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Online Master of Health Administration (MHA)

Online Master of Health Administration

Practical training for a growing field

Prepare for a leadership role in the growing healthcare field through real-world experiences and practical coursework.

There are over 784,626 healthcare companies in the United States — providing equipment, insurance, services, and more. Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of healthcare occupations to grow 19 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. This is projected to add about 2.3 million new jobs. And this includes leadership. Every doctor’s office, hospital, call center, laboratory, research institute, outpatient and residential care facility needs managers and administrators.

Medical and Health Services Managers:

17% growth estimated by 2024, compared to other management occupations at 6% (BLS)
$102,250 The average salary of Medical and Health Services Managers in Missouri (BLS)
$55,318 The average pay for an Entry-Level Healthcare Administrator. (payscale.com)

online master of healthcare administration infographic highlighting career outlook

Professional Education and Experiential Learning for the Tomorrow’s Healthcare Leaders

The transition to value-based care and population health, emergence of personalized medicine, increased use of exponential technologies, entry of disruptive and non-traditional competitors, the demand for expanded care delivery sites, and revamped payment and public funding models are all impacting the financial performance of the health care ecosystem. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects between 2017-2024, global health care spending is expected to rise 5.4 percent annually to just over $10 trillion. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of healthcare occupations in the U.S. to grow 19 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. This is projected to add about 2.3 million new jobs, including leadership positions. Given all these healthcare dynamics, financial volatility, and operational complexity, what is clear is that the role of healthcare professionals and leaders is under evolution. The role is more valued than ever, and healthcare leaders must update their competency skills to build and support resilient organizations and communities.

Program Overview

Delivered online to fit your schedule, location, and convenience, the William Woods University Master of Health Administration (MHA) will prepare you for this growing need with the leadership and administration competency skills in the healthcare industry. All the MHA courses include a weekly forum discussion relevant to the weekly learning topic. This allows you to communicate and collaborate with other students and learn from your peers’ and faculty's personal and professional experiences.

In this program, you will learn to:

  • Plan, direct, and coordinate healthcare services
  • Manage and lead a facility, clinical area or department, and more
  • Analyze key leadership and management roles and functions in health care administration
  • Demonstrate skills necessary to function proficiently as a graduate learner, including planning, managing time, obtaining resources, and using technology
  • Analyze the effects of decisions made by healthcare administrators on the financial position and operations of the healthcare organization
  • Demonstrate a working knowledge of current healthcare technology
  • Evaluate a healthcare organization’s culture and underlying structure to develop effective management and leadership strategies

Your online Master of Health Administration degree at work:

Many professionals with an MHA work in hospitals, residential facilities, universities, medical equipment manufacturing, health systems, and insurance companies.

Job responsibilities and titles include:

  • Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and other Senior Officers
  • Hospital Administrator
  • Physician Group Administrator
  • Vice President
  • Clinical Administrator
  • Operations Directors
  • Operations Manager
  • Healthcare Consultant
  • Insurance Payers Administrator
  • Healthcare Line Manager (Finance, Operations, Human Resources, Information Technology, etc.)

Requirements/Curriculum

The Master of Health Administration is a total of 30 credits, which will cover ethics, technology, human resources management, case studies, finance, law, and other areas with a focus on the healthcare industry. You will earn the degree by completing 10 courses, including core health administration courses, graduate business course electives, and a capstone course.

Courses you may take

HLT 505 - Healthcare Administration - 3.00

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive survey of the current status of the United States health services system. Course studies encompass a macroscopic analysis of the healthcare industry and the major factors influencing the United States healthcare system. Specific topics include an overview of organization, management, and economic support structures, the development and deployment of organization recourses and the delivery component of the United States health system as well as recent developments regarding the Affordable Care Act.

HLT 510 - Population Health Management and Global Health - 3.00

In this course, students learn about the population-wide health issues and develop evidence-based health programs enables healthcare professionals to promote population health programs to meet the health care needs of targeted community and population. In this course, students utilize clinical data sets and combine this knowledge with public health data sets concerning socioeconomic, global health, and behavioral influencers of health in local and global settings. Students analyze these influencers to determine effective, appropriate programs and solutions to benefit the population as a whole. Students assess health issues facing targeted populations and create programs or initiatives that engage the community to improve population health care outcomes. Prerequisite: HLT505

HLT 519 - Policy, Legal, and Ethics Aspects of Healthcare - 3.00

Policy, Legal, and Ethics Aspects of Healthcare Administration will provide an overview of the healthcare policy, ethics, laws, health law issues, and how healthcare is affected by the law. Through reading, writing, and relevant activities, students will learn about a variety of subjects, including history of healthcare policy, ethics, tort law, criminal aspects of healthcare, professional and institutional liability, legal reporting, and end of life issues. The course will require you to draw upon basic knowledge of health care management and systems obtained during your MHA studies.

HLT 527 - Human Resources in Healthcare and Organizational Development - 3.00

This course provides an overview of the role of human resources in health care organizations, including the recruitment, retention, management, and development of these resources. Students gain an understanding of key roles that human resource professionals play in planning for workforce needs and how human resource management should be directly aligned with the strategic goals of the organization. Also, in this course, students examine organizational behavior and dynamics, as well as the roles and responsibilities of management within health care organizations. Students focus on understanding management and leadership principles to help navigate change. Students consider the theory and practice of managing individuals and groups through motivation, communication, teamwork, collaboration, leadership, organizational change, negotiation, and conflict management and resolution.

HLT 555 - Healthcare Systems Financial Managment - 3.00

The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with commonly used financial terminology, obtain a better understanding of the preparation and interpretation of financial statement data and provide a foundation which will better enable the student to utilize quantitative methods for financial decision making within the healthcare industry.

HLT 570 - HC Marketing and Consumer Engagemnt - 3.00

Students in this course apply principles, theories, and relevant contemporary concepts of health care marketing. They evaluate the effectiveness of health care marketing tools such as advertisement campaigns and social media, develop data collection tools for marketing research, and create a marketing plan for a health care organization. Students will apply best practices of marketing and promotion to engage healthcare consumers in managing their health affairs. Prerequisite: HLT505, HLT519, HLT527 & HLT555

HLT 571 - Healthcare Operations Management - 3.00

Students in this course have the opportunity to learn about challenges and forces that affect organization business and operational performance and patient care outcomes. In this course, students examine the forces and trends that affect performance outcomes within health care organizations and analyze how high reliability health care organizations model and implement sustainable operations management practices. Students assess and apply how changes in health care organization structure, logistics, and supply chains can result in positive patient care outcomes and explore evidence-based management practice models to promote and implement performance excellence standards in various health care settings. Prerequisite: HLT505, HLT519, HLT527 and HLT555

HLT 575 - Healthcare Information Management Systems - 3.00

Students in this course have the opportunity to learn how health information systems, technologies and applications assist healthcare professionals and leaders in the execution of organizational strategies and the transformation of the healthcare environment. Students also learn how these complex systems help decision makers in the organization to improve patient care outcomes and performance. Topics include evolving technologies such as data analytics, eHealth, personalized medicine, and social media; using technology applications to manage population health; risk assessment, including legal and ethical issues in health information technology; and change management, Students are challenged by scenario-based discussions that analyze the best information technology practices across multiple industries Prerequisite: HLT505

HLT 583 - Healthcare Administration Leadership and Change Management - 3.00

In this course, students will explore leadership and organizational change management as dynamic and often chaotic events within health organizations. Various means of promoting leadership and implementing change will be discussed such as strategic change management, adaptive leadership and organizational re-design. Students will apply course material to current challenges faced by health organizations.

HLT 590 - Healthcare Quality Management - 3.00

Students in this course are introduced to the principles and concepts of quality healthcare management and patient safety. Topics include a diverse overview of healthcare quality models that incorporate methods of assessing quality and patient safety and applying techniques for quality improvement on a patient and population level. Students will explore and discuss the roles of data collection and statistical tools in quality improvement as they relate to reporting and promoting healthcare quality information. They will evaluate government agencies, private sector organizations, and international healthcare quality initiatives, and the relationship between health care consumerism and the demand for quality healthcare. Prerequisite: HLT505, HLT519, HLT527, HLT555 & HLT583

HLT 595 - Healthcare Strategic Planning - 3.00

Throughout this course, students review and apply the phases of strategic planning, integrating the principles and practices presented throughout the Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program. They examine the role of strategic planning in achieving organizational performance excellence, as well as the notion of planning as a cyclical process within the healthcare organization. Students submit a comprehensive strategic plan and recommend courses of action that help healthcare organizations address their strategic and tactical needs and the needs of their communities. Prerequisite: All MHA courses except HLT 598

HLT 598 - Integrated Studies in Health Administration - 3.00

This course represents the culmination of the MHA program. As such, students will be required to integrate the knowledge gained throughout their program of study. Students will prepare and present a critical paper based upon their analysis of a current health administration issue. Prerequisite: Completion of all core MHA courses.

Requirements

  • Completed application.
  • Official transcripts (2.5 GPA or higher) mailed from the college/university from which you graduated.
  • Prior work experience in healthcare is not required, but one or more years of relevant work experience in healthcare or an undergraduate degree in a health-related field is preferred.

Your digital classroom. Available anywhere.

William Woods online graduate programs are available to students across the country. In Missouri, our students come from Fulton, Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Louis, Kansas City, Moberly, Springfield, Ozark, Cape Girardeau, Rolla, and many more locations. Beyond Missouri, our online graduates hail from California, Illinois, Kansas, Washington, Arkansas, and other states.


Admissions Information

Learn more about online admissions requirements, deadlines, tuition and financial aid available to you.

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