A Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) degree enables students and professionals to advance their careers and take on leadership roles in healthcare delivery and financing organizations. These leaders plan, direct, and coordinate services in a wide variety of care delivery settings. MHA graduates also pursue career opportunities in consulting, medical device, pharmaceutical, and payer organizations.
They may manage an entire facility or a specific department. They must stay abreast of and help their organization adapt to ever-changing health care laws, regulations, and technology.
In short, an MHA equips graduates to:
- Have a deep understanding of healthcare delivery and financing institutions.
- Develop core competencies in problem-solving, strategic thinking, and innovation.
- Become effective leaders.
How is an MHA different from an MPH or MBA?
There are three main master’s degree programs for healthcare management: Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Master of Public Health (MPH). While the degrees can all lead to some of the same positions, they each have a different focus.
The first step in selecting the right program is to determine your career goals and natural aptitudes. From there, you can select the degree that will play to your skills and goals while filling in knowledge gaps.
Master of Healthcare Administration
- Focus: Mastering leadership and management tools to effectively run the business side of healthcare delivery and financing organizations and to manage teams of healthcare professionals
- Topics covered: Core business courses such as management, finance, and strategy, as well as health policy, law, and ethics
- Types of jobs: Director of hospital operations, clinic manager, director of patient safety, director of business development, chief nursing officer, and chief executive officer
Master of Public Health
- Focus: Preparing for a career in population health and community awareness; emphasis is on the practical aspects of public health, as well as in-depth information about disease and research methods
- Topics covered: Public health core courses and a deeper science curriculum
- Types of jobs: Community outreach coordinator, health educator, health engagement marketing manager, public policy coordinator, substance abuse counselor, clinical dietician, healthcare administrator, epidemiologist, health educator, and environmental health scientist
Master of Business Administration
- Focus: Developing the skills to effectively manage a business in a wide variety of industries
- Topics covered: Accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, economics, management, and business ethics
- Types of jobs: Marketing manager, financial advisor, management analyst, CEO, and investment banker
Benefits of earning an MHA
An MHA can open the door to higher paying jobs with greater leadership responsibilities. Many healthcare delivery and financing organizations require that job candidates have a master’s degree. Considering the long-term salary potential in these leadership roles, obtaining an MHA is worth the cost in time and finances.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry is expected to add more jobs than any other field in the coming decade. Health care jobs in general are expected to increase by 13 percent and management roles by 28 percent between 2021 and 2031.
Additionally, jobs that require an MHA typically offer much-higher-than-average salaries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median pay for medical and health services managers in the U.S. for 2021 was $101,340 per year.
The following chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the 2021 U.S. median annual wages for medical and health services managers in the top industries:
| Government | $117,000 |
| Hospitals: state, local, and private | $119,450 |
| Outpatient care centers | $99,540 |
| Offices of physicians | $98,230 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | $83,550 |
Why choose an MHA program at the UMN School of Public Health?
The MHA program at the University of Minnesota is ranked as the #3 healthcare management program in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The program sits within the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH). When the program was founded at the University in 1946, it was one of the first in the country and remains the model for other healthcare management programs around the world.
MHA founder James Hamilton believed the best way to learn was through action. He taught his students to never assume anything and encouraged them to probe into ideas rather than simply taking notes. His philosophy and rigorous problem-solving method, known as “The Minnesota Way,” are core elements of the UMN’s School of Public Health MHA program.
The SPH offers two tracks of the MHA program, both of which are cohort-based. Residential students receive their instruction in-person on campus at the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus. Residential cohort sizes range from 30 to 40 and are composed of students with limited or no healthcare experience. The executive cohort is smaller in size and made up of established healthcare leaders and clinicians.
The students also compete together in national case competitions that enable them to relate classroom knowledge to specific, real-world problems.
Historically, 100 percent of graduating residential students secure administrative fellowships or jobs within three months of graduation.
The MHA Alumni Association is the oldest, largest, and one of the most active of its kind in the country. More than 3,000 graduates are deeply committed to the program and support current students by hosting networking events, acting as mentors, and providing internship opportunities.
Which School of Public Health MHA program is right for me?
SPH offers two MHA programs, both of which are accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
- Designed for students with minimal health care management experience.
- Courses are delivered on campus over 21 months.
- Program requires 60 credits (51 mandatory and 9 electives).
- Students work through a real-life administrative clerkship project during a 10-week summer residency.
- Upon graduation, most students are placed in an administrative fellowship that helps them bridge the gap between being a student and becoming a junior executive.
- Designed for working professionals who want to advance their skills and careers.
- Fully accessible online curriculum can be completed in less than 2 years.
- Program requires a minimum of 42 credits.
- The students work with faculty members and advisors to design and conduct an innovative project with specific application to their organization.
- The average student is 37.5 years old and has 10 years of work experience.
- More than 55 percent of our Executive MHA students are promoted while enrolled in the program.
