What to Expect in a Health Administration Master’s Program

Bridging Clinical and Administrative Expertise

Every day, healthcare practitioners change lives. They administer life-saving treatments, show how to prevent disease and provide hope to families and patients during some of their most challenging moments.

But they don’t do it alone. It takes a team of administrators with front-to-back knowledge of how hospitals and health systems operate to ensure that care professionals can perform their best. MHA programs cover every facet of running a healthcare organization, including IT, labor management, data analysis, finance and the in-depth knowledge of where health policy is and where it’s likely to go.

That’s a diverse list of responsibilities. As any healthcare administrator will tell you, they are all intertwined, and you’ll need to understand how to manage each, especially in leadership roles.

MHA Program Core Curriculum

As a student in a health administration master’s program, you take courses that blend healthcare policy, finance, management and ethics. Your classwork prepares you to be a leader in your organization. Through case studies and real-world projects at partner healthcare institutions (or even at your own workplace), you’ll be challenged to identify a problem, find a solution and put it into place.

Because mid-career professionals often pursue these degrees, classes are offered both in-person and online. Some students choose to complete the MHA program on a full-time basis in as little as 12 months while others continue to work and pursue the degree part-time basis.

View Healthcare From Every Angle

Healthcare is so complex partly because it affects so many people. Patients and their families bring one perspective to the table. However, so do physicians and other providers, insurers, employers, pharmaceutical companies, policymakers and politicians, among others.

Your MHA positions you to work with each of those groups because you learn to view the world through their eyes. By the time you graduate, you’ll understand the intricacies of the U.S. healthcare system, the financial pressures faced by hospitals and healthcare systems, the challenge of improving patient outcomes while balancing risk and cost and how to make data-driven care decisions while also maintaining patient privacy.

Depending on the health administration master’s program you enter, you can choose an area to specialize in, such as finance, health information management, human resources or patient safety. No matter what your focus is, you build skills that cut across disciplines and will serve you regardless of where your career takes you.

Employment Outcomes for Master’s in Health Administration Graduates

The Master’s in Health Administration program prepares you to work in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, private practices, insurance companies, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and nonprofit trade groups.

You’ll be in a position to choose, as the healthcare industry is growing more quickly than any other sector in the U.S., and qualified managers are in short supply. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs for medical and health services managers is projected to increase by 23% through 2034. These are well-paid jobs, with a median salary of $117,960.

Your MHA degree qualifies you for jobs such as:

Chief operating officer. Turn big-picture organizational goals into reality by overseeing all aspects of a hospital’s day-to-day activities.

Clinical director. Oversee hiring and staff, manage budgets and maintain patient care standards.

Compliance officer. Ensure organizations follow privacy and safety regulations. You’ll train staff on their ethical responsibilities, monitor and improve internal practices and implement risk-management procedures.

Marketing officer. Attract patients — and revenue — by helping hospitals, HMOs and other healthcare organizations build their brand and tell their story to the public.

Human resources manager. Recruit, train and manage staff across the organization.

Nursing home administrator. Manage staff, interact with residents and families and oversee budgets, compliance and other aspects of residential care facilities.
Quality improvement director. Use data to monitor patient outcomes, train staff and implement policies that boost satisfaction.

Lead the Way With a Health Administration Master’s From FranU

Qualified, competent healthcare isn’t a luxury. It’s a need. A Master of Health Administration degree from Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) will turn you into the kind of leader who serves patients and providers alike.

In a program built around Franciscan values, you learn what it takes to provide sustainable, quality care at hospitals, clinics and private practices of all sizes. And because the MHA program is offered entirely online, on a full- or part-time basis, you can continue to work while finishing the degree.

You can complete FranU’s 31-credit program in just 12–18 months, earning a credential that prepares you to take a giant leap in your current position or pursue a new career entirely.