The Master of Healthcare Administration is designed to prepare qualified individuals for various administrative and leadership positions in the healthcare industry. The program strives to develop engaged, early healthcare careerists to use evidence-based strategies and applied skills to improve operations, quality of care, affordability, and access. The M.H.A. program includes instruction in administration, healthcare financial accounting, health economics, human resources, systems operation, quality improvement, organizational behavior and health policy. Instruction embraces ethical conduct and professionalism, diversity and inclusion, practitioner involvement and team-based learning, and faculty informed practice through research and service to the community.

In addition to general University requirements, students seeking the M.H.A. must meet the requirements listed below. 

Admission Requirements

The committee factors prior healthcare experience strongly in the admission process. Most admitted students are employed and continue to work in healthcare during their studies. This experience is valued because course projects often assume current employment. In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the department bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant:

• Undergraduate institutional GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Submission of a personal statement written by the applicant, which outlines their current professional experience, future career goals in healthcare administration, and how the MHA degree will help them to achieve those goals. Additional contents of the statement may include the applicant’s academic preparation, work history, volunteer experience, activities, and honors/awards received.
• Submission of a resume or CV documenting current healthcare experience.
• Healthcare experience and/or potential as noted in two letters of recommendation (required from applicants with less than 3.5 GPA from the bachelor's degree-granting institution; letters of recommendation are optional for applicants with a 3.5 or higher GPA).

Completing the graduate admissions test is an optional component of the application process. Applicants who wish to bolster their other academic credentials with these types of scores should request that their scores be submitted to UWF.

Healthcare Administration

Federal and state regulations, as well as most healthcare organization policies, require employees to undergo a background check before hire. Background checking is also required prior to placement in an internship. Please be aware of the background check requirement when deciding on a major and career path. Permission must be granted for capstone course HSA 6947.