Master of Health Administration (MHA) Program

The Master of Health Administration (MHA) program at the University of Maryland, College Park offers students a rigorous, multi-disciplinary program with courses in public health services administration, epidemiology, environmental health, biostatistics, health behaviors and determinants, health policy, health law and ethics, health economics and analysis, strategic management of human resources, health service information systems, financial management of health organizations, marketing for competitive health service, quality assessment and evaluation, and health care leadership and communications.

The MHA is a 45-credit professional degree that will prepare graduates to manage the many complex health-related organizations including hospitals, health care systems, insurance companies, long term care facilities, managed care organizations, rehabilitation agencies, public health clinics, state agencies, among others. 

Public health and health services now comprise the largest industry in the United States, producing nearly one-seventh of the United States' gross national product. According to a World Health Organization, the health care system should be conceptualized as including not only health services, but also public health and social welfare activities. The Department of Health Services Administration adopts this integrated approach to address current health needs, provide leadership in a rapidly evolving health care industry, and anticipate future health challenges in an expanding global economy.

The MHA program is considered to be equivalent to the MPH and is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). MHA students must complete 16 courses (6 MPH core courses, 8 courses in cognate areas, and an internship and capstone/thesis) and at least 45 credits to graduate.

The curriculum is adaptable to both full and part-time student status.

All MHA students will complete the following five modules:

Module	Description	Courses
Module 1	Integrated Core Courses	6 courses
Module 2	Management Courses	6 courses
Module 3	Policy/Economics Course	1 course
Module 4	Data Course	1 course
Module 5	Internship and Capstone (or Thesis)	2 courses

Module Description and Course Details

Module	Semester	Course#	Course Name	Credit
Module 1: Integrated Core Courses	Fall - year 1	SPHL601	Foundations of Public Health	1
	Fall - year 1	SPHL602	Applied Data: Epidemiology & Biostatistics	4
	Fall - year 1	SPHL603	Applied Data Laboratory	1
	Spring - year 1	SPHL610	Program Planning, Development and Evaluation	5
	Fall - year 1	SPHL611	Public Health Ethics	1
	Fall - year 2	SPHL620	Leadership and Policy Analysis	2
	Total Integrated Core			14
Module 2: Management Module	Fall - year 1	HLSA601	Introduction to Health Systems (Required)	3
	Spring	HLSA710	Foundations of Healthcare Management	3
	Fall	HLSA720	Health Law and Ethics	3
	Spring	HLSA740	Healthcare Strategic Planning and Evaluation	3
	Fall	HLSA770	Continuous Quality Improvement	3
	Spring	HLSA772	Health Care Leadership and Communications	3
	Summer (online)	HLSA726	Financial Management	3
	Elective course from SPH, UMD, UMB, or Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area**			Up to 6
	Total Management Module			18
Module 3: Policy/Economic Module	Fall (online)	HLSA702	Politics and Policy of Health	3
	Fall	HLSA711	Healthcare Economics and Analysis	3
	Fall	HLSA611	Introduction to Health Equity	3
	Fall	HLSA724	Developing and Implementing Health Policy in MD	3
	Elective course from SPH, UMD, UMB, or Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area **			Up to 3
	Total Policy / Economics Module			3
	Fall	HLSA750	Healthcare Management Information System	3
Module 4: Data Module	Fall	HLSA775	Public Health Research Methods	3
	Spring	HLSA721	Using Demographic Data for Health Policy Analysis	3
	Elective Course from other modules, SPH, other schools at UMD, UMB, or consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area **			Up to 3
	Total Data Module			3
Module 5: Internship, Capstone, Thesis Module	Fall, Spring, Summer	HLSA778	Internship	4
	Fall, Spring, Summer	HLSA786	Capstone Project (or HLSA 799 Thesis*)	3
	Total Internship, Capstone or Thesis Module			7
Total Credits Required for MHA				45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The elective courses in the MHA cognate area are selected by the student and approved by the advisor so that the MHA competencies are met.

 

How to Apply:

• Applications to graduate programs in the University of Maryland School of Public Health are processed through the Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS).
• Please see the Applications, Deadlines, and Requirements page on how to apply to the MHA program.

For more information, please contact Dr. Neil Sehgal at (sehgal@umd.edu(link sends e-mail).

Admission Criteria:

MHA applications are reviewed with consideration to the following criteria:

• Minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA
• Undergraduate and any graduate transcripts
• GRE scores taken within the past 5 years (Submit electronically to the University of Maryland, code 0485 & 5814)
• 3 letters of recommendation that address your academic capabilities
• Statement of goals and interests
• Relevant academic/work experience