Health Administration (Master of Health Administration)
See: Master of Health Administration
College/School: HEB School of Business and Administration
Program Accreditation: Commission on the Accreditation of Health Management Education (CAHME)
UIW’s MHA degree is a 21 month, 48-hour program designed for those seeking entry and mid-level management positions within the healthcare industry. Because courses are offered in the evenings, the program is ideal for those currently in the workforce. Built upon a foundation of 23 competencies critical to the managerial success of healthcare administration professionals, the MHA degree provides students with a health systems perspective based on an understanding of health and disease as well as the economic and social factors that influence the industry. Courses focus on and integrate managerial responsibilities, functions and roles related to human resources management, budgeting and financial decision making, legal and ethical issues, quality and continuous improvement, information management, marketing, health policy and strategic thinking within the context of the healthcare industry. In addition, students are provided a wide range of opportunities to gain real world healthcare experience.
Program Delivery
The MHA degree is offered both online (i.e. hybrid) and on-campus (i.e., residential). Applicants must select one or the other option when applying. Courses are held in the evening for both options, with the hybrid option holding classes online and mostly synchronously two nights per week. The hybrid program also requires three in-person, three-day residency visits to the UIW campus in San Antonio, Texas, which occur at the beginning, middle and end of the 21-month program. This offers students the opportunity to meet face-to-face with professors and peers in the program and to participate in the same events required of the residential program students.
Graduate Assistantship Requirement
The MHA program has established a Graduate Assistantship (GA) experience focused on providing students an opportunity to work 15-20 hours a week in a healthcare organization concurrent with their didactic program. The GA experience is designed for students lacking relevant healthcare experience. Those participating in the GA program are paired with one of our industry partners representing many different areas of the healthcare industry including hospitals, health clinics, physician groups and community health centers. Students begin the GA program in the fall semester of their second year and have an opportunity to gain experience over two full semesters. The GA program focuses on project-oriented activities that demonstrate the student’s ability to contribute to organizational outcomes. The GA program is required for those students without relevant healthcare experience and the ability to participate will be considered in the decision to accept a student into the program.
Admissions
The MHA program will accept students each year for course commencement in the fall. Applications will be accepted until June 21st of each year. As you prepare your application package, please keep the following in mind. The application process for this graduate program is a competitive one. Increasingly, the number of qualified applications we receive exceeds the number of students we are able to accept into the program because of the significant amount of time faculty members spend in the education and development of each graduate student. As such, we must make difficult admissions decisions each year that result in qualified applicants not being accepted into the program. The following are the MHA program admissions criteria:
Tier I
Admission to the MHA program (Tier I) will be based on the following criteria:
- Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5.
- A complete application package. The package will include the items listed below and will be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office:
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work,
- A statement of purpose explaining why the applicant desires to pursue an MHA and why at UIW,
- One letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation should be from an individual who knows the applicant quite well, preferably from a workplace supervisor.
- Interview. Once the completed application package is received from the Graduate Admissions Office it will be evaluated by the Program’s Admissions Committee. Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in an interview and evaluation conducted by at least two members of the MHA admissions committee. Please note, while an interview is required, it does not guarantee admission into the Program.
- Applicants who are accepted into the MHA program will be required to complete a background check prior to the start of classes. Additional information will be provided in the acceptance letter.
- International students must demonstrate proof of English proficiency in accordance with UIW English proficiency standards. UIW English proficiency standards can be found here: http://uiw.edu/internationaladmissions/english_proficiency.html.
Tier II
Alternate admission to the MHA program (Tier II) will be based on the following criteria:
- Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.00 but less than 3.5,
- A complete application package. The package will include the items listed below and will be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office:
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work,
- A statement of purpose explaining why the applicant desires to pursue an MHA and why at UIW,
- One letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation should be from an individual who knows the applicant quite well, preferably from a workplace supervisor.
- Interview. Once the completed application package is received from the Graduate Admissions Office it will be evaluated by the Program’s Admissions Committee. Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in an interview and evaluation conducted by at least two members of the MHA admissions committee. Please note, while an interview is required, it does not guarantee admission into the Program.
- Applicants who are accepted into the MHA program will be required to complete a background check prior to the start of classes. Additional information will be provided in the acceptance letter.
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International students must demonstrate proof of English proficiency in accordance with UIW English proficiency standards. UIW English proficiency standards can be found here: http://uiw.edu/internationaladmissions/english_proficiency.html.
- Those granted Alternate Admission will be assigned to Tier II with specific core courses to be taken at the beginning of the program all of which must be completed with a “B” or better.
Tier III
Probationary Admission to the MHA program (Tier III) will be based on the following criteria:
- Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5 but less than 3.0,
- A complete application package. The package will include the items listed below and will be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office:
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work,
- A statement of purpose explaining why the applicant desires to pursue an MHA and why at UIW,
- One letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation should be from an individual who knows the applicant quite well, preferably from a workplace supervisor.
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test. A minimum verbal score of 151, a minimum quantitative score of 150, and an analytical writing score of at least 4.0. OR a 560 or higher on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT).
- Interview. Once the completed application package is received from the Graduate Admissions Office it will be evaluated by the Program’s Admissions Committee. Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in an interview and evaluation conducted by at least two members of the MHA admissions committee. Please note, while an interview is required, it does not guarantee admission into the Program.
- Applicants who are accepted into the MHA program will be required to complete a background check prior to the start of classes. Additional information will be provided in the acceptance letter.
-
International students must demonstrate proof of English proficiency in accordance with UIW English proficiency standards. UIW English proficiency standards can be found here: http://uiw.edu/internationaladmissions/english_proficiency.html.
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Those granted Probationary Admission will be assigned to Tier III with specific courses to be taken at the beginning of the program, all of which must be completed with a “B” or better.
Apply to UIW
Application for Master of Health Administration program
MHA Degree Requirements
Core Courses (48 semester hours)
Fall Year 1
HADM 6303 | Population Health and Epidemiology | 3 |
HADM 6360 | Managing Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
HADM 6305 | Healthcare Finance I | 3 |
HADM 6320 | Organizational Behavior and Theory in Health Care | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Spring Year 1
HADM 6302 | Healthcare Economics | 3 |
HADM 6306 | Healthcare Finance II | 3 |
HADM 6311 | Human Resource Management In Healthcare | 3 |
HADM 6350 | Quantitative Analysis for Healthcare Managers | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Summer Year 1
HADM 6330 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Fall Year 2
HADM 6315 | Information Systems Management in Healthcare | 3 |
HADM 6375 | Healthcare Strategic Management | 3 |
HADM 6380 | Healthcare Policy | 3 |
HADM 6390 | Leadership in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
HADM 6088 | Health Administration Internship | |
Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Spring Year 2
HADM 6340 | Quality and Continuous Improvement in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
HADM 6370 | Healthcare Marketing Management | 3 |
HADM 63CS | Health Administration Capstone | 3 |
HADM 6088 | Health Administration Internship | |
Total Credit Hours: | 9 |