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Masters in Healthcare Administration

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Healthcare Administration Programs Quick Links

Program Overview

The University of Providence’s Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA) program is a 24-month graduate program designed to prepare students to serve in leadership positions within healthcare. Graduates of our program will serve as dynamic healthcare leaders focused on applying leading strategies in healthcare systems, informatics, finance, information technology, communication, and data-driven theory to improve healthcare operations. These applications invoke strong decision-making, accountability, and quality outcomes within healthcare institutions and networks they serve.

Our program is taught by passionate, experienced faculty who are invested in helping students reach their professional and educational goals. The University of Providence’s Master in Healthcare Administration program curriculum emphasizes a quality education centered around leading healthcare theories and strategies to improve operations and create healthy person-centered environments.

 

Program Highlights

  • Leadership-Focused Curriculum

The Masters in Healthcare Administration program focuses on preparing future leaders in healthcare administration through a robust curriculum focused on foundational theories and evidence-based applications of transformational leadership. Graduates of our program are prepared to serve in senior and executive leadership positions across the healthcare continuum.

  • Three Concentrations Available

Our MHA program allows students to select one of three concentrations to pair with the core MHA curriculum. Students can choose a concentration in leadership, health justice, or community health – each providing a foundational comprehension of a leading healthcare discipline that will elevate their degree and open the door to additional leadership opportunities.

  • Designed For Working Professionals

Designed for completion in just 24 months, our program offers two 8-week learning sessions per semester, with online courses perfect for busy healthcare professionals.

  • Dynamic Capstone Experience

The final semester of the course provides students with an opportunity to apply skills learned throughout the course in a cumulative capstone experience. The concentration selection and pre-specified project model primarily drive students’ projects.

  • Cohort Learning Model

The University of Providence’s cohort model means that Masters in Healthcare Administration students will gain a sense of community and individual attention as they progress through the program with the same group of students.

  • Providence Partnership Tuition Discount

Providence Health & Service Caregivers and their eligible dependents can receive tuition discounts on top of additional employee education benefits through Guild Education Services.

 

Program Curriculum

The Masters in Healthcare Administration program delivers coursework over two 8-week intensive sessions per semester. Students complete three semesters (fall, spring, and summer) each year or six in total. All courses in the MHA program are delivered online, with short breaks between sessions.

Before the start of the program, students will complete a virtual program immersion, which will help familiarize students with the curriculum and online software. Following virtual program immersion, students will complete 40 credits of required coursework over a 24-month completion period.

The Masters in Healthcare Administration allows students to select one of three available concentrations to pair with the core Masters in Healthcare Administration curriculum. Concentrations provide students with an enhanced area of study in addition to the foundational courses offered as part of the program – opening opportunities for specializations within emerging and growing disciplines within healthcare.

  • Community Health

Students who pursue the Community Health concentration will become familiar with health equity, the social drivers of health, and community health relationships. In addition, students will also dive deeper into health inequities, population health, and social epidemiology.

  • Health Justice

Students pursuing the Health Justice concentration will develop a strong understanding of medical-legal partnerships, including how they are used to address social drivers of health, population health, and social epidemiological concerns.

  • Leadership

Students who pursue the leadership concentration will build an enhanced understanding of leadership within healthcare. They will become knowledgeable in leadership theory and how to apply it effectively to their new healthcare administration role.

 

Based on their selection, students will take specific courses within their concentration during the second 8-week session of the first and second semesters. Students who select the Community Health concentration can take an additional elective course (worth three credit hours) in their final 8-week session of the sixth semester or as a stand-alone course in the next catalog term.

New cohorts begin each year in August (fall) and January (spring).

MHA Courses – Masters in Healthcare Administration

The University of Providence Masters in Healthcare Administration program courses are designed to prepare students to serve in leadership positions throughout healthcare.

  • MHA 502: Healthcare Systems (3 Credits)
  • MHA 505: Healthcare Informatics (3 Credits)
  • MHA 510: Leadership Theory (3 Credits)
  • MHA 512: Applied Leadership (3 Credits)
  • MHA 518: Evidence-Based Management For Healthcare Leaders (3 Credits)
  • MHA 521: Population Health – A Community Orientation (1 Credit)
  • MHA 522: Preparation, Professionalism & Advocacy (1 Credit)
  • MHA 523: Strategic Planning, Marketing & The Patient Experience (1 Credit)
  • MHA 524: Regulations, Risk & Compliance (1 Credit)
  • MHA 525: Transformational Leadership (3 Credits)
  • MHA 531: Social Justice, Law & Policy In Healthcare (3 Credits)
  • MHA 535: Healthcare Law & Ethics (3 Credits)
  • MHA 562: People & Experience (3 Credits)
  • MHA 565: Healthcare Budgeting & Finance Planning (3 Credits)
  • MHA 698: Capstone I (3 Credits)
  • MHA 699: Capstone II (3 Credits)

 

Total Credits Required: 40

MHA Curriculum – Leadership Concentration

Semester 1: Fall Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 531: Social Justice, Law & Policy in Healthcare | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 522 Preparation, Professionalism & Advocacy | 1 Credit
  • MHA 510: Leadership Theory | 3 Credits

 

Semester II: Spring Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 518 Evidence-Based Practice For Healthcare Leaders | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 512: Applied Leadership | 3 Credits
  • MHA 521: Population Health – A Community Orientation | 1 Credit

 

Semester III: Summer Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 502: Healthcare Systems | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 565: Healthcare Budget & Financial Planning | 3 Credits

 

Semester IV: Fall Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 562: People & Experience | 3 Credits
  • MHA 523: Strategic Planning, Marketing & the Patient Experience | 1 Credit

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 505: Healthcare Informatics | 3 Credits

 

Semester V: Spring Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 525: Transformational Leadership | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 535: Healthcare Law & Ethics | 3 Credits
  • MHA 524: Regulation, Risk & Compliance | 1 Credit

 

Semester VI: Summer Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 698: Capstone I | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 699: Capstone II | 3 Credits

 

Total Required Credits 40

 

**Course listings are designed to demonstrate a ‘sample’ student schedule for a Master in Healthcare Administration student. Individual schedules may not reflect the listed order of courses or start time**

MHA Curriculum – Health Justice Concentration

Semester 1: Fall Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 531: Social Justice, Law & Policy in Healthcare | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 522 Preparation, Professionalism & Advocacy | 1 Credit
  • MHA 504: Med-Legal Partnership | 3 Credits

 

Semester II: Spring Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 518 Evidence-Based Practice For Healthcare Leaders | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 508: Health Inequities & Social Epidemiology | 3 Credits
  • MHA 521: Population Health – A Community Orientation | 1 Credit

 

Semester III: Summer Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 502: Healthcare Systems | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 565: Healthcare Budget & Financial Planning | 3 Credits

 

Semester IV: Fall Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 562: People & Experience | 3 Credits
  • MHA 523: Strategic Planning, Marketing & the Patient Experience | 1 Credit

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 505: Healthcare Informatics | 3 Credits

 

Semester V: Spring Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 525: Transformational Leadership | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 535: Healthcare Law & Ethics | 3 Credits
  • MHA 524: Regulation, Risk & Compliance | 1 Credit

 

Semester VI: Summer Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 698: Capstone I | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 699: Capstone II | 3 Credits

 

Total Required Credits 40

 

**Course listings are designed to demonstrate a ‘sample’ student schedule for a Master in Healthcare Administration student. Individual schedules may not reflect the listed order of courses or start time**

MHA Curriculum – Community Health Concentration

Semester 1: Fall Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 531: Social Justice, Law & Policy in Healthcare | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 522 Preparation, Professionalism & Advocacy | 1 Credit
  • MHA 507: Essentials of Community Health | 3 Credits

 

Semester II: Spring Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 518 Evidence-Based Practice For Healthcare Leaders | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 508: Health Inequities & Social Epidemiology | 3 Credits
  • MHA 521: Population Health – A Community Orientation | 1 Credit

 

Semester III: Summer Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 502: Healthcare Systems | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 565: Healthcare Budget & Financial Planning | 3 Credits

 

Semester IV: Fall Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 562: People & Experience | 3 Credits
  • MHA 523: Strategic Planning, Marketing & the Patient Experience | 1 Credit

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 505: Healthcare Informatics | 3 Credits

 

Semester V: Spring Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 525: Transformational Leadership | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 535: Healthcare Law & Ethics | 3 Credits
  • MHA 524: Regulation, Risk & Compliance | 1 Credit

 

Semester VI: Summer Semester

First 8-Week Session

  • MHA 698: Capstone I | 3 Credits

 

Second 8-Week Session

  • MHA 699: Capstone II | 3 Credits
  • MHA 513: Intro to Upstream Improvement Comm Health | 3 Credits***

 

Total Required Credits 40

Total Required Credits With Elective: 43

 

***MHA 513 is an elective course for students pursuing the Community Health concentration. This is an optional elective. MHA 513 can be taken during the second 8-week session of the sixth semester with Capstone II or during an additional 8-week session in the following fall or spring term.

**Course listings are designed to demonstrate a ‘sample’ student schedule for a Master in Healthcare Administration student. Individual schedules may not reflect the listed order of courses or start time**

Program Costs

The University of Providence is committed to affordability and providing pricing transparency for all School of Health Professions programs. Pricing transparency at UP includes:

  • Accessible and up-to-date information on tuition costs, university fees, application and admission fees, deposit amounts, and additional program costs.
  • Cost of attendance worksheets outlining specific tuition layouts by program and semester.
  • Information about scholarship opportunities and tuition discounts for specific groups.
  • Information about the financial aid process.

 

Visit our Tuition and Fees page to access the latest pricing information. Access the Masters in Healthcare Administration Estimated Cost Breakdown Sheet to view pricing information for this degree program, including a cost breakdown by semester and associated program costs. Visit our Financial Aid page to learn more about the financial aid process.

 

Careers in Healthcare Administration

A Masters in Healthcare Administration can help currently employed healthcare administrators in management and director positions elevate their careers to serve in senior and executive leadership positions within healthcare. The University of Providence’s MHA program will prepare students with the skills they need to advance or build upon their careers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs for Medical and Health Service managers will increase significantly within ten years. The industry is expected to add 136,000 jobs between 2021 and 2031 – reporting a job outlook of 28% – over five times higher than the national average of five percent.

Salaries for healthcare administrators can range from $60,780 per year on the low end to $205,620 on the higher end, according to the BLS. Medical and Health Service Managers make an average of $101,340 per year. However, individual salaries vary by location, demand, skills, and work experience.

 

Application and Admission Requirements

The University of Providence’s Masters in Healthcare Administration program accepts applications for fall and spring enrollments. Application deadlines are August 16 each year for fall enrollment and December 20 for spring enrollment. For updated information on graduate application requirements, deadlines, and program-specific requirements, and to access portals, visit the University of Providence admissions page.

Program Application: Applicants must complete an online graduate application through GradCAS.

Official Transcripts: Applicants must submit official transcript(s) that show completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution(s).

  • An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 is required, and applicants with a grade point average below this number may be required to complete the GRE at the program coordinator’s discretion.

 

Personal Essay: A one-page essay is required for your application to the program.

Curriculum Vitae or Résumé: Applicants must submit a current CV or résumé.

Application Fee: Students must submit an application fee of $38 (required by GradCAS).

Learn more about Graduate Admissions information and deadlines on the admissions page.

Additional Program Information

Interested in learning more about our Masters in Healthcare Administration program? View information about what to expect during the capstone project and post-graduation career paths:

Skills You'll Learn

Students enrolled in the MHA program will learn the following skills and more:

  • Communication and listening
  • Informatics and information technology
  • Ethical and transformational leadership
  • Critical thinking
  • Complex systems, strategic planning, and financial proficiency
  • Practice competency
Program Mission

Read the Mission Statement for the Masters in Healthcare Administration program:

Our mission is to partner with and support healthcare professionals seeking to advance their careers. Our curriculum and practitioner faculty translate theory to workplace application, focusing on knowledge, competency building, and leadership development. Assignments and Capstone Projects reflect the development of competencies required for healthcare leadership.

The curriculum was designed to nurture accountable leaders who approach challenges analytically, reviewing data and evidence while integrating ethical, compassionate, cultural, regulatory, and legal considerations in decision-making. The program highlights intrapersonal understanding and self-development to support cultivating collaboration and leading teams to execute change. The program’s central focus is leadership development, with courses and concepts woven through the program to complement didactic learning.

Program Outcomes

Discover student outcomes for the Masters in Healthcare Administration program:

  • Apply systems and leadership theories to affect change and meet strategic goals.
  • Integrate ethical, compassionate, cultural, regulatory, and legal components in leadership decisions.
  • Synthesize and apply effective organizational communication strategies and skills to create healthy person-centered environments.
  • Demonstrate emotional intelligence and reflective personal growth when leading organizations.
  • Apply data collection methods, applications, sampling systems, and informatics to improve decision-making and accountability.
  • Analyze data, evidence-based practice, and financial systems to ensure process quality and safety.
  • Improve competencies in healthcare knowledge, leadership skills, and business acumen to implement innovative initiatives.
  • Problem-solve and collaborate around challenges, trends, and opportunities impacting US healthcare.
  • Build a nationwide network of peers and foster collegial relationships.
  • Engage in cross-disciplinary conversations with current and retired corporate health system executives.
  • Access professional development and mentoring.
Program Values

Read the Values Statement for the Masters in Healthcare Administration program:

The Master of Healthcare Administration program values reflect the university’s focus on character, competence, and commitment and the university’s core themes of seeking to understand, living in the community, and searching together. Healthcare leaders must exemplify character, competence, and commitment to serve and lead. Together we seek to understand the healthcare environment, the inherent challenges of delivering quality care, and the diverse needs of stakeholders. We live in a community with stakeholders – patients, their loved ones, and providers/caregivers from all specialties and settings. Together, we search daily for the best approaches to delivering quality care and developing healthier communities.

Program Vision

Read the Vision Statement for the Masters in Healthcare Administration program:

By emphasizing workplace application focused on the development of character, competence, and commitment, we will develop professionals well-equipped to handle current and future healthcare needs and become the program of choice for working healthcare professionals who wish to prepare for the next steps in leadership.

Capstone Information

Find information on the Masters in Healthcare Administration capstone:

What is the MHA capstone?

The capstone project experience focuses on applying knowledge learned in one or more student-selected healthcare administration concentration courses to an organization. This depends on the student’s choice of capstone project model: healthcare systems, informatics and data management, transformational leadership, ethics, law, people and experience, healthcare finance, and budget.

What are some recent capstone projects?

Interested in the different capstone projects? Here are some examples from previous cohorts:

  • Paramedicine home visits
  • Health information management, prior authorization, and referral management centralization
  • Hierarchical condition category (coding recapture)
  • Staffing metrics primary care practice
  • Patient attendance (no shows/cancellations)
  • Provider onboarding with communication of culture/mission, vision, and values
  • Surge capacity
  • The efficiency of home health visits
  • Patient satisfaction data
  • Improving the customer service skills of frontline caregivers

 

What are the capstone requirements?

All MHA students must participate in the Capstone project.  The partnering facility may require a background check, drug screen, and proof of immunizations to complete this project. The facility where the student meets their capstone project will be provided evidence that a background check, drug screen, and proof of immunizations have been completed.

If your capstone site requires additional verifications, you will be sent a link to Verified Credentials (a third-party provider of background screening, drug testing, and compliance management services) to complete these requirements. Background checks and drug screen results, including failure to submit proof of immunizations, may determine if you remain eligible in the MHA program.

Recent Graduate Career Information

Recent graduates of our Masters in Healthcare Administration program have taken on new job responsibilities, received promotions, transitioned into adjacent jobs, and have been hired for new positions. Check out some of the careers our recent graduates hold:

  • Assistant Nurse Manager
  • Executive Director of Website Operations
  • Clinical Nurse Manager
  • Talent Advisor
  • Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Faculty
  • Director of Inpatient Nursing
  • Laboratory Support Supervisor
  • Clinical Director of Behavioral Health Integration
  • Senior Compliance & Project Implementation Coordinator
  • Regional Director of Claims
  • Clinical Nurse Manager
  • Intensive Care Unit Nurse
  • Program Coordinator
  • Human Resource Business Partner
  • Dental Clinic Manager
  • Team Lead of Patient Financial Services

Healthcare Professionals Tuition Incentive

The University of Providence is committed to supporting the healthcare workforce by empowering current healthcare professionals to start, enhance or advance their career in healthcare. The Healthcare Professionals Tuition Incentive (HPTI) Program provides currently employed healthcare professionals with the opportunity to apply tuition discounts to in-demand programs offered through our School of Health Professions catalog.

Visit the Healthcare Professionals Tuition Incentive Program page to learn more.

 

Providence Health & Services Partnership

Our unique partnership with Providence Health allows eligible Providence Caregivers and their dependents to receive an exceptional education from an accredited, faith-based, university. Caregivers and their dependents who enroll at the University of Providence may receive many possible benefits, such as discounted tuition rates and preferred admission, as part of their education benefits. Visit the Providence Human Resources Service Portal to learn more about caregiver education benefits, the application process for our programs, and tuition discounts.

Advance Your Career In Healthcare With a Master’s in Healthcare Administration At UP

Start your journey to becoming a leader in healthcare with a Master’s in Healthcare Administration graduate program. Our dynamic program curriculum and qualified faculty will provide you with the support and quality education you need to succeed. Enroll in our program today.

Find out more about the program by Requesting Information.

Contact Information

Admissions Office

Email

Deanna Melton-Riddle, DHA MSA, CMA-AAMA, RPT-AMT, CDPLC

MHA Program Director
Email

Frankie Lyons, Ed.D.

Associate Dean of Health Programs
Email

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