Health Administration, M.H.A.
Minimum Totals for Graduation: 45 hours
The Master of Health Administration (MHA) is designed for students interested in a career as executives or senior staff in healthcare institutions and organizations. The program includes curriculum content that meets established competencies accepted in the field and includes healthcare administration and management, organizational behavior, managerial epidemiology, healthcare finance, reimbursement, statistics and quantitative methods, health policy, health economics, research, human resource management, health informatics, and comparative health systems. Applicants for the program may come from students who recently completed an undergraduate degree, people who are interested in changing careers, or professionals in the field who desire the MHA degree. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) through 2026.
The MHA degree is part of the continuum of health administration and health policy education offered at Central Michigan University. These include an AUPHA certified undergraduate major in Health Administration, two graduate level certificates in International Health and in Health Systems Leadership, and the Doctor of Health Administration. In addition, the Health Administration Division is responsible for the Health Administration courses included in the Health Services Administration concentration in the MSA degree.
The MHA degree is offered primarily in an online format, but may also be available in the classroom at designated campuses of the University. This allows professionals in the field and working adults interested in the field to enroll from almost anywhere in the world. All students in the program must complete a capstone experience. There are three options for doing so, depending on previous experience of students in the field of Healthcare Administration. These are usually full time field experiences in healthcare administration areas.
Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards
Admission Requirements:
The program reviews all applications and submitted documents in making a determination on admission and makes such recommendations to the Office of Graduate Studies.
- Graduation from a regionally accredited undergraduate degree program. Students who have graduated from an Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) certified program will have priority consideration for admission.
- At least a 2.70 GPA as an undergraduate. Applicants with an overall GPA of less than 2.70 may be considered for regular admission if they have a 2.70 GPA in the last 60 hours of course work. Applicants with an overall GPA of 2.50 to 2.69 and who do not have a GPA of 2.70 for the last 60 hours taken may be considered for admission with stipulations following the process below.
- Resume that includes at least the following:
- Educational experience
- Professional goals and objectives
- Work history
- Professional experiences, memberships, and participation in professional activities
- Personal statement (500 to 1000 words) that conveys the applicant’s reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in health administration; and how admission to the CMU program relates to the applicant’s professional aspirations.
- If the applicant's GPA is below 3.0, submit three letters of reference that can attest to the applicant’s ability and likelihood of success in a graduate program.
- There is no requirement for applicants to submit the GMAT, GRE or MAT examinations; however, if the applicant has taken one of these examinations and wishes to submit the results, he/she is welcome to do so.
- Because of the nature of the program and academic content, it is recommended that the applicant have competency in the following areas: math and statistics, basic accounting, economics, and in written and verbal skills. Applicants who may not have had such courses or developed these competencies should ensure they develop them prior to starting the program.
- Students must meet the statistics competency requirement before they may enroll in MHA 601, Statistics for Health Professionals, a required course for this degree. Statistics competency may be achieved in any one of the following ways:
- Successful completion (final grade of “C” or better) of CMU’s STA 282 or PSY 211 course
- A transcript showing completion of an equivalent statistics course in the last five (5) years
- Achieving 70% or higher on CMU’s statistics competency exam (only two attempts will be permitted).
- TOEFL Internet Based Test (iBT) exam is required if a graduate is from a non-English speaking country. Applicants must achieve a minimum overall score of 94 with the following minimum scores:
- Reading 22 minimum
- Listening 22 minimum
- Speaking 26 minimum
- Writing 24 minimum
For students who may not meet one or more of the admission requirements, admission with stipulations may be considered by the program. In such cases the student will need to earn at least a 3.00 GPA during the first 9 credits taken in the program. Applicant’s wishing to be considered for admission with stipulations will need to submit a rationale for granting such admission, which will then be reviewed by the program, which has the final authority in making a decision.
Retention Requirements:
- Students must maintain a 3.00 GPA to graduate and may not have more than two C or C+ grades in required courses to graduate.
- Students who may be admitted with stipulations must demonstrate during the first semester that they can achieve a 3.00 GPA. Grades of C- or less do not count for graduation.
- Students who do not maintain a 3.00 GPA or who have more than two C or C+ grades in required courses may be placed on academic probation. Continued academic probation in multiple terms may be considered in determining whether a student will be allowed to continue in the program.
- Students will be allowed to repeat a course no more than two times in order to improve the grade.
Transfer Credits: Students may transfer into the degree program up to 9 credits of course work from another regionally accredited graduate degree program, provided that the student earned a grade of B or better in the course and the course is determined by the Program to be equivalent to courses taught in the degree program. The determination of the Program is final in determining what courses, if any, can transfer. (The University limits transfer credits from a previously earned graduate degree to 6 credits.)
A student must participate in at least 120 hours of synchronous learning. This can be met by enrolling in either face-to-face courses or through online synchronous opportunities built into such courses.
Program Requirements
Required Courses (39 hours)
| HSL 611 | Healthcare Administration and Ethical Compliance | 3(3-0) |
| HSL 621 | Healthcare Operations and Structures | 3(3-0) |
| HSL 631 | Healthcare Law, Compliance and Risk Management | 3(3-0) |
| HSL 641 | Health Economics and Policy Implications | 3(3-0) |
| HSL 651 | Fundamentals of Healthcare Finance | 3(3-0) |
| HSL 661 | Healthcare Planning & Marketing | 3(3-0) |
| MGT 643 | Human Resource Management | 3(3-0) |
| MHA 601 | Statistics for Health Professionals | 3(3-0) |
| MHA 602 | Managerial Epidemiology | 3(3-0) |
| MHA 603 | Health Informatics and Quality Improvement | 3(3-0) |
| MHA 604 | Quantitative Decision-Making for Health Administration | 3(3-0) |
| MHA 605 | International Health Systems, Policy and Administration | 3(3-0) |
| MSA 601 | Organizational Behavior and Leadership | 3(3-0) |
Other Requirements (6 hours)
Select one of the following in consultation with academic advisor:
| MHA 697 | Health Administration Field Experience | 1-6(Spec) |
| MHA 698 | Applied Research Project in Health Administration | 1-6(Spec) |
| MHA 699 | Health Administration Internship | 1-6(Spec) |
Total: 45 semester hours
Accelerated Admissions to the Master of Health Administration
Undergraduate students in Health Administration can pursue a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree while still fulfilling the requirements for their Bachelor's degree. The Accelerated Master's Degree Program allows students to reduce the number of credits to complete their undergraduate and graduate level by applying up to 15 credits (500 level courses) towards graduate requirements.
Admission criteria:
Students must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 and have signed an Intent to Health Administration Major with their academic advisor the semester they apply for admission to the Accelerated MHA program.
The information below indicates the undergraduate course that when completed they will count towards the MHA degree for students who have been admitted to the Accelerated program.