensures that universities are teaching accurate and relevant information that will adequately prepare students for their futures in the industry. To gain certification, programs also need to demonstrate a focus on using new technology and data techniques in the industry.

Saint Leo University Application Requirements

Admission requirements depend on the specific graduate college to which a student is applying. For acceptance to any of the online MBA programs, a bachelor’s degree is required. As long as the GPA for the last 60 hours of undergraduate study is 3.0 or greater, no additional testing is needed. Students who do not make this cutoff need to score at least a 500 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Along with these academic requirements, a minimum of 2 years of professional experience in the business world is also necessary. The admissions board prefers students who demonstrate the potential for upward mobility by receiving a promotion or new job title with more responsibilities.

There is no definite deadline for admissions because applications are renewed and students accepted year-round for one of the six program start days. This is called rolling admissions. Students do need to submit all application materials 60 days before their desired start date. This includes the following:

  • Completed application with $80 fee
  • Up-to-date resume
  • Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
  • Five-hundred word personal essay
  • GMAT scores if needed

Even if students do not meet every recommendation above, they are still encouraged to apply if interested. The admission’s board also considers personal characteristics and experiences in their decision.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Even though Saint Leo University is a private school, one of their primary goals is to provide an exceptional education at the lowest possible cost. Online graduate tuition is based on the individual program. For the master’s of business administration degrees, tuition is $720 per credit hour. The school automatically provides a discount for military members, charging them $555 per hour. For the total 36-hour program, tuition is $25,920 and $19,980 for military members.

Saint Leo University grad students often rely on financial assistance either in the form of:

  • federal aid
  • grants
  • scholarships
  • loans

Everyone is encouraged to fill out a FAFSA as soon as possible because funding is dispersed on a rolling basis as well. The earlier a qualifying student applies, the more likely he or she is to receive aid. Grants and scholarships are available from outside sources, especially organizations related to the specific degree subject. Some awards are based on academic achievement, demonstrated financial need, or both.

Others are similar to essay contests where the best paper wins. Many online graduate business students continue to work throughout the program. This can be a source of tuition assistance as well. Many corporations offer some form of tuition reimbursement, especially if the coursework is relevant to their industry. After all these forms of funding have been exhausted, students can look toward student loans to cover the remaining costs.

This MBA with an emphasis in Health Care Management degree program teaches students how to use management and organizational techniques in the healthcare industry. It prepares them for careers as:

  • hospital administrators
  • pharmaceutical project managers
  • policy analysts among others

Saint Leo University’s online platform makes it easy for professionals to earn their MBAs while maintaining full-time employment.