Master of Long Term Care Administration (M.L.T.C.A.) Major in Long Term Care Administration

Program Overview

The master's degree is becoming the degree of choice among employers who are seeking highly qualified long-term care administrators to lead their facilities and to care for their residents.  Long-term care administration is a highly technical field and provides for a very complex workplace due to ever changing state and federal regulations surrounding operations.  The goal of the School of Health Administration is to offer a program which will teach a holistic approach to long-term care administration in an interdisciplinary field.  


This 33-hour, online master’s degree will offer students the opportunity to take all necessary coursework to pursue a license as a long-term care administrator.  The program will cover the five required National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) Domains of Practice: Resident centered care and quality of life; Human resources; Finance; Environment; and Leadership and management (National Association of Boards, n.d.).  Knowledge of these five areas encompasses the minimum requirements to seek a license.  The proposed program will also encompass further coursework in identification and mitigation of elder abuse and the design of proper environments for residents who suffer from dementia and related disorders.  The degree will be housed in the School of Health Administration.  


This degree will equip graduates with the knowledge and practical skills to operate long-term care facilities as the administrator of record.  Our graduates will gain an excellent understanding of how long-term care facilities operate and be able to seek employment and be prepared as licensed long-term care facility administrators.  If approved, Texas State will be the first university in the state to offer a master’s degree in long-term care.  We will be one of only two master’s level programs in the United States with a specific focus on long-term care administration.

Application Requirements

The items listed below are required for admission consideration for applicable semesters of entry during the current academic year. Submission instructions, additional details, and changes to admission requirements for semesters other than the current academic year can be found on The Graduate College's website. International students should review the International Admission Documents page for additional requirements.

  • completed online application
  • $55 nonrefundable application fee or a $90 nonrefundable fee for applications with international credentials
  • baccalaureate degree (in any area, per state guidelines) from a regionally accredited university (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
  • official transcripts required from each institution where course credit was granted
  •  competitive overall GPA or a competitive GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)
  • official GMAT or GRE scores are NOT required for admission
  • responses to specific essay questions on the statement of purpose
  • resume/CV detailing work experience, extracurricular and community activities, and honors and achievements

Applicants should refer to The Graduate College website for additional information regarding the admission process.

Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list.

  • official TOEFL iBT scores required with an 80 overall
  • official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
  • official PTE scores required with a 53 overall
  • official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
  • official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall

This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Long Term Care Administration (M.L.T.C.A.) degree with a major in Long Term Care Administration requires 33 semester credit hours.

Course Requirements

LTCA 5302Elder Abuse and Mistreatment3
LTCA 5305Environmental Design for Dementia3
LTCA 5322Environmental Management in Long Term Care3
LTCA 5323Governance Management in Long Term Care3
LTCA 5324Personnel Management in Long Term Care3
LTCA 5325Resident Care Management in Long Term Care3
LTCA 5335Financial Management in Long Term Care3
LTCA 5681Internship in Long Term Care (take twice; for those who require a 1,000 hour internship towards licensure, state dependent)12
OR Complete the following:
Healthcare Organization and Delivery
Choose 9 hours from the follwoing:
Analytics and Information Systems Management in Healthcare
Healthcare Law and Policy
Health Care Quality and Operations Improvement
Data-Guided Healthcare Decision-Making
Strategic Management and Marketing for Healthcare Organizations
Policy Development in Healthcare Arena
Marketing of Health Services
Total Hours33

Comprehensive Examination Requirement

All students are required to take a written comprehensive examination in their last semester of the program. Students have to pass the comprehensive exam during the last semester in at most two attempts. If a student fails to pass the comprehensive exam in two attempts during the final semester, the student will retake the comprehensive exam during the next regular semester.

Students who do not successfully complete the requirements for the degree within the timelines specified will be dismissed from the program.

Courses Offered

Long Term Care Administration (LTCA)

LTCA 5302. Elder Abuse and Mistreatment.

This course provides an introductory overview of key theories, concepts/principles, issues, practices and challenges in elder abuse and mistreatment (EA/M). Course content includes: definitions and theories, incidence and prevalence, risk/protective factors, assessment, prevention, intervention, factors affecting screening/reporting, and the impact of EA/M on victims, caregivers, family and society.

3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Contact Hours. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Standard Letter

LTCA 5305. Environmental Design for Dementia.

The potential of the physical environment to play an active role in supporting independence, stimulation, and life quality for individuals with dementia will be explored in this course. Emphasis will be placed on principles behind environmental design and the importance of utilizing the physical environment as a therapeutic tool.

3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Contact Hours. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Standard Letter

LTCA 5322. Environmental Management in Long Term Care.

Students will compare performance analyses of long-term care facilities with a focus on organizational culture, and internal and external customer satisfaction. Plans of managerial action to maximize customer satisfaction will be examined.

3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Contact Hours. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Standard Letter

LTCA 5323. Governance Management in Long Term Care.

Focuses on regulations for the operation of long term care facilities as promulgated by state and federal governments. Reviews the minimum requirements for licensure and the standards for Medicaid certification in Texas. Also examines specific activities and functions regarding accountability and enforcement procedures.

3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Contact Hours. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Standard Letter

LTCA 5324. Personnel Management in Long Term Care.

An examination of management issues in long-term care primarily in the critical areas of human resources, public relations, and marketing. Examples include staff recruitment and retention programs, training needs analysis, and marketing plan formulation.

3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Contact Hours. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Standard Letter

LTCA 5325. Resident Care Management in Long Term Care.

Administratively oriented content related to nursing care, quality indicator, and geriatric pharmacology utilized in long term care facilities. The course content reflects the relative legislative requirements mandated for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Contact Hours. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Standard Letter

LTCA 5335. Financial Management in Long Term Care.

Students will examine the fiscal performance of selected facilities utilizing data from annual Medicaid cost reports with a focus on revenue enhancement and census development. Students will contrast various systems for determination of reimbursement and use reimbursement issues in a strategic planning sense.

3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Contact Hours. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Standard Letter

LTCA 5681. Internship in Long Term Care.

This course is an internship where the student works directly with an administrator in a licensed nursing facility and is exposed to aspects of facility operation and management. Students are required to complete 1,000 hours. To meet 1,000 hour licensure requirement, this course can be repeated up to two semesters.

6 Credit Hours. 0 Lecture Contact Hours. 24 Lab Contact Hours.
Course Attribute(s): Exclude from 3-peat Processing
Grade Mode: Credit/No Credit