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The Master of Health Administration, Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), or Master of Health Management (MHM), is a
master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
-level
professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...
granted to students who complete a course of study in the knowledge and competencies needed for careers in
health administration Health administration, healthcare administration, healthcare management or hospital management is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of public health systems, health care systems, hospitals, and hospital networks ...
, involving the management of hospitals and other health services organizations, as well as public health infrastructure and consulting. Programs can differ according to setting; although practitioner-teacher model programs are typically found in colleges of medicine, health professions, or allied health, classroom-based programs can be found in colleges of business or public health.


Structure

The degree program is designed to give graduates of
health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
disciplines (in particular) greater understanding of
management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
issues and prepare them for senior management roles, and is awarded by many American, European, Australian, Indian and Sri Lankan (Post Graduate Institute of Medicine – University of Colombo) universities. The degree traditionally focuses on health administration at the local, state, and federal level as well as in the nonprofit sector. This contrasts with the general
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
or the
Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
degrees. Accredited programs of study typically require students to complete applied experiences as well as course work in areas such as population health,
healthcare economics Health economics is a branch of economics concerned with issues related to Health care efficiency, efficiency, effectiveness, value and behavior in the production and consumption of health and healthcare. Health economics is important in d ...
,
health policy Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society".World Health Organization''Health Policy'' accessed 22 March 2011(Web archive)/ref> According to the ...
, organizational behavior, management of healthcare organizations, healthcare marketing and communications, human resource management, information systems management and assessment, operations assessment and improvement, governance, leadership, statistical analysis and application, financial analysis and management, and strategy formulation and implementation. MHA programs are thus intended to provide students with the essential knowledge required for senior managerial and planning work in the health services and systems sectors. The objectives of the program are to develop graduates who are: competent general and financial managers, competent planners, knowledgeable about public health and the structure, organization and financing of health care systems, knowledgeable about society, law and ethics, and competent in quantitative skills. "Health care is a labor intensive industry, no doubt about it and it’s not likely to change in the near future. Leadership of this human capital is uniquely challenging because of the diversity of both the workforce and the customer base and because of the life and death nature of our work." - Dr. RuthAnn Althaus In most countries, applicants are required to hold, at minimum, a four year
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
degree and have a minimum period of professional experience in the health system. The
curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...
, however, varies between universities.


United States

Although many colleges of business, public health, and/or health sciences in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
have degrees with health administration content, about one-fourth have been accredited through the
Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) is the accrediting body for graduate programs in healthcare management in the United States and Canada. It is based in Spring House, Pennsylvania and is a 501(c)(3) non-p ...
(CAHME), which is the only accreditor recognized by the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order t ...
for these programs. In the same way the
AACSB The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, is an American professional organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to ...
evaluates accreditation for
MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
programs; CAHME accreditation requires programs to meet a set of standards related to areas such as program resources, faculty preparation, curriculum content, and post-graduation career success, and also helps to ensure that the programs are well integrated with the practice communities their graduates will work within. Applicants to accredited programs are required to hold a four-year undergraduate degree prior to enrolling. Some universities offer dual MBA/MHA degrees with AACSB accreditation, or MBA/ HOM degree programs, which may be completed concurrently or sequentially. Some MHA programs do not require professional experience prior to enrollment; however, most programs require work experience, such as internships or fellowships, as part of their graduation requirements. Some MHA programs use a blended lecture and online format, allowing people to continue working while they pursue the MHA degree. There are also a few universities, including many for-profit universities, that offer Master of Healthcare Administration programs completely online; however, these programs are not currently eligible for CAHME accreditation because of concerns about the effectiveness of online programs as an analog for developing interpersonal and team-based skills which are more typically face-to-face in their use in post-graduation professional roles. Most Master of Healthcare Administration-equivalent graduate programs in the United States are offered by schools of public health, business, allied health, or, less frequently, by schools of medicine. Programs in schools of public health or business tend to have a more 'traditional' structure; courses are typically taught by academicians and have a focus on theory as well as analysis. In the United States, the official academic honor society for Master of Healthcare Administration graduates is
Upsilon Phi Delta Upsilon Phi Delta () is the national academic honor society for students in healthcare administration in the United States. The organization was formed in 1965 to further the profession of health administration and the professional competence and ...
.


Australia

In Australia the Master of Health Administration may be divided in two parts; the first part awards a graduate diploma of Health Service Management, and, depending on the outcome, diplomates may be permitted to continue to the second part which culminates in the Master of Healthcare Administration degree. Course structures, and be either research or coursework based. The Master of Health Administration is considered the benchmark qualification by the Australasian College of Health Services Management and the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators. Unlike elsewhere, the Master of Healthcare Administration is not intended primarily for medical practitioners (who have courses provided by their professional organisations) but is open to graduates of any discipline wishing to pursue a career in
health administration Health administration, healthcare administration, healthcare management or hospital management is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of public health systems, health care systems, hospitals, and hospital networks ...
. Owing to the wide variety of course nomenclature in Australia, some universities offer the course as a
Master of Business A Master of Business (MBus) or Master of Business Studies (MBS) is an academic degree refers to a qualification in the degree of master that can be obtained by students of recognized universities and colleges who complete the relevant approved po ...
(Health Administration), abbreviated to MBus(Hlth).


See also

*
Upsilon Phi Delta Upsilon Phi Delta () is the national academic honor society for students in healthcare administration in the United States. The organization was formed in 1965 to further the profession of health administration and the professional competence and ...
*
Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...
*
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
*
Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
*
Doctor of Health Administration The Doctor of Health Administration (D.H.A.) is a doctoral degree focused with the development of theoretical knowledge in health administration and on the applied application of the said knowledge in the field of health administration. The D.H.A. ...


References


External links


Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
- The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) has been granted formal recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. CAHME is the only organization recognized to grant accreditation to individual academic programs offering a professional master's degree in healthcare management education in the United States and Canada. The list of CAHME accredited programs can be found here


The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA)
- The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) is a not-for-profit association of university-based educational programs, faculty, practitioners, and provider organizations. Its members are dedicated to continuously improving the field of healthcare management and practice. AUPHA's membership consists of the 160 best programs in healthcare management. Membership in AUPHA is tied to the pursuit of program accreditation at the graduate level and undergraduate certification at the bachelor's degree level. Thus, AUPHA can ensure that its members represent the premier programs in the world.
Upsilon Phi Delta
- The national academic honor society for students in healthcare administration. It is administered by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) in the United States.
- U.S. News & World Report Health Services Administration Rankings
- Rankings of the Nation's Best Graduate Schools in the discipline of Health Services Administration according to U.S. News & World Report. {{Academic degrees
Health Administration Health administration, healthcare administration, healthcare management or hospital management is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of public health systems, health care systems, hospitals, and hospital networks ...