Healthcare Administration, M.H.A.

Degree:Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.)
Major:Healthcare Administration
Department:Health Sciences and Administration
Building 38, Room 135A
850-474-3468
http://uwf.edu/ukcoh/departments/health-sciences-administration
College:Usha Kundu, MD College of Health
CIP Code:51.0701
Semester Hours Required For Degree: 42

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

HSA 6103Health Services Administration3
GEB 5872MBA Foundations: Financial Management I1.5
GEB 5871MBA Foundations: Managerial Economics1.5
HSA 6106Health Delivery Systems3
HSA 6425Healthcare Law3
HSA 6436Health Economics3
HSA 6342Human Resources in Healthcare3
HSA 6175Healthcare Finance3
HSA 6752Quantitative Foundations and Data Analysis for Health Admin3
HSA 6385Quality Improvement Processes in Health Organizations3
HSA 6435Decision Making in Healthcare 3
HSA 6707Strategic Planning in Healthcare Administration3
MAN 6156Management and Organizational Behavior3
HSA 6197Health Informatics3
Choose one of the following:3
Internship in Health Administration
Healthcare Administration Capstone
Total Hours42

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. A minimum grade of "C" is required for all courses and an institutional GPA of 3.0 or higher is required. Permission must be granted for the capstone course HSA 6947.