Health Administration, M.H.A.

The College of Health and Human Services  graduate major in Health Administration prepares students to assume middle management positions and, after the requisite years of experience, top executive positions in large healthcare institutions. The purpose of the major is to educate administrators who will be able both to manage and develop various health service organizations and programs and also to facilitate improved health status and wellbeing of individuals in their service area. Graduates of the master’s degree program find employment with hospitals, mental health institutions, HMOs, a variety of governmental and private healthcare programs, and alternative delivery systems.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the graduate program in Health Administration, the student will be prepared to:

1. Explain various frameworks of viewing healthcare systems, delivery systems, and health policy.
2. Demonstrate business and non-business aspects of managing and measuring healthcare organizational processes and outcomes.
3. Demonstrate abilities to collect, analyze data, and communicate findings effectively.
4. Demonstrate capacity to assume leadership positions in healthcare delivery systems, healthcare product development organizations, or both public and private healthcare organizations.
5. Explain the conceptual models of healthcare organizational processes and outcomes.
6. Demonstrate the capacity to make sound, thoughtful, and ethical decisions related to health administration.
7. Apply available tools to assess and measure organization-specific environment and outcomes.
8. Value organizational diversity and population differences.
9. Demonstrate commitment to health equity and patient-centered healthcare.
10. Integrate clinical knowledge and management skills necessary to improve organizational effectiveness.
11. Engage in life-long learning.

Accreditation

The graduate major is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), located at 2000 14th Street

North Suite 780, Arlington, VA 22201. CAHME may be reached by telephone at 703.894.0960 or by fax at 703.894.0941. CAHME’s website may be viewed at www.cahme.org.

Special Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting university admissions criteria, applicants must:

1. have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work or a cumulative 3.0 G.P.A. for all previous graduate course work; applicants with an undergraduate G.P.A. below 3.0 may be advised to take six hours of graduate course work as undeclared students, achieve grades of “B” or better in the course work, and re-apply for admission. The Admissions Committee will evaluate the applicant’s work and determine eligibility for admission;
2. submit three letters of recommendation that support the applicant for graduate study in health administration; Recommendation letters must be from previous academic faculty and/or from current or previous employers. If the applicant has been out of school or unemployed for more than five years, he/she may petition for a waiver or a substitution of references;
3. submit a 1000 word Personal Statement for pursuing the Master’s Degree of Health Administration;
4. complete an interview with the Admissions Committee scheduled on a mutually agreeable date and time. International students may request an interview via telephone, Skype, or web conference.
5. All international applicants must submit official academic credentials with an evaluation from the Educational Credentials Evaluation (ECE) in Milwaukee, WI, and may be required to submit a minimum acceptable score on the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFEL).

Required Preparation

An undergraduate major in one of the following fields is recommended: health administration, business administration, public administration, allied health disciplines, or social/behavioral sciences.

Students should have completed the following prerequisite course work within the last five years: three hours in Healthcare Accounting (HLAD-4106 ); three hours in Statistics (HLAD-3104 ); three hours in Economics (HLAD-3102 ); three hours of Basic Management (HLAD-3101 ); and three hours in Policy and Politics in Healthcare (HLAD-3108 ). Students are also expected to be computer literate and maybe required to take a computer course or workshop to achieve literacy. Students without this or acceptable equivalent course work may be admitted to the program, but can only enroll in graduate courses for which they have satisfied the appropriate prerequisites. Students may seek a waiver from prerequisites by submitting a written request with supporting documentation to their advisor for evaluation during their first semester of enrollment.

Admission to Candidacy

After admission as a degree-seeking student, a student also must apply for candidacy. Application forms are available from the student’s advisor. Application for candidacy should be made during the trimester in which the student expects to fulfill the candidacy requirements. Unsuccessful applicants to candidacy will not be permitted further registration in courses in the degree program. To qualify for degree candidacy, a student must:

1. have earned a grade of “B” or better in six of the following nine courses: HLAD-7101 , HLAD-7102 , HLAD-7104 , HLAD-7105 , HLAD-7107 , HLAD-7109 , HLAD-7110 , HLAD-7111 , and HLAD-7112 ;
2. complete all prerequisite course work listed in the Required Preparation Section;
3. apply for candidacy after earning a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 27 graduate-level credit-hours;
4. demonstrate adequate oral and written communication abilities appropriate for the profession; and
5. demonstrate adequate interpersonal skills appropriate for the profession.

Skill levels noted in items four and five above are evaluated based on the professional judgment of the faculty and administrators through regular review of student progress.

More detailed candidacy information is available from the student’s advisor.