Every career in the world involves designing, managing, or providing a product, service, or experience, and healthcare is no exception. Whether you plan to be a care provider, the chair of a department in a hospital, or open your own practice or clinic, having a foundation in business principles and tools is essential to successfully serving your clients, customers, or patients. Today, if you want to practice medicine or dentistry, you need to be able to practice management as well.

A degree in Management can lead to a rewarding career in any field. From a physician opening a private practice, to a scientist leading a research team, to a foreman on a construction site, all benefit solid foundation in business and management education. 

For the most current occupational information regarding management and other careers, including required education and median salary amounts, we recommend you visit O*NET OnLine, a very useful website created for the U.S. Department of Labor.

Beyond a management position at your local small retailer or fast food restaurant, you will need at least a Bachelor's Degree to begin a successful career in management. Due to the competitiveness in this area for job applicants and promotion-seeking employees, a Master’s Degree combined with applicable work experience is the ideal. Tip: Take a few minutes online to review job posts related to your area of interest in management. What education and work-experience requirements are listed? Identify educational programs well-aligned with these requirements.

If you are enrolling in a degree program in management and planning a future as a doctor or dentist, you will of course need to also attend medical or dental school. Remember, when you are in college, "Pre-Medicine" is not a major or degree, but rather a recommended packaging of courses to ensure you later meet medical school eligibility requirements. You will still need to choose an actual degree program. Pairing your pre-professional requirements with a degree in business is an excellent preparation for your future.

Do you plan to operate your own practice one day? Are you interested in being promoted to chair a department, have other employees report to you, and have the power to make changes that will improve operations and delivery of care? Providing that care requires proper logistics, policies, training for staff, marketing and education for patients, and so much more. By studying management, you will be best prepared to thrive in today's healthcare environment.

You are already planning on medical or dental school. Why should you have to double-major or spend extra time at the college level just to be well-rounded in non-science courses? Look specifically for a business degree that fully integrates your pre-professional course requirements. 

The world today has plenty of workers with degrees in business. And it takes much more than just a degree to compete with them. Employers today want employees not only competent in their field but who can communicate effectively, work in and lead teams, and are able to observe and analyze a situation to quickly identify the best solution. You won’t find this experience in just any degree program. 

The best business education has two main standards: (1) Everything you learn should be useful in the world right now, not just twenty years ago or “someday in your future career.” (2) You should be given the opportunity to put what you learn to the test. Many universities offer excellent lessons in business theory. Others offer a more training-based education. Very few can offer you both.

Absolutely. First of all, our Management for Healthcare Professionals degree program was designed specifically for those planning to practice medicine or dentistry. This is not a degree program you will find at every university as it requires close collaboration between multiple academic departments. The design of our program was aided by practicing health professionals, health executives, and medical and dental school admissions committee members. You will be able to complete all of your pre-professional requirements and a health-oriented management program, all through a single four-year degree. 

In our School of Business, we believe that the value of your education is found in how you can use it right now. So we not only hire professors with the highest level of education available in their respective fields, we find those who are also active in research, publications, consulting work, and other opportunities for active engagement in management. By the time you graduate from La Sierra University with a degree in Management, we want you to already have valuable experience not only in the standards and practices of this field, but in acting as a leader, a team-member, an effective communicator, a sharp analyst, and an ethical decision-maker.

This is one of our most popular programs, but as with all students at La Sierra University, you will benefit from engaging opportunities for learning and research along with individual attention from world-class professors.

In our School of Business, we believe in the value of small class-sizes combined with highly engaged professors. We limit the maximum enrollment of nearly all of our courses to thirty students or fewer, allowing our professors to work closely with each student, maximizing their potential for learning. In addition, each of our professors holds regular office hours, a time for students to meet with them for assistance, questions, advice, or even to learn of networking or career opportunities. There is nothing that delights our professors more than students interested in their own growth.

Yes. We strongly believe in the value of engagement outside of the classroom. All students are given opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom in useful ways to our local and global community. Whether it be through community engagement in our Service-Learning courses, student-led projects in our Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team, events and activities with our highly active business club and other student groups on campus, our students learn through experience. 

We also work actively to engage students in job and internship opportunities. The fact that La Sierra University lies in the fastest growing county in the state and a city known for its affinity to business provides our students with excellent prospects for local work and internship opportunities. Our annual Meet the Firms Night event stands as one such opportunity for students to meet and network with potential employers.

One of the most common mistakes potential business students make is assuming that the study of business is only for those who “enjoy math” or “working with numbers.” Today’s employers need students with strong communication, leadership, critical thinking, and analytical ability. As a university, we seek well-rounded students with these same characteristics. And based on current trends across the United States, students who put extra effort into their written and oral communication skills before college end up in high demand.

The main difference is based on your intended career path.

• If you intend to become a practicing physician, you should consider our "Management for Healthcare Professionals" degree. It was designed specifically for you to complete both your pre-professional requirements and science courses and a business program all in a single four-year bachelor's degree. You'll be ready for medical or dental school as well as what comes after.
• If you are interested specifically in the management side of healthcare, without becoming a physician yourself, we recommend you consider the "Healthcare Management" degree.