Health Administration, MHA

Degree Requirements

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

Research Requirement

Significant supervised quantitative and qualitative research projects in MGT 701, MGT 703, MGT 705, MGT 711, PLS 754, and culminating in the capstone MGT 780 course satisfy 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 in a full-time job generally should not enroll for more than 6 to 9 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 degrees in health administration and public health at Missouri State University. Students who successfully complete the program will receive both a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. A total of 12 hours of coursework can be applied to both programs, reducing the time required to obtain both degrees separately.

Public health and health administration are increasingly important areas in health care and medicine. Information, resources, technology, research and new challenges are expanding tremendously in the fields of public health and health administration and it is important to have a trained workforce that can bridge these two areas of health care and medicine. The successful completion of dual degrees in public health and health care administration provide students with a unique set of knowledge, skills and abilities that enable graduates to communicate relevant health information; account for health care priorities, policy and delivery; manage crises; and address major health concerns at the level of a population. All these activities are information intensive to support professional decision-making, practice and action.

The dual MHA/MPH degree program provides graduates with interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and abilities to address challenges on a local and global scale. This dual degree program offers a course of study that emphasizes effective management and responsible oversight within the health care delivery system and focus on identifying, resolving, and preventing health problems that affect communities and populations. Beyond these foundations, both programs challenge students to lead their organizations toward satisfying the future demands and needs of their communities.

There is overlap between the MHA and MPH programs, which enables students to complete both degrees in a streamlined process. The MHA has a core requirement of 36 credit hours while the MPH has a 42 hour requirements.

Currently there are two courses (6 credit hours) jointly shared by the two programs.

1. MGT 701 - Health Services Organization 
2. PLS 754 - Seminar in Health Policy 

In addition, there is a joint collaborative relationship between the two programs in terms of the Capstone Project in Public Health, PBH 799 - Capstone Project in Public Health , with the Program Director for the MHA program serving on the student’s Capstone Committee. In keeping with the traditional approach to dual degrees, there is a reduction in overall hour requirements for both degrees.