MS in Patient Safety Leadership

Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

  • Baccalaureate Degrees A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
  • Minimum Grade Point Average 2.75/4.00 for the last 60 hours or the equivalent of the baccalaureate degree. A separate grade point average will be computed for all graduate work, and then a combined grade point average is tabulated. Applicants are required to submit one set of official transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended. The transcripts should document all courses taken, grades received, and (if applicable) degree earned.
  • Minimum English Competency Test Score
    • TOEFL The TOEFL score cannot be more than two years old. UIC’s Institutional Code is 1851. 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (iBT Test); 60, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Writing 21 (revised Paper-Delivered Test), OR,
    • IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores, OR,
    • PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
  • Curriculum Vitae Required.
  • Letters of Recommendation Required. Two letters of recommendation from a faculty member or employer who can address the applicant's interest in healthcare quality and patient safety, and the applicant's ability to do graduate-level work.
  • Personal Statement Required. The statement should address the applicant's goals related to patient safety leadership, including interest in a particular of study. Statements should be no more than 700 words in length and include at least three references.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements prior to graduation:

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 36
  • Course Work
Required Courses
Patient Safety and Quality Care Improvement
Error Science, Risk and Communication
Quality and Performance Improvement
Organizational Leadership in Health Systems
Healthcare Simulation, Team, Applied Leadership Principles
Health Sciences Research and Information Technology
Economics, Policy and Environment
Creating Human and System Change
Capstone Project
  • Comprehensive Examination None.
  • Other Requirements Each student must meet all online and onsite attendance requirements and complete all demonstration of learning requirements for all courses. The onsite requirement for this program is a three-day onsite experience at the UIC campus. This residency is embedded in one of the required eight-week courses.
    • Onsite Residency A residency requirement will provide the opportunity for students to practice and apply the tools and principles introduced in the online courses. An interprofessional team of UIC faculty will teach these residency courses. Students will refine their capstone topic during the residency.
    • Capstone Course The capstone provides the opportunity for the patient safety leadership master's student to demonstrate his/her ability to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills acquired from the master's program, as evidenced by defining a problem, applying appropriate methodologies, reporting conclusions, and presenting recommendations in a professional and persuasive manner