Popular New Degree Program Offers Path to Careers on the Business Side of Healthcare

With the launch of the Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management (HSMT) degree in 2017, the Department of Public Health Sciences marked the first new major at UNC Charlotte in 10 years. Now, just one year after its debut, the program is already one of the most popular on campus, with more than 500 students enrolled.

“It’s growing quickly,” said Dr. Melinda Forthofer, chair of the Department of Public Health. “We have new students declaring this major every day.”

This relatively new area of study gives students an opportunity to learn the inner workings of how health systems operate, with a focus on the organization and management of the business side of healthcare. Members the program take courses in leadership, quality management and improvement, health care accounting and finances, organizational development and behavior, information technology management, as well as health policy and law.

Considered the heart of the business side of health care, health systems managers may work in hospitals, clinics, offices, or non-profit agencies where they juggle the duties of supervising or training staff, managing budgets, and working closely with the medical staff to improve patient care.

“I switched my major from nursing to public health, then realized (HSMT) is more of what I want to do because it’s management and I like that I would still be helping people in a health care sense,” said Carrie Johnson, who expects to be a member of the program’s first graduating class in May 2018.

Johnson is also founder and president of the Health Systems Management Association, an organization she started to help students meet one another and gain support as they navigate through the new major.

“I thought it would be awesome for people to come together because everything was so new. We have workshops, speakers, study buddies and mentors for students that are just getting into the program.”

As the first class prepares to graduate this spring, it appears they will enter a promising job market. According to Dr. Forthofer, Charlotte is one the largest and most robust health care systems in the country and the need for health care managers is rapidly expanding, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a 20% growth by the year 2026.

Learn more about the Bachelor’s of Science in Health Systems Management

by: Anna Henderson