From county hospitals to multistate surgical centers to Congress, healthcare remains in a state of flux at every level, making this industry ripe for new administrators to stand up and make a difference. Our nation needs health administrators that have a range of leadership skills and can lead every kind of group, be it a small team of nurses or a large healthcare organization. A Master’s in Health Administration (MHA) program curriculum aims to help students begin the process of developing the leadership skills needed to guide the nation on critical healthcare issues and make decisions that can improve the current healthcare structure.
Maryville University Online Master of Health Administration Curriculum
Through coursework in the online Master of Health Administration program at Maryville University, students will develop strategic and tactical planning skills that can start them on the path towards improving an organization’s operations and ensuring overall patient wellness.
Learn more about Maryville’s Online MHA curriculum here:
Core Courses
| MHA 610 | Healthcare industry and Its Impact on Healthcare Management | 3 Credits |
The course provides an extensive overview of leadership in the U.S. health services system. The focus of the course will be on the role health services leadership plays in the delivery of healthcare services, including financial management, services utilization, regulatory compliance issues, etc. The student will explore the key theoretical and practical elements of leadership as well as current issues clarifying how the U.S. health services system is organized, managed, and financed. Pre-requisite: MHA 615 and MHA 651 | ||
| MHA 615 | Healthcare Operations | 3 Credits |
In this course, students examine operational concepts related to delivering quality, consistent and cost-effective patient care across the healthcare system. Students gain an understanding of the major functions of operations management, governance and organizational structures. The course will address specific concepts related to understanding how to perform an operational assessment; taking a systems perspective on the organization and delivery of services; identifying problems and improvement opportunities using analytical techniques; and monitoring performance data to identify trends and variation based on current operations and those resulting from changes and improvements. Pre-requisite: MHA 610 | ||
| MHA 630 | Healthcare Human Resources and Organizational Behavior | 3 Credits |
This course provides a systematic application of the principles of organizational behavior to understanding professional roles in health services organizations. Students will explore governance theory and structures in a healthcare setting, medical staff structures and its relationship to facility operation (credentialing, privileging, and disciplinary processes). Students will also examine topics in human resources including recruiting, hiring, compensation, incentives, and performance-based evaluations, as well as reviewing the legal and regulatory environment of human resources management and a discussion of healthcare labor markets. | ||
| MHA 631 | Healthcare Quality and Performance Improvement | 3 Credits |
Quality and performance improvement is critical to the success of every healthcare organization. Students will explore quality improvement techniques with an emphasis on the roles of patient and health professional in improving healthcare delivery, outcomes tracking, analysis, and impact on practice performance and patient care. Specific topics include clinical care, patient safety, waste and cost reduction and delivery of the most cost-effective care possible. | ||
| MHA 651 | Healthcare Law, Ethics, and Risk Management | 3 Credits |
This course explores the legal, policy and ethical challenges found in the healthcare system, and investigates the role of the healthcare administrator as decision-maker, leader and ethical steward of the healthcare administration profession. Pre-requisite: MHA 610 | ||
| MHA 655 | Healthcare Financial Management | 3 Credits |
This course applies financial principles to management within various organizations in the healthcare industry. Topics include resource allocation, cost analysis, budgeting and funding sources. Students will learn how financial decisions are made, reported, and implemented in health care organizations. | ||
| MHA 656 | Population Health Management | 3 Credits |
In this course, students will be exposed to management principles of healthcare quality and the origin, distribution and control of disease. Theories of health behavior relevant to individual and community health promotion program planning will also be explored. Students will examine formal and informal programs and strategies used to enhance the healthcare provider’s performance, quality outcomes, and patient satisfaction. Pre-requisite: MHA 610 and MHA 615 | ||
| MHA 660 | Healthcare Technology and Information Systems | 3 Credits |
This course provides explores the fundamentals of information technology in the healthcare industry. It includes an exploration of how information technology supports clinical services, quality improvement, and administrative functions in health services organizations. | ||
General (9 Credit Hours)
Choose 3 MHA courses from any concentration area that are not included in the Core coursework.
Healthcare Leadership (12 Credits Hours)
| MHA 670 | Healthcare Marketing | 3 Credits |
This course examines the theory, concepts, skills, and principles of marketing applied to health related organizations and networks. Students will analyze marketing theories and methodologies applied to health care marketing, consumer decision making about health, and marketing research techniques. Emphasis is placed on the effective use of social media and digital marketing techniques in healthcare. The course will culminate with the development of a strategic marketing plan for a healthcare product or service. | ||
| MHA 671 | Health Policy & Economics | 3 Credits |
This course provides a holistic review of the application of economics and policy-making process to the roles of markets and government in health care. Students will explore the concepts used by economists to analyze health outcomes, health behaviors, health care markets, health insurance markets, and the role of government. | ||
| MHA 690 | Leadership and Professionalism in Healthcare | 3 Credits |
This class will address fundamental leadership principles through the introduction of leadership styles, techniques, theory and models and prepare students to practice ethical leadership in a healthcare setting. Students will examine identifying, monitoring and maintaining codes of professional conduct and procedures to ensure needs of staff are met. Students will also focus on understanding the implications of ethical, financial and operational decisions, providing procedures to monitor the standards of behavior and accountability procedures. | ||
Health Informatics and Analytics (12 Credit Hours)
| MHA 675 | Healthcare Analytics | 3 Credits |
Big data is driving changes in healthcare industry. In this course, students will look at the types of available healthcare data, as well as different types of analytic tools to help make meaningful decisions regarding operations and management, quality, performance improvement, outcomes assessment and marketing. It builds upon previous knowledge of basic statistics and analytics, concepts, and tools by applying them specifically to the health care system. | ||
| MHA 676 | Healthcare Informatics | 3 Credits |
This course provides an indepth multi-disciplinary analysis of the strategic management of information technology in healthcare organizations. Specific topics include: electronic health records, health information exchange, the impact of information technology on quality of care and patient safety. Students will focus on information system acquisition and the implementation process including assessing the need for information technology, cost analysis and justification, Request for Proposal (RFP) process and implementation. | ||
| MHA 677 | Data Analytics II and Project Management | 3 Credits |
Senior Services (12 Credit Hours)
| MHA 680 | Introduction to Gerontology | 3 Credits |
This course provides a multidisciplinary perspective of the biological, psychological and sociocultural aspects of aging. An overview of the issues that significantly impact the older adult, their family and society is presented. The demographics profile of America’s older adult serves as a basis for explaining issues related to physical and mental health changes, role transitions, care and living arrangements, and the role of the older adult in our society. | ||
| MHA 681 | Assisted Living/Senior Services Management | 3 Credits |
This course provides an overview of the senior services industry and the different forms of senior health care and living services. Students will learn about the day-to-day management of assisted-living communities, including resident care, operations, finance and budgeting, human resources and staffing, and successful marketing and community relations. Students will also examine the future of the industry and approaches to creating next generation of assisted-living services. | ||
| MHA 690 | Leadership and Professionalism in Healthcare | 3 Credits |
This class will address fundamental leadership principles through the introduction of leadership styles, techniques, theory and models and prepare students to practice ethical leadership in a healthcare setting. Students will examine identifying, monitoring and maintaining codes of professional conduct and procedures to ensure needs of staff are met. Students will also focus on understanding the implications of ethical, financial and operational decisions, providing procedures to monitor the standards of behavior and accountability procedures. | ||
Population Health Management (12 Credit Hours)
| MHA 675 | Healthcare Analytics | 3 Credits |
Big data is driving changes in healthcare industry. In this course, students will look at the types of available healthcare data, as well as different types of analytic tools to help make meaningful decisions regarding operations and management, quality, performance improvement, outcomes assessment and marketing. It builds upon previous knowledge of basic statistics and analytics, concepts, and tools by applying them specifically to the health care system. | ||
| MHA 685 | Managerial Epidemiology | 3 Credits |
This course focuses on core epidemiological concepts including measures of occurrence of health events and methods of data collection. Students will explore practical applications of epidemiology to health services planning, quality monitoring, planning, policy development, system development, finance, and underwriting. | ||
| MHA 686 | Community Health | 3 Credits |
This course provides an overview of the concepts and methods of community health assessment and improvement in the USA today. This course will examine political, social, environmental and economic factors as well as access to care– that affect health outcomes across populations. Students will examine community health topics and their relation to community health improvement including: the nature of health and its determinants; the use of quantitative and qualitative methods; community mobilization and capacity building; the organization and structure of community health agencies and their myriad roles; the evidence-base for community health improvement interventions and the impact of current national policy, including the Affordable Care Act . | ||
Capstone
| MHA 691 | Strategic Healthcare Management | 3 Credits |
As the culminating course in the MHA program, students will review the business and leadership fundamentals of healthcare administration plus further examination of the compelling issues defining the industry today and in the future. Through integration and application of prior course work, students will to develop a strategic plan for a health services organization. | ||
To ensure the best possible educational experience for our students, we may update our curriculum to reflect emerging and changing employer and industry trends.
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Skills, Concepts, or Opportunities Gained with an MHA Degree
A standard MHA curriculum contains coursework that provides students with a comprehensive understanding in the following aspects of the healthcare field:
- Management. The MHA curriculum emphasizes both managing teams and leading organizations. Students learn the importance of valuing their staff, exercising integrity, and demonstrating courage when faced with challenging decisions, such as when to reduce programs to meet budgetary requirements and hire personnel for key positions.
- Analytics. MHA courses provide an extensive overview of healthcare analytics, which Forbes magazine claims is the future of healthcare and a Research and Markets report says is an industry poised to grow to a $34.27 billion by December 2022. Why? With skyrocketing healthcare costs, those with an understanding of healthcare data and analytics can look for ways to reduce patient premiums, elevate money-saving telehealth opportunities, and address special population rising expenditures—making them a hot commodity on the job market.
- Marketing. The MHA curriculum blends healthcare marketing, policy, and economics, giving graduates expertise that may help them choose from a number of career paths outside of administration. For example, MHA graduates that have a creative flair or event-planning skills could choose to pursue jobs like healthcare communications or marketing management.
- Collaboration. With online MHA classes, students gain teamwork skills needed in this digital age. They learn how to use specific digital tools–like video software–to collaborate with remote students. They will also work with other online students who come from a variety of professional backgrounds and educational experiences, and network with their peers from across the country.
Common Courses for Master in Health Administration Students
Though actual course titles may vary depending on the university, many master’s in health administration programs offer courses that touch on the following concepts:
Healthcare Human Resources and Organizational Behavior. This course provides a systematic application of the principles of organizational behavior to understanding professional roles in health services organizations.
Healthcare Marketing. Students will examine the theory, concepts, skills, and principles of marketing applied to health-related organizations and networks.
Health Policy & Economics. This course provides a holistic review of the application of economics and policy-making process to the roles of markets and government in healthcare. Students will explore the concepts used by economists to analyze health outcomes, health behaviors, healthcare markets, health insurance markets, and the role of government.
Healthcare Analytics. In this course, students will look at the types of available healthcare data, as well as different types of analytic tools to help make meaningful decisions regarding operations and management, quality, performance improvement, outcomes assessment, and marketing. It builds upon previous knowledge of basic statistics and analytics, concepts, and tools by applying them specifically to the healthcare system.
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