Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety

Program Overview

Systematically ensuring the best possible care and outcomes

Though health care quality and safety are paramount concerns today, the emphasis on patient safety as a mission-oriented imperative has only been common in the last 25-30 years. Medical and surgical procedures are complex undertakings involving numerous care providers, advanced equipment and ever-present risks. Ensuring that every measure has been taken to do no harm is a continuous challenge requiring specific skills.

The Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety program equips clinicians and clinical administrators with the operational skills and leadership vision to direct effective quality improvement and safety initiatives within their own health care organizations. 

Master of Healthcare Quality and Safety program offers both a full-time one-year option and a part-time two-year option. The model of instruction consists of a blend of traditional coursework, intensive workshops, a longitudinal seminar series and a comprehensive capstone project.

Now complementing individual learning and development, this program provides students the choice of two separate educational pathways. Students will have the choice of a Quality and Safety Pathway or a Clinical Informatics Pathway. The program will offer both didactic and experiential learning with a curriculum designed to support the learning needs of clinicians, and administrators in safety, quality, clinical informatics, risk management and health leadership.

The Master of Healthcare Quality and Safety program focuses on five key areas of study:

1. Operational Quality and Safety
2. Informatics: Clinical Databases, Electronic Health Records and Patient Portals
3. Leadership and Change Management
4. Quantitative Approaches
5. Risk Assessment and Communication

The curriculum is tailored to help clinicians improve patient safety and health care quality in an increasingly complex and evolving health care environment.

Graduates will be well-positioned to pursue leadership roles including:  

• Assistant or Associate Quality Officer
• Chief Medical Information Officer
• Chief Quality Officer
• Clinical Risk Manager
• Digital Health Officer
• Director of Medical Informatics
• Director of Nursing Informatics
• Director of Patient Relations and Risk
• Director of Patient Safety
• Director of Physician Engagement
• Manager of Global Patient Safety, Quality and Compliance
• Senior Patient Safety Specialist