Become a Leader in Hospital Quality
100% Online
12 Months*
The George Washington University (GW) online Graduate Certificate in Health Care Quality is built on an interdisciplinary, practice-based curriculum and developed to prepare you for a quality management role in health care. Created in partnership with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), you’ll be prepared with the evidence-based hospital quality training necessary to meet the rising global need for hospital quality management and patient safety specialists.
*The total number of credits and duration of the program depend on the number of transferred credits
Program Highlights
- 100% online, no visits to campus required
- One of the first programs in North America to earn CAHME accreditation
- The program requires 12 total credits and can be finished in 12 months
- Created in partnership with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
Program Outcomes
Designed to support excellence in quality improvement and patient safety leadership, GW’s online Health Care Quality certification program equips you with a survey of practical knowledge and skills necessary to affect hospital quality systems and patient safety within the health care setting. This program will give you the experience and confidence to:
- Evaluate appropriate quality improvement patient safety, leadership, organizational change, and research theories/standards applicable to healthcare
- Develop quality and patient safety improvement initiatives
- Assess information technology systems to determine the level of support for quality improvement
- Formulate organizational change plans to sustain a quality-focused culture
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Accreditation and Rankings
- GW is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- #62 Best National University*
- #13 Best Online Bachelor's Programs*
- #7 Best Online Programs for Veterans*
* The U.S. News & World Report – 2024 Rankings
Curriculum
The online Health Care Quality certification program requires the completion of 12 credit hours. All semester credits earned in this program are transferable to the Master of Science in Health Sciences (MSHS) in Health Care Quality program.
Who Is the Ideal Student for This Program?
The Health Care Quality certification program is ideal for working professionals who are either just entering the field of health care or who wish to increase their knowledge and skills to advance to a leadership position and qualify for roles such as hospital quality analyst.
Career Outlook
This online graduate certificate program prepares students to meet the global need for evidence-based health care and quality management professionals. Graduates will be able to establish quality systems that foster excellence in hospital quality improvement and patient safety leadership, a requirement in patient-centered health care organizations.
Typical positions for health care quality management professionals include:
- Associate Healthcare Director of Provider Quality
- Health Care Associate
- Health Care Quality Analyst
- Hospital Quality Analyst
- Quality & Safety Specialist
- Quality Assurance Consultant
- Quality & Patient Safety Manager
- RN Quality Improvement Specialist
Admission Requirements
To be accepted to this program, you must have:
- Completed application
- 3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
- Resume/CV
- Personal statement: Applicants must include a 250–500 word essay describing your reasons for studying at GW, your academic objectives, career goals, and related qualifications, including collegiate, professional, and community activities relevant to your program of interest. Include any substantial accomplishments not already mentioned on the application form.
Tuition Details
The Graduate Certificate in Health Care Quality program at GW The Health Care Quality certification program at GW consists of 12 credit hours. Please find the cost per credit hour and total estimated program costs here.
Note: Tuition rates are subject to change and additional fees may vary by program.
Meet the Program Director
GW’s experienced faculty provide you with the rich, practical knowledge and support needed for you to succeed in the program and in your career.
Sabrina Figueiredo, PhD, MSc
- Read Full Bio
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Dr. Figueiredo is a graduate of McGill University, where she earned a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation. Her graduate training involved designing and conducting multiple randomized pilot studies, cross-sectional surveys, longitudinal prospective studies, and systematic reviews. She has a strong background in data analysis and uses complex statistical models such as group-based trajectory modeling.
Prior to pursuing graduate studies, Dr. Figueiredo earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education. Before joining the GW community, Dr. Figueiredo served as an assistant professor at the Catholic University in Brazil and McGill University in Canada. She has extensive teaching experience, including having taught to more than 1,000 students course topics including biomechanics, research methodology, advanced research methods, and professional practice, covering principles of global health and the continuum of care.
During her tenure at McGill University, she was also the Associate Director of the Physical Therapy Program and oversaw initiatives related to curriculum development, program evaluation, and accreditation. She created a program logic model and an assessment & implementation plan deemed best practices by the Canadian Physiotherapy Accreditation Regulatory Body.
Dr. Figueiredo’s research portfolio focuses on patient safety, coordination of care, creating innovative measurement strategies to contribute evidence to patient-centered outcomes, and developing telehealth initiatives to improve physical activity. She has published a book chapter and scientific papers in these fields and has received external funding and awards for her presentations at national and international meetings. With the engagement of faculty and learners and through innovation, Dr. Figueiredo aims to solidify the leadership position of the GW HCQ program in the national context.
Curriculum Details
12 TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED
The graduate certificate in Health Care Quality program (100% online) requires successful completion of 12 credit hours and can be completed in 12 months.
Core
- HCQ 6201 Building a Quality Culture (3)
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Covers the analysis of quality and patient safety challenges in U.S. health care with a focus on political and environmental influences.
- HCQ 6205 Patient Safety Systems (3)
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Involves an examination of the epidemiology and sources of error in health care, risk assessment and the design of processes and systems to improve patient safety Focuses on the application of process and technology-based systems to reduce the incidence of error.
- HCQ 6207 Moving Quality Improvement from Theory to Action
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An overview of improvement areas and the application of quality improvement methodology towards population health and health care systems in the US. Introduction to Health Equity, Systems Thinking, and Regulatory Issues.
Elective Courses
- HCQ 6206 Health Information, Quality and Outcomes. 3 Credits.
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Approaches to medical informatics to support managerial, patient care, and quality improvement decision making in clinical practice, considering ethical, legal, and social dimensions of health care.
- COHM 6235 Leadership Development in Healthcare Systems. 3 Credits.
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Overview of principles related to leadership, including theories and styles, organizational management and values, communication strategies, and change in the context of healthcare systems.
Key Dates
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Fall 2025 |
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| Application Deadline |
July 20, 2025 (Open) |
Admissions Requirements
To be accepted to the graduate certificate in Health Care Quality program (100% online), you must have:
| Completed application |
| 3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale |
| Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution |
| Resume/CV |
| Personal statement: Applicants must include a 250–500 word essay describing your reasons for undertaking study at GW, your academic objectives, career goals, and related qualifications including collegiate, professional, and community activities relevant to your program of interest. Include any substantial accomplishments not already mentioned on the application form. |
| Previous work experience |
| Health care experience preferred |
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Two letters of recommendation Letters of recommendation should be from:
Recommender will submit a letter on letterhead with a signature and credentials/contact information via the application portal. |
| Application fee: A non-refundable application fee of $80 is required. The application fee is waived for active-duty U.S. military, current GW students, degree-holding GW alumni, current McNair Program Scholars, and graduates of minority-serving institutions (MSI). |
| Official transcripts from every college and university attended. All non-U.S. transcripts (including those in English) must be evaluated by an accredited foreign credential agency. Please find the list of member organizations here: https://www.naces.org/members. |
International Students
Effective Fall 2025
International students should check with individual programs regarding eligibility for visa sponsorship. Generally, online and hybrid programs are not eligible for student visa sponsorship from GW. This would include transfer students from any other institution with an existing visa. To be considered for admission, there are required scores that you will need to meet. Score requirements may differ by school and program so check the admissions requirements for your program.
Applicants who have not completed a post-secondary degree from an institution where English is the sole language of instruction are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, or the Duolingo English Test scores to be considered for admission. The following are the minimum scores for admission consideration:
- TOEFL: 600 on paper based, 250 on computer-based, or 100 Internet-based,
- PTE: overall score of 68,
- IELTS: an overall band score of 7.0, with no individual band score below 6.0
- DET overall score of 120.
Undergraduate applicants who meet one of the following conditions may be considered for admission without submitting TOEFL, PTE or IELTS or DET scores:
- You have earned an associate’s degree or higher from an institution where English is the sole language of instruction
- You are a citizen of an English-speaking country
Scores may not be more than two years old. To ensure TOEFL scores are sent to GW, use institutional code 5246. An institutional code is not required to send IELTS or PTE scores to GW. DET scores must be submitted via the Duolingo English Test system directly to GW.
Based on the results of your English Proficiency exam results and your application, you may be required to take English for Academic Purposes (EAP) during your first year of study at GW. Please note that GW evaluates each application holistically so applicants may still be recommended for EAP even if they meet the requirements for exemption. Students placed in EAP courses should anticipate additional tuition expenses as well as possible extension of time needed to complete their degree programs.
Official transcripts from institutions outside the U.S. must be accompanied by an official transcript evaluation from an accredited independent evaluating agency. Please be sure you request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grades, U.S. degree equivalency, grade-point averages (GPA), and date of degree conferral (course by course evaluation). For a list of acceptable foreign credential evaluation services, please visit NACES.
Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:
Mail: George Washington University
ATTN: Transcript Processing Center
1415 W 22nd St.
Suite 220
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Alternatively, official electronic transcripts can be sent to: transcripts [at] hsprograms [dot] gwu [dot] edu (transcripts[at]hsprograms[dot]gwu[dot]edu)