Executive MHA degrees are graduate-level programs.
They are designed for professionals in healthcare who wish to advance their careers and have extensive experience in their area.
The admission requirements to an executive MHA program include 7+ years of experience in a hospital, pharmaceutical company, consulting firm, or another healthcare organization.
Graduates of this program help meet the increasing demand for advanced leadership skills in a changing healthcare setting.
Facilities of all levels and sizes need leaders with a thorough understanding of healthcare.
These professionals can advance and clarify the mission of their employers creatively and realistically while meeting the regulations of the system.
They can provide organizational strategies to keep up with systematic, legal, and practice-based changes.
With this growing demand, the BLS projects the growth of employment for these professionals at 20% by 2026, which is almost three times faster than the national average growth for all occupations (7%).
Executive MHA graduates commonly acquire such job titles as COO, CEO, executive director, director of health services, vice president of clinical quality, director of planning & development, or risk manager.
The length of the program depends on the school as well as how often students take classes.
Full-time programs can be completed within 2 years or less.
Part-time students who combine work and study can expect to spend three to five years to complete the program.
Specific courses can vary by the program as well.
However, some examples of the MHA coursework include operational efficiency processes in healthcare organizations’ health policy, healthcare economics, financing, and reimbursement, health law and risk management, healthcare marketing, reimbursement systems, and more.
Executive MHA programs are usually designed in a cohort format, which means that students start and progress through the entire program together in a small group.
Students can engage with the same peers throughout the program, so they can learn from each other’s professional experiences and create a strong network.
The tuition costs vary depending on the school as well.
They can range from $30,000 to over $50,000 per year.
Students enrolled in on-campus programs should also take into account housing and moving costs unless they already live near campus.
On-campus requirements can also be included in online programs, so transportation, travel costs, and lodging to meet these requirements should be considered.
There are financial aid options available as well.
Many programs are created to accommodate the needs of working professionals, so there are options with greater schedule flexibility compared to traditional on-campus programs.
Some executive MHA programs that are offered on-campus have classes scheduled for nights or weekends while fully online programs allow students to complete the coursework at the time and place convenient for them.
Some programs are offered in a hybrid format, which allows them to complete some coursework online, and include practical exercises that should be done on-campus.
On-Campus Executive MHA Programs
On-campus programs are a good choice for students who know they learn better face-to-face in a structured environment with professors and other students.
While considering the needs of working professionals, these programs offer the opportunity to learn during off-hours, on weekends, or combine on-campus learning with online work.
University of Washington
- Location: Bellevue, Washington.
- Program: Executive Master of Health Administration.
University of Iowa, College of Public Health
- Location: Iowa City and Des Moines, Iowa.
- Program: Executive MHA.
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health
- Location: New York, New York.
- Program: Executive Master of Health Administration.
Rutgers, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
- Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey.
- Program: Executive Master of Health Administration.
Florida Atlantic University, College of Business
- Location: Boca Raton, Florida.
- Program: Executive Master of Health Administration.
Online Executive MHA Programs
Executive MHA programs offered by many universities provide the flexibility of distance learning so that healthcare professionals could receive advanced training without the need to relocate or quit their jobs.
The programs listed below are mostly online, with some on-campus requirements.
The requirements for any program can change, so applicants have to check directly with the school to know the exact requirements before applying.
University of Minnesota, School of Public Health
- Campus Requirements: To complete this program students will spend 26 days on campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The requirement is spread over five sessions throughout the 25-month program. - Program: Executive Master of Healthcare Administration.
University of Central Florida
- Campus Requirements: The UCF MHA program has no on-campus requirements.
- Program: Executive Master of Health Administration.
University of Southern California, Sol Price School of Public Policy
- Campus Requirements: Two, five-day in-residence sessions for the duration of the program, held at the USC main campus in Los Angeles, California.
- Program: Executive Master of Health Administration.
Western Kentucky University
- Campus Requirements: The WKU program requires three classroom visits per year for the duration of the two-year program.
On-campus weekends take place at designated times in Bowling Green, Kentucky between mid-July and mid-August. - Program: Online Executive Master of Health Administration.
University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Campus Requirements: Students in the UNC executive MHA program are required to attend three on-campus sessions per year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
On-campus sessions require eight total workdays and six weekend days each year. - Program: Health Policy and Management Executive MHA.
