online mha degree
Master of Health Administration
Boost your healthcare education with an MHA degree
Step up to make meaningful change in healthcare. With a Master of Health Administration degree you can develop your healthcare knowledge and expertise as a leader. We’re empowering a new kind of healthcare professional. Our capstone course gives you the opportunity to use the assignment to create a leadership proposal to help you pursue your career goals in the healthcare industry. And the skills-based curriculum of this CAHME-accredited program[1] aligns with essential leadership competences and the standards of the healthcare industry’s premier professional association, the American College of Healthcare Executive.
[1] The Master of Health Administration (MHA) program is programmatically accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), PO Box 911, Spring House, PA 19477, 301-298-1820.
Ignite Your Passion
Start when you're ready
Courses
Browse courses for your MHA degree
All MHA program courses are based on current topics in healthcare and provide career-based skills applicable today.
Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.
Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.
Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every five- to six-week course.
We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
Completion requirements: 36 credits
You’ll need 36 credits (3 credits per course) to complete this Master of Health Administration program. Your course schedule may vary based on transferable credits or credits earned through the University’s Prior Learning Assessment.
Core courses build the business-side of your health admin experience with strategic planning, financial management and industry tools like SWOT analysis. Use your capstone course as an opportunity to develop a leadership proposal that may be applicable within your healthcare organization or as demonstration of your advanced health admin skills and abilities for new career opportunities.
Master of Health Administration enrollment requirements:
- An undergraduate degree or higher from a college or university with approved institutional accreditation, or that is a candidate for accreditation, or comparable undergraduate bachelor's degree or higher earned at a recognized foreign institution or a graduate degree or higher from an ABA accredited institution (i.e- JD, LLB, LLM). If the institution became accredited while the student was attending, a minimum of 75% of the coursework taken toward the degree must have been completed while the institution was accredited or during the candidacy period.
- A cumulative GPA of 2.5 for all coursework listed on the degree posted transcript at the same level as the conferred degree (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral) is required for admission.
- A minimum equivalent of three (3) years of full-time, post-high school professional work experience within the past ten years.
- All applicants must be currently employed or have access to a suitable work environment for the completion of course assignments.
Competency-based (CB) Master of Health Administration option
Complete in less than 12 months and for under $11,000
Self-paced, with the assistance of your instructor, this program is designed for working professionals who have a bachelor’s degree and three years of experience, including leading a team in healthcare environment. To be successful in the program, you’ll also need strong organizational and time management skills. See the Cost of Attendance.
Specialize Your MHA Degree
You can specialize your degree to focus on an area of interest in your healthcare career.
Equip yourself with skills to navigate the healthcare laws, rules and regulations designed to help keep patients and providers safe. Choose this MHA Health Care Compliance and Policy specialization if:
- You are interested in healthcare ethics
- You want to improve patient care through risk management and policy compliance
- You are ready for the challenges of an ever-changing healthcare policy environment
With this dual-degree, gain an in-depth understanding of healthcare systems and the business practices that help them run smoothly. Choose the MHA/MBA if:
- You are interested in both healthcare and business
- You want to be a part of the big-picture solutions for organizations from marketing and management to healthcare systems
- You strive for business leadership roles within a healthcare organization
°®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ College of Health Professions commitment
Healthcare with a mission
We strive to empower you to make positive changes in healthcare. That’s why the Master of Health Administration program philosophy is driven by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Triple Aim. This framework for optimizing health system performance strives to accomplish three critical objectives:Â
- Improving the health of the population
- Enhancing the patient experience of careÂ
- Reducing the per capita cost of care
Healthcare with a vision
Our College of Health Professions wants to foster a new type of health sector leader who is authentic, transparent and creative – who thinks critically and with agility, and who is comfortable at the intersection of industry expertise and academic scholarship.
Why earn your MHA degree?
Opportunity to expand your earning potential
A master's in health administration degree may help you earn more as the demand for healthcare managers grows each year.
Opens up leadership roles
Your MHA degree prepares you with the graduate-level skills you need to become a leader within a healthcare organization.
A step toward FACHE certification
While there are other requirements to earn your (FACHE) Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives certificate, completing a master’s in healthcare administration is one of the requirements for the certification. The credential:
- Provides recognition as a leader among leaders in healthcare management
- Demonstrates your competency in all areas of healthcare management
- Signifies your lifelong commitment to change and improvement
There’s more than one way to earn your MHA
Take the quiz to see if you’re a good fit for a faster paced MHA program.
| TRADITIONAL | COMPETENCY-BASED |
|---|---|
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16 months (MBA)
17 months (MHA/MIS) |
Less than a year
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6-week course at a time
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More intensive timeline to complete 4 courses, which can be taken one at a time
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Traditional classroom led by instructors
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Self-paced, flexible learnings with limited faculty guidance
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Bachelor’s degree with 2.5 GPA
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Bachelor’s degree with 2.5 GPA and relevant work experience
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$698 per credit
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$300 per credit (no additional fees)
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| COMPETENCY-BASED | TRADITIONAL |
|---|---|
|
Less than a year
|
16 months (MBA)
17 months (MHA/MIS) |
|
More intensive timeline to complete 4 courses, which can be taken one at a time
|
6-week course at a time
|
|
Self-paced, flexible learnings with limited faculty guidance
|
Traditional classroom led by instructors
|
|
Bachelor’s degree with 2.5 GPA and relevant work experience
|
Bachelor’s degree with 2.5 GPA
|
|
$300 per credit (no additional fees)
|
$698 per credit
|
Tuition
Paying for school
Tuition is based on number of credit hours per course. Courses are typically 3 credits, but can range from 1-6 credits. Costs do not include savings opportunities like transfer credits and scholarships.
Master's cost per course
$2,289 / course
What affects the overall cost of my program?
Your full program cost can vary by:Â
- Savings opportunities. Get your degree faster and for less with eligible transfer credits, scholarships and work experience credits. Students with eligible credits and relevant experience can save up to $6,800 and 9 credits off their master’s degree.
- California Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF). If you’re a California resident or enrolled in a residency program, you must pay the state-imposed assessment for STRF which is currently $0 per $1,000 of institutional charges. The STRF assessment is nonrefundable.
- Required textbook for MHA/516. If purchased through the University Bookstore, a new book costs $18. You may also purchase the book from other sources or potentially borrow it at no charge through a library.
With our Tuition Guarantee, you pay one flat, affordable rate from the moment you enroll to the day you graduate from your program.
Earn your master’s degree faster and for less with eligible savings opportunities:
Transfer credits
Your previous eligible college credits could save you time and money. That’s why we’ve accepted transcripts from 5,000+ institutions, so you can apply eligible transfer credits from an institutionally accredited university or college toward your Master of Health Administration degree. Check to see if you have qualifying transfer credits. In most cases we can request your transcripts for you — at no cost to you.
Scholarships to earn your master’s degree, more affordably.
Everyone deserves an affordable education. That’s why we offer an unlimited number of scholarships, so if you qualify, you can get one. We believe everyone deserves an affordable education they shouldn’t have to compete for.ĚýStarting with your first course, every qualifying new student will be awarded one of our scholarships - regardless of your financial situation or GPA, or you’ll get the best savings you qualify for. Whether you’re a new or transfer student, you can apply for a scholarship. Explore scholarship options at °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝.
Financial aid
You have options when it comes to paying for MHA degree, such as federal grants and loans. Our finance advisors can answer your questions about financial aid and can help guide you through the process.
Federal Student Loan Basics
Careers & Outcomes
What can you do with master’s in health administration degree?
About 54,000 job openings for medical and health services are projected each year. Be prepared with the graduate-level skills and knowledge you need for a healthcare admin career.ĚýÂ
A MHA can help prepare you to be a:
- Health information management director
- Health manager
- Practice administrator
View student outcomes at the CAHME program outcomes report.
Top skills learned in this program:
Health Administration
Business Management
Communications
Leadership
Professionalism
Strategic Planning
Ready to get started?
Start your application for free or request additional information.
What you’ll learn
When you earn your Master’s in Health Administration degree, you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job.ĚýYou’ll learn how to:
- Evaluate industry and organizational dynamics in the healthcare environment.
- Generate core business strategies based on innovative concepts developed in the program.
- Construct strategic relationships with diverse stakeholders across the health sector to achieve business objectives with a current or desired employer.
- Develop a leadership identity that reflects traits required in complex healthcare environments.
- Produce a personal legacy that fosters investment in people and the community to drive the future of health care.
- Foster the ability to create and execute operational improvement plans that address transformation, communication, and execution elements within the sector.
29% Growth
According to the , job growth for medical and health services managers is projected to be much faster than average between 2023 and 2033.
The BLS Projected Growth for 2023-2033 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ students or graduates.
Admissions
Apply for free – no application fee, no obligation.
Starting your MHA degree is a big decision — and we want you to feel great about it. That’s why we remove obstacles from your application.
- No GMAT
- No essay requiredÂ
- We’ll request transcripts at no cost to you, when possible, and we accept eligible credits from over 5,000 accredited institutions.
How to enroll at °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝
Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep
Receive 1-on-1 support
You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 85% of our surveyed students.[1]
[1] Transactional Survey, September 2022-August 2023 (23,739 respondents)
Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.
Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.
Receive 1-on-1 support
You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 90% of our surveyed students.°Ú1±ŐĚýStart a conversation with an enrollment representative today.
[1] Transactional Survey, August 2021-22 (18,645 respondents)
Call or chat with us 7 days a week.
Student Experience
An education that fits your busy life
Balancing family, work and school
Work toward your Master of Health Administration degree without giving up what matters most. Start your MHA degree year-round and take one class at a time.
Online learning
Health admin courses include engaging video content to help reinforce the importance of the skills being covered. These videos lend a human touch to the courses and provide you with insights from practitioner faculty who are working within the field.
Around-the-clock support and resources
As a health admin student, you don’t have to go it alone. We have a support team available up to 14 hours a day, 5 days a week.Ěý
Network with fellow healthcare professionals through student organizations
Meet other health administration students while you study. You can even join one of the largest honor societies — .Ěý
Industry Spotlight
The state of healthcare
The healthcare industry is much broader than hospitals. That’s why health admins need the skills to pivot for a diverse range of organizations from health clinics and hospitals of all sizes to retail health locations, at-home services, health insurance companies and government entities. The diversity and range of opportunity has made healthcare administrators essential for organizing and managing facilities effectively across this wide spectrum.
What healthcare professionals need to know
The healthcare industry is constantly changing. New laws and regulatory requirements require healthcare administrators to adapt policy and procedure without compromising patient care.ĚýÂ
Your MHA degree
Your Master in Health Administration degree also prepares you with adaptable leadership skills to manage change as the industry changes. Education never stands still. That’s why we have advisory councils made up of leaders in their fields. Made up of leaders in their fields, the Advisory Council meets periodically to review industry changes, providing valuable insights that help keep our health programs relevant.Ěý
Classroom skills for real world experience
Our practitioner faculty bring the healthcare environment to you
Our health admin faculty at °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ guide students through the fast-paced healthcare industry with first-hand experiences and real-world exercises. Students learn to develop proposals and policies, manage personnel, craft budgets and use Gemba workplace walk-throughs to experience the pulse of actual healthcare environments that health admins work in every day.Ěý
Faculty Spotlight
Healthcare professionals dedicated to you
Your academic success is a top priority for our deans and faculty members. They bring an average of 28+ years of experience and hands-on perspective to the classroom and help bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge.Ěý
Accreditation
Count on the quality of your education
programmatic accreditation
The Master of Health Administration (MHA) program is programmatically accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).Ěý
For additional information, visit or call 301-298-1820.
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
PO Box 911
Spring House, PA 19477Â
Frequently asked questions about the Master of Health Administration degree
Timeframes vary depending on your time commitment. You may also pursue a self-paced competency-based MHA degree which, while more rigorous and demanding, allows you to complete the program in less than 12 months. Explore MHA CB degree
The Master of Health Administration (MHA) program is programmatically accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), PO Box 911, Spring House, PA 19477, 301-298-1820. As a discipline-specific accreditation agency, CAHME sets high standards for health administration degrees.
A master’s degree in healthcare administration prepares you for roles in the growing healthcare industry including:Â
- Medical and Health Services ManagersÂ
- Health EducatorsÂ
- Practice Administrator
While widely available, not all programs are available to residents of all states. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.