University of Alabama at Birmingham · Department of Health Services Administration

Executive Doctor of Science (DSc) in Healthcare Leadership

Awarded degree: Doctor of Science in Healthcare Leadership

Professional doctorateDScDedicated degreeExecutiveFunding not verified

Overview

A three-year, 66-credit executive doctorate for healthcare executives combining distance learning with three four-and-a-half-day on-campus sessions per year, an international health system study trip in year three and an applied dissertation. Tuition is a flat annual amount that includes fees and materials.

Official program name: Executive Doctor of Science (DSc) in Healthcare Leadership
Awarded degree: Doctor of Science in Healthcare Leadership
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Doctoral — professional doctorate
Program classification: Dedicated healthcare administration degreeThe awarded degree or official major is healthcare administration or management itself (an MHA, an MS in Healthcare Management, a BS in Health Administration, a DHA).
Pathway: Executive pathwayDesigned for working healthcare professionals, usually with a published work or management experience requirement. Executive describes who the program is for, not how it is delivered.
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School: University of Alabama at Birmingham — Department of Health Services Administration
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Birmingham, ALWhere the university is located. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll from your state.
Required credits: 66 hours
Source: catalog.uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: three years (two years of coursework and one year of applied dissertation research)
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

Practice-oriented doctorate whose official title names healthcare leadership.

Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list healthcare administration bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees — dedicated and joint degrees, and (separately labelled) MBA, MPH and other degrees with an officially named healthcare administration pathway. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Coursework delivery, campus attendance, class schedule and study intensity are shown separately, each only as the university states it. “No required campus visits” appears only when official wording supports it — online coursework alone does not establish it.

Academic delivery: Online with required campus visitsCoursework is online, with required in-person sessions such as an orientation, residency, immersion or on-campus presentation.
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance: Required campus residency or visitsIn-person attendance required
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Class schedule: Mixed (live + self-paced)
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Study intensity: Not published

In-person requirements as published

On-campus residency Required
Three four-and-a-half-day on-campus sessions each year
three per year · Birmingham, AL
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Immersion Required
Year-three cohort trip outside the United States to study another country's health system
once, year three · Outside the United States
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Administrative residency, internship and practical experience

Practical training happens at a health organization, not on campus, and is shown separately from campus attendance. Hours, who arranges the placement and whether it can be completed near home are shown only when the university publishes them.

Residency, internship or practicum requirements: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Curriculum

Dissertation

Comprehensive examination followed by 18 credits of applied dissertation research
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RecommendedMaster's degree in health administration, health informatics, business administration or a related field preferred
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Management experience: RequiredMinimum five years of mid- to senior-level managerial experience in healthcare
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three recommendations from professional contacts
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Application fee: Required$50 — Domestic $50; international $60
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Other requirement: RequiredOrganizational chart highlighting the applicant's position
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: WaivedGRE/GMAT requirement waived for all Executive Doctoral Program applicants.
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026
GMAT: WaivedGRE/GMAT requirement waived for all Executive Doctoral Program applicants.
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadlines: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
All students	$36,600	per academic yearIncludes feesSource: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published fees

Non-refundable acceptance deposit (applied to first-semester tuition and fees): $1,000 entire programMandatory
Source: uab.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Funding

Scholarships, assistantships, fellowships, tuition discounts and employer support exactly as the university publishes them. Competitive awards are not guaranteed; loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Tuition and scholarships guide

Funding classification: Funding not verified

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable.

Scholarships, fellowships or assistantships for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation, certification and enrollment restrictions

Separate questions: is the institution accredited, is this specific program accredited or certified (CAHME for graduate healthcare management programs, AUPHA certification for undergraduate programs), and does the university publish restrictions on who can enroll?

Institutional accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Program accreditation and certification

No program-level accreditation or certification verified. Institutional accreditation does not imply it.

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

Not verified — check the university's state authorization page before applying from outside Alabama.

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 12, 2026.

catalog.uab.edu/graduate/schoolofhealthprofessions/healthservicesadministration/healthcareleadership — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
uab.edu/shp/hsa/graduate/executive-dsc — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
uab.edu/shp/hsa/graduate/executive-dsc/admissions — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
uab.edu/shp/hsa/graduate/executive-dsc/curriculum — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
uab.edu/shp/hsa/graduate/executive-dsc/tuition-fees — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026

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Healthcare Administration Degrees is independent and not affiliated with University of Alabama at Birmingham. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the university.