Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety
Systematically ensuring the best possible care and outcomes
Though health care quality and safety are paramount concerns today, the emphasis on patient safety as a mission-oriented imperative has only been common in the last 25 to 30 years. Medical and surgical procedures are complex undertakings involving numerous care providers, advanced equipment, and inherent risks. Ensuring that every measure has been taken to do no harm is a continuous challenge requiring specific skills.
The Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety program is designed for clinicians and clinical administrators who aspire to leadership positions in health care quality and safety, patient quality improvement, risk management and health care information management.
Who Should ApplyIdeal candidates include:
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Dentists
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Hospitalists
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Nurse practitioners
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Pediatricians
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Physicians
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Registered nurses
Applications will be reviewed and considered based on a combination of both experience and education.
Earn a Master’s in Medical Science Degree Online at Harvard Medical School
The program will run in a live virtual and online format during the 2025-2026 academic year. This quality management and patient safety program offers both a full-time, one-year option and a part-time, two-year option.
Customize your path with in the Quality and Safety or Clinical Informatics PathwayTo complement individual learning and development in health and safety management, students the choice of a Clinical Informatics and a Quality and Safety Pathway.
Quality and Safety Pathway
The traditional program pathway is designed for clinicians and clinical administrators who aspire to leadership positions in health care quality improvement, risk management and patient safety. Across 14 different courses, the program offers foundational training in safety and quality science, followed by opportunities to learn from expert leaders on how to apply these principles in the real world. Students are exposed to unique perspectives on malpractice and the patient experience. Capstones offer opportunities to explore how quality and safety affect the frontline and how to engage all stakeholders in change.
Clinical Informatics Pathway
This pathway is ideal for students who are interested in how the design of electronic systems and infrastructure can support improvements in safety and quality in their work and organization.
This pathway provides students the tools to be able to function as leaders and guides their decision making related to informatics. Within the traditional program, students who satisfy foundational knowledge prerequisites in information systems can register for courses that layout core functions of information systems as they function within health care organizations. Students will explore the importance of the interface with frontline clinical providers, and strategies in acquiring the appropriate clinical data to answer quality and safety questions. In addition, students will complete a capstone project related to medical informatics.
Program Benefits
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Curriculum designed to accelerate your ascent to a leadership role focused on health care quality and safety
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Distinguished faculty who are recognized leaders in some of the nation’s most prestigious health care systems
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A learning model that combines concrete theory with applied learning
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An accomplished community of professional peers that you can call upon long after the program ends
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A capstone project that is aligned with your goals and interests plus one-on-one mentoring
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The carefully designed curriculum that focuses on all operational aspects of health care quality and safety
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Exposure to best practices within the Harvard network of hospitals
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