Master of Science in Health Sciences in the Field of Healthcare Quality

The master of science in health sciences in the field of healthcare quality program is an interdisciplinary program designed for healthcare professionals who want to advance their careers and become leaders in healthcare quality and patient safety.

The competency-based curriculum is informed by the National Center for Healthcare Leadership and the National Association for Healthcare Quality. It includes 20 competencies, ranging from health informatics and quality and patient safety to leadership theories, critical thinking, and analysis. Toward the end of the program, a capstone project allows for high-level integration of the program’s competencies. Throughout the program, competency attainment is assessed at different points in time.

As one of the first two healthcare quality programs to receive national accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, the healthcare quality program is designed to meet an emerging demand for quality and patient safety specialists who have the capacity and competence to grow and sustain a culture of continuous improvement at all levels and within every sector of the healthcare delivery system. Through a rigorous curriculum and an active-learning environment, the program helps prepare graduates for quality and patient safety leadership, management, and research positions within healthcare organizations or policy agencies. Upon completion of this program, students can expect to:

Evaluate appropriate quality improvement patient safety, leadership, organizational change, and research theories/standards applicable to healthcare.
Develop quality and patient safety improvement initiatives.
Assess information technology systems to determine the level of support for quality improvement.
Formulate organizational change plans to sustain a quality-focused culture.

Visit the program website for additional information.

Adminssion Requirements
Article	Requirement
Admissions Deadlines:	Fall – July 20
	Spring - December 1
	Summer - March 20
	The application and all supporting documentation (fees, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, transcripts) must be received by the deadline in order for the application to be reviewed.
Standardized Test Scores:	Not required
Recommendations required:	Two (2) letters of recommendation. Recommendations should be from an academic instructor who can strongly attest to your academic ability and/or someone who has served in a supervisory capacity for you and can strongly attest to your work ethic. Recommendations from family and friends are not accepted.
Prior Academic Records:	Official transcripts are required from all colleges and universities attended (including via dual enrollment), whether or not credit was earned, the program was completed, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Official transcripts must be forwarded in their original sealed envelopes or sent electronically directly from the institution.
	If academic records are in a language other than English, a certified English language translation must be provided in addition to the original transcripts; translations alone will not be accepted.
	Official transcripts from institutions outside the U.S. must be accompanied by an official transcript evaluation from an accredited independent evaluating agency. Please be sure you request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grades, U.S. degree equivalency, grade-point averages (GPA), and date of degree conferral. For a list of acceptable foreign credential evaluation services, please follow this link: https://www.naces.org/members.
Statement of Purpose:	In an essay of approximately 250-500 words, describe your interest in undertaking study at The George Washington University. What are some of your academic objectives or career goals? Please highlight any of your related qualifications and achievements-- including academic, community, professional, or extra-curricular activities relevant to your program of interest. Include any substantial accomplishments not already mentioned within the application.
Degree and GPA Requirements:	Bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited institution
	Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale
Additional Requirements:	Resume is required.

Adminssion Requirements
Article	Requirement
International Students:	International students should check with individual programs regarding eligibility for visa sponsorship. Generally, online and hybrid programs are not eligible for student visa sponsorship from GW. This would include transfer students from any other institution with an existing visa.
	Official transcripts from institutions outside the U.S. must be accompanied by an official transcript evaluation from an accredited independent evaluating agency. Please be sure you request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grades, U.S. degree equivalency, grade-point averages (GPA), and date of degree conferral. For a list of acceptable foreign credential evaluation services, please click here (https://www.naces.org/members.php).
	Applicants who are not U.S. citizens are required to submit official test scores for either Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or Pearsons Test of English (PTE), Academic the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Duolingo English Test (DET). The following are the minimum scores for admission consideration: TOEFL: 600 on paper based, 250 on computer-based, or 100 Internet-based, PTE: overall score of 68, IELTS: an overall band score of 7.0, with no individual band score below 6.0, or DET overall score of 120. *Scores can be no older than 2 years.
	International applicants who meet the following conditions may be considered for admission without submitting TOEFL, PTE or IELTS or DET scores: They are a citizen of countries where English is the official language (as identified by GW ISO list of Exempt countries) OR; They hold at least a bachelor degree from a country where English is the official language as well as language of instruction OR; They hold at least a bachelor degree from an institution accredited by a U.S. regional accrediting agency.

Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:

George Washington University

ATTN: Transcript Processing Center
1415 W 22^nd St.
Suite 220
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Documents may be submitted electronically to: transcripts@hsprograms.gwu.edu.

Contact for questions:

hsphora@gwu.edu
202-994-0384 (phone)
Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 33 credits in required courses and 3 credits in elective courses.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required
Graduate research courses
HSCI 6264	Epidemiology Translational Research
Professional courses
COHM 6235	Leadership Development in Healthcare Systems
COHM 6245	Strategic and Operational Decision Making for Healthcare Leaders
Healthcare quality courses
HCQ 6200	Introduction to Healthcare Quality ^*
HCQ 6201	Building a Quality Culture
HCQ 6202	Health Care Quality Landscape
HCQ 6203	Quality Improvement Science
HCQ 6204	Health Care Quality Analysis
HCQ 6205	Patient Safety Systems
HCQ 6206	Health Information, Quality and Outcomes
HCQ 6275	Leadership and Change
Select one elective of the following:
HSCI 6263	Biostatistics Translational Research
HSCI 6273	Bioinformatics for Genomics
COHM 6215	Population Health for Healthcare Innovators
COHM 6320	Informatics for Operational Leadership and Healthcare Quality
COHM 6460	Case Studies in Healthcare Transformation, Quality, and Patient Safety
CRA 6201	Critical Analysis Clinical Research
CRA 6202	Medicines Development
CRA 6203	Partnerships with Human Subjects
CRA 6204	The Clinical Research Industry
CTS 6261	Foundations in Clinical and Translational Research
INFR 6102	Principles of Medicine for Informaticians
INFR 6103	Advanced Computing Applications for Biomedical Informatics
INFR 6105	Health Care Quality for Informatics
INFR 6540	Medical Decision Making and Decision Support Systems
RAFF 6204	Clinical Research for Regulatory Affairs

*Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) credential is accepted as an equivalent to this course. Any other equivalent transfer credits must be approved by the program director.