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)
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Required Courses | ||
PH 520 | Biostatistics for Public Health | 3 |
PH 582 | Epidemiology | 3 |
PH 583 | Public Health Administration | 3 |
PH 587 | Health Behavior Theory | 3 |
HCA 540 | Health Care Organization and Management | 3 |
HCA 541 | Strategic Management & Marketing of Health Services | 3 |
HCA 542 | Health Care Human Resources Administration | 3 |
HCA 543 | Health Care Quality and Accountability | 3 |
HCA 545 | Managerial Finance for Health Services | 3 |
HCA 551 | Health Care Jurisprudence | 3 |
HCA 586 | Health Economics & Policy | 3 |
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 Hours | 42 |