White coat students walking in a hospital corridor, talking amongst themselves.

MS Health-System Pharmacy Administration & Leadership

The MS HSPAL program prepares future healthcare leaders to manage complex health-system operations using strategic insight, innovation, collaborative excellence, and a sustained commitment to patient-centered care.

The MS HSPAL program offers advanced education in planning, leading, and managing health-system enterprises. This program supports students completing pharmacy residency training as well as working professionals seeking career advancement. This program is offered in two formats, a combined MS HSPAL/SPAL pharmacy residency program, and a fully online working professional program. 

Beginning in 1959, The Ohio State University has established a longstanding tradition of excellence in Health-System Pharmacy Administration. The university remains a national leader in this field, with alumni including past ASHP and APhA presidents, Harvey A.K. Whitney recipients, and prominent pharmacy leaders serving as directors, vice presidents, and chief pharmacy officers across the country—some of whom have advanced to executive leadership roles beyond pharmacy.

It is not just the long-standing tradition that sets our program apart; it is also the thriving alumni community active in the Latiolais Leadership Program, which bears the motto "Enthusiasm for Excellence.” This group, consisting of past graduates, provides unsurpassed networking opportunities to students in the Ohio State MS HSPAL program and strives to address contemporary issues and provide effective strategies for improvement in health-system pharmacy leadership.

Through this degree program students learn to:

  • Develop a strategic vision for current and future health-system pharmacy services.
  • Design, implement, and evaluate current and future health-system pharmacy services.
  • Apply healthcare process improvement to promote better health-system pharmacy care at lower costs.
  • Apply leadership and finance principles to build successful health-system pharmacy teams and services.
  • Develop competence in clear, simple and effective written and oral communication