Program Statistics
Visit Master's Program Statistics for statistics such as program admissions, enrollment, student demographics and more.
Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety
Degree Types: MS, MD/MS, Certificate
The master's program in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety offers students the opportunity to meet educational goals while they continue their careers or medical education, making the program accessible to medical students, clinicians, and working healthcare professionals. This program targets both clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals who want to focus their career development on these critical areas in health care. Students living outside the Chicago area can pursue this 2-year, part-time program. Students travel to Northwestern University's Chicago or Evanston campuses for the classroom-based intensive sessions and complete the Capstone project remotely.
The program focuses on the knowledge, skills, and methods required for improving the systems of healthcare delivery. The topics covered include healthcare quality context and measurement, changing systems of care delivery and healthcare redesign, healthcare disparities, accountability and public policy, safety interventions and practices, health information technology, simulation and the science of teamwork, human factors, risk assessment methods, governance, and application of leadership skills. Additionally, students learn about the external environment that shapes health policy, particularly regarding quality and safety.
The Master of Science degree program includes nine courses and begins during the summer quarter. The core of the program consists of five-day immersion sessions held four times at our Chicago or Evanston campuses. In addition to these high-contact sessions, six distance-learning sessions enrich the immersion coursework. Distance-learning sessions for each applicable course will typically take place one evening per week following the immersion sessions. The nine-course curriculum covers introductory topics in healthcare quality and patient safety, advanced topics in healthcare quality and patient safety, an introduction to US health systems, and fundamental methods for healthcare quality and patient safety. The curriculum also includes a business course—The Business of Quality and Safety Improvement—taught by distinguished faculty from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. Across both years of study, students focus on developing and implementing their Capstone project (HQS 430 & 435). Remote group mentoring sessions begin in April of the first year and continue throughout the second year of study, allowing students to provide updates on their projects and receive feedback from faculty and peers. The Capstone courses culminate in a final colloquium held the day before graduation.
After completing this Master of Science degree, graduates will have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to be competitive for leadership positions in healthcare and research institutions, governmental and policy bodies, and careers in academia. Graduates will be well prepared to be leaders in the next generation of healthcare quality and patient safety specialists, designing and implementing quality and safety initiatives across health systems, hospitals, health plans, public sector agencies, and voluntary organizations throughout the country.
Additional resources:
Program Contact
Contact Laurie Olmsted
Program Coordinator
312-503-5520
Degree Requirements
The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.
Master of Science
Total Units Required: 9
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| Core Courses | |
| HQS 401-0 | Introduction to Healthcare Quality |
| HQS 402-0 | Introduction to Patient Safety |
| HQS 420-0 | Introduction to US Health Care System |
| HQS 440-0 | Fundamental Methods for Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety |
| HQS 510-0 | The Business of Healthcare Quality and Safety Improvement |
| HQS 501-0 | Advanced Healthcare Quality |
| HQS 502-0 | Advanced Patient Safety |
| HQS 430-0 | Capstone Class I |
| HQS 435-0 | Capstone Class II |
Degree Requirements
The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.
Medical students currently enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine program at Feinberg School of Medicine may apply for the combined MS/MD program. The MS program is completed part-time and can be completed in the first two years of medical school while allowing students to continue their medical education. Coursework can assist students with the Area of Scholarly Concentration requirement at Feinberg.
Master of Science
Total Units Required: 9
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| HQS 401-0 | Introduction to Healthcare Quality |
| HQS 402-0 | Introduction to Patient Safety |
| HQS 420-0 | Introduction to US Health Care System |
| HQS 440-0 | Fundamental Methods for Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety |
| HQS 510-0 | The Business of Healthcare Quality and Safety Improvement |
| HQS 501-0 | Advanced Healthcare Quality |
| HQS 502-0 | Advanced Patient Safety |
| HQS 430-0 | Capstone Class I |
| HQS 435-0 | Capstone Class II |