Fast-Track Your Healthcare Career with Our Graduate Credit-Bearing Certificate — Just Steps From the Texas Medical Center
Our 10-month, in-person Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management is taught by Rice MBA faculty and designed for professionals who want to deepen their business expertise in healthcare. In this cohort-based program, you’ll learn core business principles with real-world insights across healthcare sectors — from hospitals to managed care and beyond. You can also apply the majority of your certificate credits toward a Rice on-campus MBA program, making this a smart first step toward earning a full degree.
Healthcare professionals across all levels looking to strengthen their business skills and leadership capabilities.
Not just for doctors or hospital administrators — this program supports individuals in operations, finance, strategy, marketing and more.
Professionals from a wide range of healthcare-related industries, including biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health insurance, health tech and care delivery.
I thought Rice was the best choice. We collaborate with Rice at the Texas Heart Institute. And I really respected the faculty members who I had heard lecture.
Keri Sprung (Former Vice President for Communications and Education, Texas Heart Institute)
Build your expertise. You’ll benefit from a proven healthcare-focused curriculum, taught by industry experts and faculty, covering essential areas like leadership, strategy, operations and marketing.
Industry access. Located next to the nation’s largest and most dynamic healthcare community, students gain unparalleled access to top hospitals, clinics and healthcare leaders.
Powerful networking. Build relationships with alumni, mentors and peers who share your goals and take elective courses alongside our MBA students.
Real-world application. Tackle a workplace-related challenge through your coursework — turning classroom learning into practical impact you can bring back to your organization.
Flexible & future-focused. Complete your specialized certificate in under a year, with the option to apply earned credits toward one of our on-campus MBA programs.
Rice was really life-changing for me. I discovered myself as a leader, what my value systems are — and that clarity came through interactions with my peers and professors.
Our Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management Program Details
Program duration: 10 months, starting August through June
Class schedules: Evenings and weekends with the flexibility to select electives during the workday
Credit hours: 13 credit hours that include two immersions at the start and close of the program, plus four healthcare-focused electives and an experiential lab.
Curriculum Schedule Overview
Please note that the schedule and courses outlined above are subject to change.
Sample Healthcare Electives
Below are some courses that focus on healthcare. Note: Elective course offerings may vary by MBA program and are subject to change.
The basics that all executives, especially those working in the healthcare industry, need to know about health insurance programs, public and private markets, pricing, risk management and how insurance companies think about their business. After covering the basics, the course examines the rapid shifts occurring as a result of the Affordable Care Act and other environmental and legislative changes.
The purpose of this elective is to help students develop a critical understanding of the nature of costs in healthcare delivery, their measurement in a variety of decision contexts, and how they can be managed and improved. Students will be exposed to tools such as the breakeven analysis, role of cost allocations, activity-based costing, time-driven activity-based costing and cost control.
This course provides an introduction to the business of healthcare in the U.S. Topics include healthcare systems, health service organizations, and issues relating to the aging problem and the technology explosion in healthcare. Required elective for MD/MBA's dual degree students.
This course is tailored for an audience interested in healthcare. We will talk about how the characteristics of the healthcare industry impinge on negotiations, and the exercises and simulations conducted are based in a healthcare context. Repeatable for credit.
The course is designed to teach the concepts of customer-focused strategy in a healthcare context. The course should be useful to middle/upper-level administrators, physicians and other professionals in the healthcare sector and includes: (1) Marketing strategy and implementation in healthcare and (2) Understanding client needs and monitoring metrics.
Value-based care is a framework for restructuring healthcare systems around the globe with the overarching goal of value for patients. Value-based care requires better value measurement models, different models of organization and coordination, process improvements and new reimbursement models. In this course that integrates concepts from finance, accounting, strategy, and general management, students 1) explore innovative healthcare practices and value initiatives in action, 2) learn how to improve the care delivery process through the rigorous measurement and management of outcomes, and 3) learn how to implement an effective value measurement system across an organization.
This course introduces a data-driven culture in healthcare operations and patient care. Lectures cover fundamentals of data management, analytics maturity models, and using data to enhance collaboration and research. Invited speakers cover applications of machine learning and AI for healthcare automation. Overall goal is delivering value-based healthcare with enhanced safety.
This course provides a comprehensive overview of healthcare systems, their challenges and opportunities, and strategies for improvement. Students will learn about the current U.S. healthcare system, its structure, financing and delivery, as well as emerging trends and policy issues. They will also develop skills in systems analysis, design, and improvement, and learn how to apply these skills to real-world healthcare challenges.
The purpose of this six-week healthcare practicum course is to provide students an opportunity to work closely with a hospital’s Senior Leadership (SLT), Medical Staff leaders, and Board to develop an understanding of the hospital’s priorities and strategic growth initiatives, its decision structure and finances including budgets and capital, and finally day-to-day operations management. Such practical exposure to hospital administration will help students, especially those enrolled in the MD/MBA program and those with considerable medical background, to see accounting, finance, organizational and managerial concepts at work. Throughout the six weeks, students will get exposure to many performance improvement groups across operations, quality, service, employee engagement and growth and have the opportunity to actively participate in the initiative. Most of these initiatives have several components that allow the student to participate in a time-limited portion while on this rotation and continue as desired beyond (student choice).
Qualifications and Application Requirements
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree
Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00
Demonstrated passion and fit with healthcare program
Requirements:
Completed application
Statement of Intent
Recommendation letters from supervisors or sponsors (optional, but encouraged)
Unofficial transcript
No GMAT/GRE requirement
Paid $40 application fee
Applications are now open for our fall 2027 cohort. Apply by our Round 1 application deadline for the GCHM: January 6, 2027.
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