Master of Science in Health Care Quality and Safety

Faculty Advisor: Yue Xie, PhD, MHA, MEng.

The Online Master of Science in Health Care Quality and Safety degree program is targeted toward health care professionals engaged or planning to be engaged in leadership roles in the quality and safety areas in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and other health care organizations.  Professionals in health care quality and safety manage the strategic and operational aspects of quality operations; establish goals and standards; lead the quality improvement programs; provide training and coaching in quality improvement tools and techniques; develop, implement and monitor measures to assess quality performance; direct organization-wide quality initiatives including the National Patient Safety Initiatives; and direct ongoing monitoring of accreditation survey readiness activities.  The MS in Health Care Quality and Safety degree offers a thesis and non-thesis option for the program.

Applicants seeking admission to the graduate program in Health Care Quality and Safety must submit the following directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

1. A Graduate Studies Application with the application fee
2. Undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. institution; exceptions may be made with majority approval by the admissions committee.
3. Official transcript(s) from all postsecondary schools attended
4. Minimum GPA of 3.0
5. Writing samples:
   1. Please include a 250-500 word essay describing your reasons for undertaking study at Sam Houston State University, and your academic objectives, career goals, and related qualifications, including collegiate, professional, and community activities, relevant to your program of interest. Include any substantial accomplishments.
   2. Please provide a 500 word description of one key issue in Healthcare Quality or Patient Safety and discuss possible solutions.
6. Two letters of recommendation from:
   1. Individuals who served in a supervisory capacity, and who can strongly attest to the applicant’s work ethic, and/or
   2. Academic instructors who can strongly attest to the applicant’s academic ability
7. A CV or resume
8. Evidence of health care work experience in clinical or non-clinical settings preferred
9. On-campus, video, or phone interview with a member of the MSHCQ&S admissions committee for selected competitive applicants meeting all admissions criteria
10. The program currently does not accept international students on F-1 student visas.  If you are on another type of visa, or have additional questions regarding your eligibility to apply, please, contact the Office of International Programs at 936-294-4737 or nld015@shsu.edu.

Non-Thesis Option

Note: All courses require Graduate Standing in the program.
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The non-thesis track of the Master of Science in Health Care Quality and Safety (HCQ&S) program requires a real-life health care quality or safety improvement capstone project to be completed by the student prior to awarding the degree.  The project will be completed as part of the required capstone course during the last semester of the student's studies.

At the conclusion of the program, HCQ&S non-thesis students are required to pass a comprehensive examination covering content from select courses. The comprehensive examination can be taken when the student is within his/her final 6-hours of coursework and must be completed at least three weeks prior to the graduation date. Students must be enrolled during the semester in which the comprehensive examinations are taken. HLTH 6384 may serve as the comprehensive exam component for the MS in Health Care Quality and Safety degree.  Students must earn a grade of "B" or higher in HLTH 6384 to be eligible for graduation. Please contact the Health Care Quality and Safety Graduate Coordinator for more information. 

Thesis Option

The thesis track requires a more academically-focused research thesis (instead of the capstone project) to be completed before awarding the degree. Those selecting the thesis option are required to successfully complete an oral defense of their research study. A successful thesis defense and approval for publication fulfill the comprehensive exams requirement for thesis students. Students must also maintain continuous enrollment in thesis courses until the thesis has been successfully completed. Please, consult the Graduate Catalog for more details and visit with the Health Care Quality and Safety Graduate Coordinator for more information.  

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers.  Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.

The MS in Health Care Quality and Safety is designed to provide graduates with the following marketable skills:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the health care quality and safety profession. 
• Demonstrate ability to recognize and solve health care quality and/or safety issues. 
• Participate in research of and find solutions to problems in the field of Health Care Quality and Safety. 
• Recognize leadership and management theories and practices, including those of change management. 
• Apply knowledge of the current United States health care system in solving problems.