Healthcare Administration- Master of Science
Program Overview
The Master of Science in Healthcare Administration builds on the skills and knowledge of business and management professionals, preparing them to succeed in the leadership of healthcare organizations. The program prepares future healthcare leaders to increase efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare organizations by providing an overall improvement in delivery of patient care.
The program is designed using a competency-based model that allows students to apply skills using industry-specific scenarios. Immersion opportunities are structured in the curriculum so that students can collaborate with peers, key faculty members, and industry networks.
The program offers students a choice of two focused tracks. The Health Informatics track focuses on the management and analysis of health information used by the healthcare delivery system. Students will have the opportunity to apply tools which support informatics systems and interoperability. The Community Health track supports the healthcare leader seeking to work in community health areas. Community health professionals support healthcare leaders in the advancement of their professional practice through application of prevention, environmental, and social determinants related to public health issues.
Program Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, graduates are able to:
- Implement current best practices of leadership, critical thinking, decision-making, and interdisciplinary communication to support a healthcare organization team
- Integrate evidence-based practice and data-driven action plans to improve the delivery of care and patient outcomes
- Use current technologies to support an integrated healthcare model and analyze healthcare organizational structure and performance
- Act as a change agent in collaboration with stakeholders by advocating for policies to improve delivery of care, community well-being, and social determinants impacting health
- Analyze principles of ethics and legal aspects relevant to the management of healthcare organizations
For additional information about the program link to: http://www.ecpi.edu/programs/. To see the Student Consumer Information link to: https://www.ecpi.edu/student-consumer-services which provides additional information on the future careers, success, cost, and financing for this program. For information on the University Completion and Graduation Rates, please see About ECPI University on the ECPI website.
About the Profession
Healthcare Administrators holding a master's degree in leadership will be eligible for positions in a variety of acute care and community settings The MHA program will prepare graduates for careers as Medical and Health Services Managers, with focus in Health Informatics and Community Health. Graduates working as nurses or in nursing-related fields can advance as well. Possible jobs as Medical and Health Servicers Managers include the following: Outpatient Practice Administrator, Inpatient Clinical Director, Health Information Management Corporate Director, Health Information Management Director, Health Manager, and Mental Health Program Manager. Possible jobs for the Community Health track include: Community Health Consultant, Education Coordinator, Health Education Coordinator, Health Education Specialist, Health Educator, Health Promotion Specialist, Public Health Educator, and Public Information Officer. Possible jobs for the Health Informatics track include: Clinical Informatics Analyst, Clinical Informatics Nurse, Clinical Informatics Specialist, Clinical Informatics Systems Analyst, Digital Diabetes Research Officer, Nursing Informatics Officer, and Nursing Informatics Specialist.
Program Outline
To receive the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration with a concentration in Health Informatics or Community Health, students must earn 36 semester credit hours. The program requires a minimum of 4 semesters, which is equivalent to 60 weeks 14 months of instruction. The program requirements are as follows:
Program Requirements
Core Requirements
27 semester credit hours
| MHA520 | Principles of Healthcare Administration | 3 |
| MHA524 | Advanced Healthcare Delivery Systems | 3 |
| MHA526 | Healthcare Law & Ethics | 3 |
| MHA530 | Healthcare Statistics | 3 |
| MHA564 | Human Resource Management Strategies | 3 |
| MHA574 | Healthcare Performance Measures & Regulation | 3 |
| MHA582 | Information Management in Healthcare | 3 |
| MHA600 | Economic Policy & Procedure in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| MHA620 | MHA Leadership Capstone | 3 |
Concentration Requirements
Community Health Focus Track
9 semester credit hours
| MCH605 | Community Health Landscape | 3 |
| MCH610 | Community Health Education and Promotion | 3 |
| MCH615 | Community Health Decision Making | 3 |
Health Informatics Track
9 semester credit hours
| MHI605 | Advanced Health Informatics and Data Science | 3 |
| MHI610 | Predictive Analysis for Healthcare | 3 |
| MHI615 | Healthcare Analytic Tools | 3 |
Master of Science Healthcare Administration - Specific Policies
Admissions. In addition to the admissions criteria for graduate programs, qualified applicants for the Master of Healthcare Administration must meet the following requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration or health-related field from an academic institution recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ECPI University graduates with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or Organizational Leadership are required to take a two semester credit hour course in Fundamentals of Healthcare and pass with a grade of 80 or higher, before being admitted to the MHA program.
- Submit a current resume and personal goal statement
Transfer Credit. A maximum of six graduate credit hours completed in the last six years with a B or higher may be transferred in from a prior Master’s degree in a health-related field.
MHA course content is planned in a sequential manner so that each course builds upon previous course content. Students must complete all courses sequentially as outlined in the syllabi. The numerical grade of 80 (B-) is the minimum passing grade for the course. Students who fail or drop a core course while in the MHA program may continue with their cohort; however, they will not be able to enter the focus track courses until they successfully complete the failed or dropped course. Focus track courses must be taken in sequence. All core and selected focus track courses must be completed prior to taking the Capstone Course.
All graduate courses require a B- or better to be considered applicable toward degree completion and students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of a 3.0 or better to remain enrolled in the program. Students who receive two grades of F, at any time during the program, will be dismissed. A student must re-take a course for which a grade of F was earned.
Attendance. The MHA program follows ECPI University's Graduate Attendance Policy
Address Changes. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the Program Director and ECPI University of address changes prior to relocation.
Late Assignments and Testing. Guidance for late assignments and testing are located in the MHA Program Student Handbook located in the MHA Student Corner in the Canvas learning management system.
Program Purpose. The purpose of the Master's in Healthcare Administration is to prepare graduates to lead healthcare organizations, prepare future healthcare leaders to be focused on challenges concerning increased efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare organizations by improving delivery of patient care. In addition, it will provide opportunities for collaboration with peers, faculty, and healthcare networks. The Health Informatics track will prepare healthcare administrators in application of tools that support interoperability and informatics systems. The Community Health track supports the graduates working in community health or to advance the graduates professional practice through application of prevention, environmental, and social determinants related to public health issues. Graduates will be able to leverage advanced technologies to solve healthcare systems problems and educate current and future healthcare leaders.