Quality, Safety and Risk Management in Healthcare MS

Major: Quality, Safety and Risk Management in Healthcare
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 45.0
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 51.0701
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 11-9111

About the Program

The MS in Quality, Safety, and Risk Management in Healthcare prepares students to lead organizational efforts that improve and monitor quality metrics, improve safety for both patients and staff and manage risks in a dynamic health-care environment.

This interdisciplinary patient safety and health-care quality master's program is designed for health-care professionals seeking to develop essential competencies to assess, monitor, and improve health-care outcomes in community-based care delivery settings, hospitals and other health-care organizations.

Graduates of this program will be prepared to lead teams in a wide variety of quality and risk management initiatives including:

  • Aligning the patient safety, risk and quality functions within the organization.
  • Ensuring that patient safety, risk and quality activities are aligned with the strategic goals of the organization.
  • Assessing current activities in patient safety, risk and quality to clarify responsibilities and reduce duplication of effort.
  • Establishing a structure that ensures that patient care activities are addressed in a coordinated manner involving patient safety, risk and quality functions.
  • Assembling a team to ensure that the structure for patient safety, risk and quality activities maximizes legal protections while allowing for the flow of information across all functions.
  • Coordinating process changes, data collection, data analysis, monitoring and evaluation.
  • Evaluating the roles of patient safety, risk and quality as the organization's needs change.

Additional Information

For more information about this program, contact:

Graduate Nursing Division
CNHPGraduateDivision@drexel.edu

Additional information is also available on Drexel's College of Nursing and Health Professions MS in Quality, Safety and Risk Management in Healthcare webpage and on the Drexel University Online MS in Quality, Safety and Risk Management in Healthcare webpage.

Admission Requirements (MS)

  • A Bachelor of Science degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
  • 3.0 or above on all previous coursework or the last 60.0 credits completed. Applications with a GPA less than a 3.0 may be considered on an individual basis.
  • Official transcripts from all previous educational institutions are required.
  • Two professional references required from colleagues or supervisors who can attest to the applicant’s knowledge, skill, and potential aptitude for graduate study
    • Letters of recommendations are waived for students with a 3.0 GPA or higher
  • Personal statement (no more than two pages and no less than one page double-spaced) that will give the admissions committee a better understanding of the following:
    • Why you are choosing this particular program of study
    • Your plans upon completion of the certificate
    • How your current work experience will enhance your experience in this program
  • Curriculum vitae or resume
  • Copies of any licensure and certification documents
  • While specific experience is not required for applicants to the track, previous related work experience may make an applicant more competitive.

TOEFL Requirement

International applicants, as well as immigrants to the United States and United States permanent residents whose native language is not English and who have not received a bachelor’s degree or higher in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom, must show proficiency in English speaking as well as listening, writing, and reading. U.S. citizens born on U.S. military bases abroad may be waived from the TOEFL requirement after providing documentation of this status; otherwise, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

If you take the TOEFLiBT exam, you are required to have a minimum combined score for the listening, writing, and reading sections of 79 plus a speaking section score of 26 or higher.

If you take the TOEFL, you are required to have a minimum score of 550 or higher and a Test of Spoken English score (TSE) of 55 or higher.

Degree Requirements

Core Courses
IPS 502Advanced Ethical Decision Making in Health Care3.0
IPS 503Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments3.0
IPS 544Quality and Safety in Healthcare3.0
RSCH 503Research Methods and Biostatistics3.0
RSCH 504Evaluation and Translation of Health Research3.0
Major Courses
IPS 584Analysis of Performance Standards in Healthcare Quality3.0
IPS 585Science of Safety, Human Factors, and System Thinking3.0
IPS 587Safety Culture in Healthcare3.0
IPS 601Quality, Safety and Risk Management Capstone5.0
LSTU 551Compliance Skills: Auditing, Investigation & Reporting4.0
LSTU 600Health Care Rules and Regulations4.0
LSTU 601Health Care Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Management4.0
LSTU 602Patients and Privacy: HIPAA and Related Regulations4.0
Total Credits45.0

Sample Plan of Study (MS)

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
IPS 5033.0IPS 5023.0LSTU 6024.0LSTU 5514.0
IPS 5443.0LSTU 6014.0RSCH 5033.0RSCH 5043.0
 6 7 7 7
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
IPS 5843.0IPS 5853.0IPS 6015.0 
LSTU 6004.0IPS 5873.0  
 7 6 5 
Total Credits 45
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