Advanced Education for Tomorrow’s Healthcare Leaders
READY TO ADVANCE YOUR CAREER IN HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION?
Earn your Online Master of Health Administration from the George Washington University
According to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 8,800 individuals completed a master’s degree in health services administration, healthcare administration and management, and healthcare facilities administration in 2013. As a growing popular field of graduate study, healthcare administration offers both medical and non-medical professionals and opportunity to develop advanced organizational and management skills-effectively positioning them to assume leadership positions within the U.S. healthcare system. In this guide, you’ll find comprehensive information on the various master’s degree programs in healthcare currently available, along with top schools, specializations, coursework, timelines, advice for deciding on and applying to master’s programs, and more.
With MHA@GW, the online Master of Health Administration program from GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, you can earn your master’s degree in as few as 24 months — without having to relocate. Are you ready to become a health care leader? Apply to GW’s online MHA program today. Bachelor’s degree required. No GRE/GMAT scores required.
Undertaking a master’s in health administration program is no small task, and prospective students must be sure the program to which they’re committing offers the best of the best when it comes to academics, staff and career counseling post-graduation. The below schools have programs with these characteristics and more, including excellent student support and financial aid and scholarship opportunities. See which colleges and MHA programs stand out in 201t.
To see how our experts determined this ranking, please visit our methodology page.
Students in the MHA@GW program take eight 10-week learning modules online that can be completed in as little as 24 months.
Courses are focused on different core skill sets for becoming a successful leader in a health care organization, including:
Students will also have the opportunity to attend four in-person immersions, which take place on GW’s Washington, D.C. campus and at health care organizations nationally and globally. To learn more about MHA@GW’s rigorous curriculum, visit: https://mha.gwu.edu/academics/.
Enrolling in and completing a master’s in health administration requires a significant investment of time, effort and finances. The question “why earn an MHA?” is a question that looms over every prospective MHA student.
Students must be aware of the financial impact a graduate degree presents. Besides the simple cost factor of tuition, fees and books, students must also consider the financial effect of taking time off work to complete the degree, or even reducing the number of hours worked while going to school. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the average total cost of attendance for schools offering graduate programs in health administration was $20,919 in 2013. Below is a table of average attendance costs by healthcare administration degree concentration at the graduate level in 2013:
DegreeConcentration | Average Total Costof Attendance | |
---|---|---|
Health Services Administration | $22,744 | |
Health/Healthcare Administration/Management | $18,038 | |
Hospital and Healthcare Facilities Administration/Management | $21,977 |
For the working professional, completing a graduate degree requires a serious investment of time outside of working hours. The MHA degree traditionally requires between 30 and 36 credit hours of study to complete, while a dual MHA/MBA may require up to 96 credit hours to satisfy graduation requirements. Students may be looking at two to three years of graduate study to earn a degree.
The question remains: “Is earning a master’s in healthcare administration worth it?” A review of the earning potential and career possibilities points to a resounding “YES”!
Healthcare administration is one of the best paying occupational fields in the country. The median salary for medical and health services administrators was nearly $91,000 in 2013, and the top 10 percent of earners took home at least $155,000. The best paying states include California ($118,040), New York ($118,020), Delaware ($114,640), and New Jersey ($114,420). According to a study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, 32 percent of individuals working in health and administrative medical services hold a graduate degree—a degree that resulted in a measurable earnings increase. In turn, potential six figure paying positions should be an attractive factor when it comes to enrolling in master’s in health administration degree program.
The career prospects for health service managers and administrators are some of the strongest in the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 23 percent national employment growth between 2012 and 2022. At the state level, 10 states are expected to experience even greater employment gains for medical and healthcare administrators:
State | Projected Career Growth | |
---|---|---|
Utah | 35.4% | |
Kentucky | 30.4% | |
Texas | 30.3% | |
Georgia | 29.1% | |
Arizona | 28.2% | |
Colorado | 26.5% | |
North Carolina | 26.4% | |
Idaho | 24.5% | |
South Carolina | 24.2% | |
New Hampshire | 23.6% |
Of those in health and medical administrative services, 32% go on to earn a graduate degree, and as a result boost median earnings 40% to $77,000
Within dynamic healthcare settings, administrators and managers must continually seek to improve the quality, flexibility, cost and performance of their organization’s health services. The need for regularly gaining new knowledge and skills in this space underscores the purpose of the Master of Health Administration. Unlike an undergraduate degree in health administration, which serves a broad target audience, the scope of the master’s is much narrower. Typically, the master’s is aimed at three types of individuals:
At the undergraduate level, students are introduced to core concepts in health administration, including finance, management, human resources and ethics. A basic program of study, the bachelor’s in health administration prepares students to pursue a variety of entry-level administrative careers by developing an understanding of leadership theory and healthcare policy, facility planning and healthcare regulation.
On the other hand, the MHA focuses squarely on developing the next generation of critical thinking, highly talented healthcare administrators by introducing them to the complex realities of the healthcare system and the organizational challenges presented by multifaceted relationships between healthcare providers, clients, the community, insurance companies, the legal system, and more. In MHA programs, students critically examine the function of the U.S. healthcare system, integrating theory with practical application of analytical skills in areas including the following:
Healthcare providers, administrators and policy makers are challenged by the myriad changes within the U.S. healthcare system. The introduction of the Affordable Care Act has had a wide ranging impact, from providing healthcare coverage to millions of Americans to affecting how insurance may cover a patient. In turn, healthcare organizations must work to 1) improve the level of individual patient care; 2) positively impact health outcomes in patients; and 3) lower costs.
In order to do so, healthcare administrators, leaders and patient care providers must know how to collaborate, innovate and sustain changes within the healthcare system. Because the MHA isn’t a one-size fits all type of program, prospective students can take advantage of related graduate options in the field.
In this program, students develop an advanced understanding of healthcare business practices in three major areas: ethics, law and health policy. With a focus on decision-making and problem solving skills, the MBA with a health administration concentration prepares graduates to assume executive or leadership roles in patient-client advocacy, public health, health administration and patient care. Students examine issues system-wide, from the community-based organization to rural hospital, learning how to apply critical analysis and collaboration skills to issues facing the modern day administrator. MBAs can typically be completed in as little to 18 to 24 months of study, with some universities offering a 12-month accelerated, intensive degree option.
In this program, students develop an advanced understanding of healthcare business practices in three major areas: ethics, law and health policy. With a focus on decision-making and problem solving skills, the MBA with a health administration concentration prepares graduates to assume executive or leadership roles in patient-client advocacy, public health, health administration and patient care. Students examine issues system-wide, from the community-based organization to rural hospital, learning how to apply critical analysis and collaboration skills to issues facing the modern day administrator. MBAs can typically be completed in as little to 18 to 24 months of study, with some universities offering a 12-month accelerated, intensive degree option.
This is a joint program typically pursued by current or future healthcare professionals and executives pursuing leadership and management positions in the healthcare system. The joint MBA/MHA develops skills in broad business areas, including strategic management, financial management and human resource management. On the healthcare side, students in the program build advanced understanding healthcare governance, the regulatory environment, healthcare financing, health policy, health information technology and systems, and organizational performance. Most dual MBA/MHA degrees require between 18 and 36 months to complete—depending on the specific program and if the student attends full- or part-time.
Designed for mid-career public administration professionals, the MPA with a concentration in health services administration offers an opportunity to develop an advanced managerial skill set that can be applied to organizations in healthcare and public sector. The MPA diverges from the MHA in its core instruction in the public management at the local, state and federal levels with a focus on how socioeconomic and political issues affect managerial concepts. The MHA concentration expands the graduate’s knowledge base and understanding of the healthcare sector, including staffing, organizational theory, assessment, management theory and more.
Aimed at working professionals, the executive Master of Health Administration degree is offered in a flexible format, allowing for students to complete their studies conveniently and in less time than a traditional MHA. The goal of the executive MHA is to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills required to assume leadership positions within a spectrum of healthcare delivery organizations. Through a combination of on-campus intensive sessions and module-based instruction, students develop an array of applicable skills: community and public health; marketing, management, and strategy; finance; healthcare finance; law and policy; and healthcare quality.
An interdisciplinary program of study, the MPH with a concentration in health administration and management studies the intersection of factors (social, financial, organizational, technology, behavior) that impact the quality of, access to and the cost of healthcare in the U.S. In these master’s programs, students examine underlying concepts (e.g., sociological, economical, policy) that drive the healthcare system and how they can develop innovative, critical solutions to foster systematic improvements.
The dual MPA/MHA degree is designed for working or aspiring professionals in administrative or policy-creation positions in public or government organizations. Offered in a flexible format, students can usually complete the degree in approximately three years of study—all while working in a full-time career. At its core, the MPA/MHA prepares graduates to better leverage their professional experience by developing advanced managerial, administrative and health services skills within a healthcare environment.
For those considering pursuing a graduate degree in health administration, there are several factors to consider prior to making a program selection, beginning with the student’s professional experience and the student’s career goals. The MHA’s flexibility can serve students from both business-related fields (e.g., finance, marketing), as well as healthcare fields (e.g., nursing, medicine, allied health). The degree is advantageous because students from both backgrounds receive a layer of education that complements and rounds out their professional experience.
Secondly, the MHA degree offers several areas of concentration that allow healthcare professionals to pursue multiple career paths after graduation. The most common specialized areas of study include the following:
In this concentration, students develop competencies in core areas of financial management, including assessing financial systems and performance; financial compliance and risk assessment; financial modeling; short- and long-term investing; management of revenue cycles; and financial planning. From improving the financial efficiency of an organization to increasing profit margins, changing capital structures to ensuring compliance with billing and coding practices, students in financial management tracks can apply those competencies and skills across positions within the health services industry.
Senior Administrator, Finance
Risk Manager
This concentration provides students the opportunity to focus their studies on the core principles of human resources, developing a leadership-based skill set in areas including employee relations, staff recruiting and training, organizational management, compensation and benefits, and more. Instruction rests in the intersection of the legal, ethical and organizational concepts of human resources—helping students refine their managerial capabilities across a variety of potential problem areas in the workplace.
Director of Human Resources, Managed Care
Manager, Employee Relations
Students pursuing an operations specialization in their degree program concentrate their studies on the organizational and operational processes associated with the delivery and management of healthcare services. Coursework in this area develops several MHA competencies including operational and organizational assessment, supply chain management, risk and quality control, and information systems implementation and management. MHA graduates in operations have a solid understanding of external and internal standards, the ability to establish workplace safeguards, a keen understanding of establishing organizational goals, and the ability to leverage data to improve operational efficiency.
Physician Group Administrator
Long-Term Care Facility Manager
Director, Patient Care Services
In the online MHA program, students will be able to apply their clinical experience in interactive learning exercises. Through innovative online learning technology, the program combines live, face-to-face classes with multimedia course work that is accessible 24/7. The virtual classroom experience offered by MHA@GW allows students to earn their degree and collaborate with classmates no matter where they are in the world. To learn more about the online MHA experience, visit: https://mha.gwu.edu/about/choose-mhagw/technology-overview/.
The curriculum in the Master of Healthcare Administration endeavors to develop the core competencies of students in six areas: leadership, organization, critical thinking, analytics, management and community development. In turn, coursework is interdisciplinary in nature, combining the study of health policy and organizational theory, management principles and strategic planning. Becoming a successful healthcare administrator requires an expansive knowledge of the management disciplines, including policy, human resources, finance, organizational management and marketing.
In this course, students study the healthcare system through a historical lens. Through that viewpoint, students gain an understanding of the different paradigms of the healthcare system and how they shape access to healthcare services, the quality and cost of those services, and how they are delivered.
Students in this class study the modern role of the healthcare administrator, focusing on the central knowledge and managerial skills required to become an efficient, effective manager.
Through this class, graduate students examine local, state and federal healthcare policy issues, specifically how public policy shapes healthcare delivery, access, cost and regulation.
Taking an overview approach, students in this class examine healthcare services in the U.S. and how its institutional infrastructures developed socially, economically and politically. Students gain an understanding of healthcare regulation, the modes of healthcare delivery and alternative models of organizational theory.
In this class, students learn about the three major healthcare financial management principles: accounting, finance and budgeting. Students develop knowledge of cost-benefit analysis, healthcare financial transactions and statements, operating budgets and cost control methods.
In this class, students examine the financial management principles of healthcare and insurance, learning about risk management, operating budgets, the Medicare and Medicaid systems, managed care and more.
In this course, students review the economic foundations of the U.S. healthcare system—studying a range of concepts and theories—from market theory to healthcare costs, supply and demand issues, government reform and more.
Through this course, students study both micro- and macroeconomics issues facing the healthcare administrator. Posited within that framework, students examine a spectrum of concepts including resource allocation, data analysis and healthcare market processes.
In this class, students learn about the fundamental aspects of high-quality, effective healthcare delivery—directly related to the structural processes of the healthcare system. Students develop an understanding of managerial techniques to improve performance in a variety of settings.
This course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of human resources within healthcare administration, concentrating studies on employee recruiting, acquisition and retention.
Through this class, students are introduced to the core concepts of the healthcare marketplace and how a healthcare administrator can leverage strategic planning to understand and assess an organization’s strengths and weaknesses to devise policies to gain a competitive advantage in that marketplace.
This course offers students the opportunity to develop an understanding of the various quality components of healthcare delivery, building skills in risk and quality assessment, benchmarking, process improvements and more. Students learn how to evaluate and make systems improvement to provide a greater level of patient care.
Students in this class study contemporary marketing methods that can be applied to the modern healthcare organization. Coursework focuses on target audience research, competitor analysis, marketplace review, consumer behavior and strategic marketing initiatives.
Through the study of written and oral communications, students learn the importance communications plays in leadership positions within healthcare. Students develop the ability to work with internal and external stakeholders to communicate in concise, effective terms.
In this class, students examine the role of marketing within healthcare, specifically on the relationship between strategic marketing and healthcare service design.
This course serves as an introduction to basic legal concepts in healthcare administration, including, but not limited to, risk management, antitrust regulation, healthcare legislation, liability and corporate partnerships.
Through this course students learn about the ethical complexities related to the delivery of healthcare services, including religious issues, medical research, public policy, clinical practice and decision-making responsibilities.
Students learn about the basic legal considerations of the health management and administration profession, including a discussion of labor law, legal principles, corporate and business law, legal planning, healthcare law and more.
Improving and elevating their professional reputation, knowledge and abilities are three goals of today’s graduate student in health administration. Finding a program that supports those goals is paramount. In turn, prospective students should seek out graduate schools that have a solid reputation, not only in higher education, but the healthcare industry at large. Successful MHA graduate programs are concerned with student development, personally and professionally, positioning them for leadership positions within various health organizations.
Below is a list of five factors MHA students should consider prior to making a decision about where to attend school:
Prospective students should review the accreditation of each prospective program to ensure it has accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). CAHME is the only accrediting body of academic programs granting master’s in healthcare management.
Students should seek out programs that have a relationship with local healthcare providers, regional health systems and health networks. These partnerships offer students the opportunity to land part-time work experiences, internships and careers after graduation.
Students should review the job placement record of their prospective program. Examining the three-year placement records reveals both the program’s success and serves as an overall quality indicator.
The faculty of the MHA program should possess extensive experience in broad areas of research and education. The department should consist of diverse faculty members, experts in areas such as ethics, law, informatics, public policy and more.
Not all MHA programs are created equal and not all offer students the opportunity to specialize within the multidisciplinary field. Students should review the types of concentrations available, ensuring the program provides extensive academic offerings that match their future professional goals.
The above information—program factors, concentrations and coursework—paints a solid picture about what to consider when reviewing prospective graduate programs. However, MHA students should also develop a solid understanding of master’s degree requirements, by outlining the entire graduate school experience, from application to graduation. Depending on the institution and area of study, students can complete a master’s in healthcare administration in approximately two to three years of study.
The hypothetical timeline below includes information for a two-year general program of study in healthcare administration:
Emelife, M.D., Senior Partner, Atlanta South Nephrology MHA@GW offers excellent exposure to experienced professors in the health care field. Given the diversity of the students from all areas of work, I am able to appreciate different viewpoints, including those of my nonmedical colleagues. Read about Charmain’s experience while enrolled in MHA@GW, the online Master of Health Administration from GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.”
Denise M. is a registered nurse who is looking to enhance and expand her clinical experience in medical care by pursuing her MHA. She wants to develop advanced expertise in areas such as performance management, healthcare trends and strategies to improve patient care.
Feng L.., a medical doctor specializing in radiology, would like to augment his leadership abilities and business skills by completing a master’s in healthcare administration. He wants to gain an understanding of strategic management, planning and marketing to position himself for department leadership and eventually starting his own radiology group.
Maheen Khatri is the analytics manager at Eagle Hospital Physicians, a physician-led company that focuses on developing and managing hospitalists for its hospital partners. Khatri holds an MHA/MBA and took the time to talk about his career, education, and provide advice to prospective MHA students.
I am responsible for managing the analytics department and providing actionable data to the hospital partners we work with on an ongoing basis in order to identify opportunities in operations that would improve quality of care, cut costs, and increase productivity. We work with physician and billing data to understand and monitor key metrics such as length of stay and readmission rates at each practice.
I always wanted a career that would allow me to touch peoples’ lives. My courses in undergrad made me quickly realize that I was interested more in business than in clinical science. I decided to pursue health administration because it provided the perfect mix for what I was looking for: a career that would be business-related but also allow me to impact peoples’ lives in a positive way.
I received my MHA degree from Georgia State University, Robinson School of Business.
I decided to pursue a dual-degree program from the Robinson School of Business. At the end of my program, I received two degrees: a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Health Administration (MHA). I chose this program for several reasons.
First, because it offers two degrees, which means I would get a stronger base in business with the MBA program. Second, because it has an excellent, well-reputed faculty. Furthermore, this program uses case-based learning, which was very helpful as it connects what one learns in the classroom to the business you work for.
As is typical to most MHA programs, it has a residency program at the end in which it encourages the student to work in a healthcare company or in a hospital to get real-world experience.
I was working while I was taking my MHA courses, and I found that much of what I was learning could be directly applied to my career. I learned about leadership, about work culture, and how the leadership at any company defines the culture. In some of the more technical courses, such as operations, health law, finance and accounting, I learned how to be more productive at work, how to develop my department strategically with a clearer understanding of the big picture of my company’s business, and what role I play in helping it be successful.
I would advise prospective MHA graduates to work while completing their MHA degree, because it really helps to connect classroom concepts to reality. It also helps one value and appreciate the education when one sees it being applied by business managers in the healthcare setting. I would also encourage students to be active members of the ACHE and make connections with other people working in healthcare.
The Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University’s online Master of Health Administration is for aspiring leaders with at least three years of clinical or administrative experience in the health care or health services industry. With the program’s interactive design, students learn from each other’s experience as much as they learn from faculty.
The MHA@GW curriculum consists of eight modules focused on the leadership and ethical skills needed to create highly effective health care organizations, as well as core health care areas such as quality improvement, decision science, quantitative methods, and community health. Students will attend live online classes, complete dynamic online coursework and participate in real-world immersion experiences held on the GW campus and at health organizations in the United States and abroad.
The University of Cincinnati offers four graduate certificate programs and a Master of Healthcare Administration. Combining a real-world focus on practical skills and business acumen, the personalized curriculum prepares students to pursue advanced administrative positions across organizations in the healthcare industry. An interdisciplinary program of study, the MHA and graduate certificates are offered through a partnership of the College of Allied Health Sciences, the College of Medicine, and the Carl H. Linder College of Business.
Graduate certificates are available in four concentration areas:
The degree includes a comprehensive curriculum focused on four major industry practice areas: leadership, quality improvement, management and resource allocation. The MHA option can be completed entirely online and requires 39 semester hours to complete and typically takes two years of study to graduate.