Suffolk To Launch Pilot 94-Credit Applied Bachelor's Degree

State officials have approved Suffolk University's proposal to establish a three-year Applied Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration and Innovation. The proposed 94-credit pilot baccalaureate program is a purposefully designed reduced-credit degree that maintains rigorous academic standards and learning outcomes comparable to Suffolk's existing Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

"We appreciate the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education’s recognition of the need for innovation in today’s higher education landscape,” said Suffolk President Marisa Kelly. “We are proud to offer a 94-credit, interdisciplinary curriculum crafted to expand access to high-quality undergraduate education and to respond to demonstrated workforce demand for skilled healthcare administrators."

The Department of Higher Education’s 13-member board voted Friday in support of Suffolk’s three-year baccalaureate pilot. The program seeks to leverage its location in the heart of the Commonwealth’s healthcare ecosystem, one of the most concentrated markets in the country for healthcare management professionals, employing more than 17,000 medical and health services managers. State projections show this healthcare administrative occupation growing 30% between 2022 and 2032, and Suffolk undergraduates—two-thirds of whom are from Massachusetts, and 60% of whom remain in the greater Boston area after graduation—are well positioned to meet this crucial workforce need.

"This program is a direct investment in the Massachusetts healthcare management pipeline. Growing employer demand for skills-aligned, workforce-ready graduates is validated by national surveys, federal policy, and healthcare industry feedback," Kelly said.

"Many students need to launch their careers sooner to support themselves and their families, and these pilots explore how we can grow options for being career-ready in a way that reduces costs and time to degree," said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega, of the board’s favorable vote.

At Friday’s hearing the DHE also approved a pilot reduced-credit degree proposal from Merrimack College in North Andover. "After closely reviewing Merrimack and Suffolk’s pilot proposals and engaging with the institutions, the Department determined that all proposals fully meet the criteria laid out by the innovation regulations, which were carefully crafted to uphold program quality, consumer protections and transparency. We look forward to continuing to engage with these institutions as program outcomes become available," Ortega said.

Suffolk’s approved pilot curriculum was jointly developed across all three of its schools—the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), Sawyer Business School (SBS), and Law School around demonstrated competencies rather than credit accumulation.

The program positions graduates to enter a high-demand field a year sooner than a traditional B.S. course of study, without sacrificing educational quality. Graduates will demonstrate mastery across six integrated competency areas and complete a Healthcare Administration Internship, a 3-credit course requiring a minimum of 120 supervised hours in approved healthcare settings, including hospitals, community health centers, public health departments, behavioral health organizations, healthcare consulting firms, and biotech startups.

The curriculum will equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. healthcare system—its structure, financing, and delivery. The applied program emphasizes the integration of interdisciplinary knowledge from management, sociology, policy, operations, and ethics to solve complex challenges related to access, quality, and equity. Students will learn to navigate healthcare’s legal, regulatory, and policy environments, drive operational and systems improvement, and advance patient-centered and equitable care.