Graduate Catalog 2023-2024

Health Administration, Master of Health Administration (153)

Department website: https://www.wku.edu/publichealth


Program Coordinator

Gregory E. Ellis-Griffith, gregory.ellis-griffith@wku.edu, (270) 745-3076

The Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree program prepares graduates for administrative and managerial positions in different types of health care facilities and agencies including: acute care, long-term care, group medical practices, managed care organizations, public health agencies, clinics, and health related organizations such as pharmaceutical firms, medical equipment firms, and consulting firms. There are two options MHA options for candidates who meet the admission requirements: the traditional or residential MHA program and the online Executive MHA program. Both programs consist of 42 semester hours but with different admission requirements as shown below.

Joint Undergraduate Master's Program (JUMP)

This degree offers a Joint Undergraduate Master's Program (JUMP) which provides academically outstanding students the opportunity to complete both an undergraduate and graduate degree in an accelerated timeframe. Contact the graduate program coordinator for additional information.

Program Admission

Students from various undergraduate backgrounds, who meet the university graduate admissions requirements, including a 2200 GAP score (the product of GRE and overall undergraduate GPA) or the equivalent required for general admission to Graduate School, may be admitted to the program. Applicants must score at least 450 on each of the two GRE sections (verbal + quantitative) in order to be considered for admission unless conditional admission is given, and must score a 3.5 or better on the Analytical Writing section. International students must also submit a letter of intent regarding the MHA Program degree and attain the minimum acceptable TOEFL or IELTS Academic Version test scores as stipulated by the Graduate School. For the Executive Master of Health Care Administration Program option, health care executives, physicians and other health care professionals with at least five years of work experience who otherwise meet university admission criteria in the application for the MHA program are not required to take the GRE. Evidence of outstanding performance in health services would be required and interviews shall be conducted on a case-by-case basis in the admission decision for health care professionals with less than five years of work experience.

Graduate School Admission

Please refer to the admission section of this catalog for Graduate School admission requirements.

Degree Requirements (42 hours)

Required Courses
PH 520Biostatistics for Public Health3
PH 582Epidemiology3
PH 583Public Health Administration3
PH 587Health Behavior Theory3
HCA 540Health Care Organization and Management3
HCA 541Strategic Management & Marketing of Health Services3
HCA 542Health Care Human Resources Administration3
HCA 543Health Care Quality and Accountability3
HCA 545Managerial Finance for Health Services3
HCA 551Health Care Jurisprudence3
HCA 586Health Economics & Policy3
Electives
Select 3 hours of the following:3
Healthcare Preparedness and Leadership
Ambulatory Care/Rural Health
Special Topics in Health Services
Principles of Environmental Health
Healthcare Systems Design and Behavior
Health Systems Informatics
Decision Making in Health Care
Other courses may be selected with permission of advisor
Select one of the following options:6
Internship Option:
Graduate Internship
Thesis Option:
Thesis Research/Writing
Executive Option:
Two 3-hour courses in a concentration area
Total Hours42