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
• official transcripts required from each institution where course credit was granted
• 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.

TOEFL, PTE, or IELTS Scores

Non-native English speakers who do not qualify for an English proficiency waiver need to submit:

• 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

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

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)