Health Administration, MHA

Degree Requirements

The program requires a minimum 36 hours of graduate credit plus any necessary prerequisite courses.

Research Requirement

Our MHA program includes supervised quantitative and qualitative research projects in most of our courses, satisfying the research requirement of the Graduate College.

Executive MHA Option (EMHA)

The Executive MHA Option is only available on a contractual arrangement with a specific healthcare organization. The healthcare organization selects a cohort of students who are employed or affiliated with the healthcare organization to participate in the program. The MHA Program will be presented in a format referred to as the Executive MHA Option or the EMHA. From a curricular viewpoint, the EMHA is structured similarly and requires 36 graduate course credits.

For EMHA students, prerequisite requirements for the core program courses will be satisfied through appropriate prior course work, relevant professional experience or by an individualized study program developed and supervised by the EMHA Program Director.

The credit hour costs for classes taken by students enrolled in the EMHA program are assessed at a higher rate than the traditional MHA offerings due to additional expenditures associated with the program.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission, the applicant must meet the Graduate College admission requirements

Accelerated MHA Option

Undergraduate majors in the College of Business may apply for admission to the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program during the second semester of their junior year. If accepted, up to 6 hours of 700-or 700-level College of Business classes taken in the senior year may be counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Before enrolling in a course that will apply to both the undergraduate program and the master’s program an undergraduate student must:

1. Be accepted into the accelerated program.
2. Receive prior approval from the graduate program director, department head, and Dean of the Graduate College. This is done by using a Mixed Credit Form.

Admission Requirements

1. Junior standing.
2. Minimum 2.75 GPA.

Academic Standing

A student who fails to attain a 3.00 GPA after completing the approved program may enroll for additional course work not to exceed 6 hours to raise the GPA. The course work will be approved by the Graduate Program Director and the Dean of the College of Business.

The maximum class load for a full-time student is normally 12 hours per semester. An overload is permitted only after students have demonstrated their ability to achieve an outstanding graduate record at this university. Students employed on a full-time job generally should not enroll for more than 6 semester hours. All other University and Graduate College requirements governing grading and attendance will apply.

To enroll in graduate courses in the College of Business, a student must be admitted to a graduate program in the College of Business or have special permission. Students not meeting one of these conditions can be dropped from the course(s) at any time during the session involved.

MPH-MHA Dual Degree

Students can obtain dual master’s degrees in health administration and public health at Missouri State University by counting up to 12 credit hours of coursework applicable to both degrees and reducing the time required to obtain both degrees separately.

Health administration and public health are crucial components of the healthcare industry and the practice of medicine. The successful completion of dual degrees in these areas provides students with a unique set of knowledge, skills, and abilities that enable graduates to communicate relevant health information; account for healthcare priorities, policy, and delivery; manage crises; and address significant health concerns at the level of a population. All these activities are information intensive to support professional decision-making, practice, and action.

The MHA-MPH dual degree program emphasizes effective management and responsible oversight within the healthcare delivery system. Beyond these foundations, both programs challenge students to lead their organizations toward satisfying their communities’ future demands and needs.

Applicants to the joint MHA-MPA must be admitted into each program separately and adhere to each program’s admission requirements and prerequisite courses. Then, declare to the MHA and MPH Program Directors their intention to pursue the joint degree before the end of the second semester of the first year in either program.