LAWRENCE Students can now earn a bachelor's degree in health care management from Rider University, officials announced Monday.

The new major is being offered by the universitys College of Business Administration and provides education in business combined with topics in health care management.

There is no field more exciting and relevant today than health care management," Anne Carroll, interim dean of Riders College of Business Administration, said in a statement. "Health care is driving our economy both in New Jersey and nationally, and a well-rounded degree intersecting business and health care is high in demand.

Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow by 23 percent through 2022, faster than the average for other occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There has never been a greater need for decisive health care leaders who can understand and adapt to todays complex and evolving health care system, Carroll said.

Rider's new program was developed with input from health care executives in hospitals, biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, and health insurance firms, the release said. One of those was Barry Rabner, president and CEO of Princeton HealthCare System.

Virtually every aspect of health care delivery is changing radically both in the United States and countries ranging from China to Rwanda creating the perfect opportunity for a meaningful career in health care management, Rabner said in the release.

The curriculum is designed to provide students an understanding of business and health fields, with a deeper look at the legal, ethical, economic, social and managerial issues related to health care, the release said.

Faculty include professors with expertise in economics, finance, information systems, law and marketing.

Coursework in the new major includes 21 credit hours, and the program is designed to provide real world experiences with internships, data projects for clients and a health care marketing course where students design a marketing plan, Carroll said.

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