The Health Services Administration/Health Systems Management (HSA/HSM) Program is one of the tracks in the Department of Public Heath, which resides in the Division of the Natural Sciences & Public Health. The program offers a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health with a major in HSA/HSM. The primary mission of the HSA/HSM program is to prepare students for leadership positions in Health Services Administration/Health Systems Management; careers in research, and pursue graduate studies. A core value of the HSA/HSM program and its facility is to prepare heath services managers with the know ledge, skills, and values to exercise professional leadership and strategic management. The goals of the program are (1) to provide a diverse and academically sound HSA/HSM program which equips students with knowledge, research and current practice in the field of public; (2) to prepare majors for admissions to graduate and professional schools and, (3) to prepare students in the discipline to compete successfully in the job market.

The curriculum is designed to lead to a baccalaureate degree, which requires a minimum of 126 semester credit hours of which 34 semester hours are required for the major, 23 semester hours in business courses, 32 semester hours in natural sciences, and 39 semester hours in humanities, foreign languages, social sciences and electives. The curriculum also includes two (2) required structured semesters of internship in the public health field which is scheduled in the senior year. The internship sites include experiences in health services administration and management under the direction of experienced preceptors/executives who work in collaboration with the university. The students also have the opportunity to study abroad. The Public Health department also offers a 3/2 Program curriculum in collaboration with Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine (located in New Orleans). The student attends Dillard University for three (3) years and Tulane for two (2) years which upon completion of the first year of coursework at Tulane the student receives the Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Dillard University and after the completion of the second year at Tulane the students receives a Master of Public Health (MPH). The student must meet the admissions requirements of both Dillard University and Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine.

Applicants must meet the requirements for admission as established by Dillard University. There is a fall and spring admission. It is the policy of Dillard University to admit those applicants who possess high standards of scholarship, serious and realistic educational goals, potential for service and leadership, and the personal characteristics of honesty, loyalty and self respect. The University does not make any distinction as to religion, race or gender in the admission of its students.

Packages of aid may consist of a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and employment (work-study). This aid-packaging concept enables the University to make more funds available to a larger number of applicants. All applicants win receive a package upon request from the University Fiscal/Financial Aid Office.

Students earning the B.S. in Public Health find opportunities for employment with a variety of health care providers; such as, hospitals, local and state health departments, federal health agencies, voluntary health agencies, health insurance companies, and private and public institutions/organizations within the health care industry. The students also gain admissions, at times multi-acceptances to public health graduate programs and or professional schools. Career Services and the Department of Public Health at the University actively engage in informing the students and graduates of employment and graduate studies opportunities.

The HSA/HSM track has two full-time and four adjunct faculty members. Faculty members’ specialties include health systems management, epidemiology, environmental health, evaluation & assessment, business, marketing & finance, and public health law. The business, marketing & finance courses are taught by the faculty in the Division of Business. A select group of experienced practitioners serve as preceptors for the structured internships/field experiences.