Master of Health Administration

Competency 1.1: Building Effective Working Relationships:

Understanding the importance of shared decision-making, dispute resolution, determining stakeholder expectations, exhibiting integrity, and building trust.

• Create, participate in, lead teams, facilitate group dynamics, process, meetings and discussions.
• Identify and utilize human and technical resources to develop and deliver communications.
• Describe stakeholder needs and expectations.
• Formulate and communicate organizational mission, vision, objectives and priorities.

Competency 1.2: Developing Effective Communication Skills:

Understanding the importance of effective communication, cultural competency, non-verbal communication, listening skills, and appropriate utilization of communication methodologies.

• Recognize, value, and demonstrate correct behavior when communicating with diverse internal and external cultures.
• Prepare and demonstrate effective written communication, oral communication, and presentation skills using the principles of communication and their specific applications.
• Provide and receive constructive feedback.
• Demonstrate and utilize applicable business communications practices and principles including meeting agendas, presentations, business reports, and project communications plans.

Competency 2.1: Regulatory Environment:

Knowledge and understanding of the health care and business regulatory environments.

• Articulate legal and regulatory standards for health care professionals and organizations.
• Examine and assess the organization including corporate values and culture, business processes and impact of systems on operations.
• Interpret and develop basic business contracts from a legal and financial perspective.

Competency 2.2: Leadership Theories:

Knowledge of leadership theories, ability to conduct self-assessment, understanding of theory application.

• Recall and value leadership theory, styles, techniques, and use situational applications.
• Ability to incorporate and apply management techniques and theories into leadership activities.

Competency 3.1: Ethical Behaviors:

Knowledge of ethical professional expectations, standards, and behaviors.

• Assess and determine conflict of interest and unethical situations as defined by organizational and professional bylaws, policies, procedures, and codes of ethics.
• Recall and apply organizational business and personal ethics and adherence to ethical principles, e.g. patient’s rights and responsibilities.
• Compose, develop, and participate in personal career planning.
• Explain and describe the implications of human subject research.
• Complete self-assessments, acquire, and remain current with the professional body of knowledge.
• Demonstrate appropriate industry-specific normative interpersonal behaviors.

Competency 4.1: Healthcare Milieu:

Aptitude and knowledge of the health care infrastructure and key stakeholders.

• Identify and compare the various providers and their roles, interdependencies, integration, competitive, and regulatory forces guiding health care delivery.
• Compare and contrast the patient perspective and employee perspective.
• Assess and explain the relevant trends in health care delivery.
• Evaluate and interpret the interrelationships among access, quality, cost, resource allocation, accountability, and community.

Competency 4.2: Health Care Policy:

Knowledge of policies affecting the health care industry and the role of regulatory agencies.

• Evaluate the governmental, regulatory, professional, and accreditation forces guiding health care delivery.
• Examine the public policy matters and legislative and advocacy processes.
• Advocate and participate in healthcare policy initiatives.

Competency 4.3: Technology Advancement:

Knowledge and understanding of the use of information and decision-making technologies.

• Explain healthcare technological research and advancements.
• Design and develop information systems continuity including disaster planning, recovery, backup, and natural disasters.
• Explore the role and function of information technology in operations and health informatics.
• Discuss and apply technology trends and clinical applications.
• Demonstrate knowledge of administrative systems and programs.
• Develop and analyze technology security requirements.
• Discuss the changes in information systems and technology trends.

Competency 4.4: Health Care Economics, Quality, Performance Management and Measurement:

The ability to understand and analyze individual and aggregated data.

• Seek and apply information from a variety of sources to stay current with market and industry.
• Utilize quality improvement theories, frameworks, planning, and management.
• Employ basic statistical analysis used to conduct needs analysis, identify and prioritize requirements.
• Demonstrate cause and effect relationships.
• Ability to collect, manipulate, analyze, understand, and explain data from internal and external sources relevant to each situation to support a decision or recommendation.

Competency 5.1: Financial Management Skills:

Knowledge of finance and accounting, ability to create and manage budgets, and proficiency with decision-making skills based on financial data.

• Distinguish among the various funding, payment, and reimbursement methods and standards.
• Apply basic accounting principles, cost accounting, and financial statements.
• Demonstrate knowledge of financial management, revenue generation, and financial analysis principles.
• Develop, prepare, and manage budgets, including annual operating budgets, project budgets, and capital budgets.
• Explain reimbursement methodologies, principles, techniques, and ramifications including rate setting and contracts.
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills and analysis.

Competency 5.2: Human Resources Management:

Knowledge of regulations and laws governing human resources, ability to make strategic decisions based on resources, understanding of organizational structures, designs, awareness, and governance.

• Explain and apply human resources laws and regulations, worker safety, security, and employee health.
• Discuss organizational policies and procedures, systems theory, governance theory, and structuring.
• Design and develop recruitment, selection, and retention techniques and compensation and benefits practices.
• Define staff roles, responsibilities, and job descriptions and manage departmental processes.
• Identify the principles and practices of management and organizational behavior.
• Develop and apply employee satisfaction measurement, motivational and improvement techniques.
• Compare and contrast performance management processes.

Competency 5.3: Strategic Management:

The ability to understand and analyze the relevant components of the external market impacting business decision-making, understanding of market dynamics, ability to integrate demographic, cultural, political, regulatory environments, and market resources into decision-making.

• Explain and apply characteristics of strategic decision support and strategic planning principles.
• Analyze and integrate organizational mission, vision, objectives, and priorities into strategic plan.
• Utilize comparative analysis strategies.
• Demonstrate techniques for business plan development, implementation and assessment.
• Ability to integrate information from various sources to make decisions and recommendations.

• The Program admits a cohort twice a year, fall and spring. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements outlined by the School of Graduate Studies and Research. In addition to earning a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, applicants must have: 
  

  • a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 in the last 60 credit hours or documentation of a graduate degree, or   
  •  a minimum Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of 300 or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score of 600. 

  Interested persons must submit the application, a resume, three professional references, academic transcripts, and a personal statement, electronically via the CollegeNet system. All applicants will be interviewed by the Admissions Committee. Both scholastic and experiential factors are considered in screening prospective students. Meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee program admission. An applicant who does not have the required 3.00 GPA or GRE or GMAT score should enroll in an exam preparation class to facilitate obtaining an acceptable score on the exam.

The MHA program utilizes a variety of teaching and learning methods based on the course competencies, and desired mastery category and level.  The mastery categories are:

The Novice level reflects basic skills encompassing knowledge and comprehension. The Bloom’s Taxonomy levels for Novice are 1 and 2. Courses at the Novice level utilize lectures with discussion, guest lecturers, research papers, and some teamwork. 

The Competent level focuses on intermediate skills encompassing application of knowledge and problem analysis. The Bloom’s Taxonomy levels for Competent are 3 and 4. Competent learning activities include case analysis, several team projects, integrative exercises, strategic planning, evaluating health care delivery services, simulations and quality improvement proposals.

The Proficient level reflects professional competency, advanced skills encompassing the ability to evaluate, judge and synthesize information.  The Bloom’s Taxonomy levels for Proficient are 5 and 6. Similar to Competent, the Proficient level learning activities include case analysis, several team projects, integrative exercises, strategic planning, evaluating health care delivery services, simulations and quality improvement proposals.

Assessment methods range from exams, quizzes, assignments, interviews, oral presentations, papers, proposals and project deliverables.

MHA Student Handbook

• Chad Adams, MS, FACHE
• Scott Campbell, MHA, RDCS, RVT
• Destiny Cruz, MHA
• Kallie Donaldson, MBA, MHA
• Lynn Dorvil, MHA
• Thabata Ford, MPH, FACHE
• Jonathan Jean-Marie, MSHA, FACHE
• Lerenda Johnson, MHA
• Lenetra King, FACHE
• Christy Kramer, MHA, LNA
• Dashawna Jimerson MHA Student
• Johnathan Leonard, MSHA, LSSGB
• Donald Mitchell, RN, FACHE
• Barbara Mosley, PhD, RHIA
• Tiffany Northern, MSHA, FACHE
• Sherrick Orie, MSHA, LSSBB
• Elizabeth Paine, MS, MBA
• Temple O. Robinson, MD
• Jena Tavares, MHA student
• Andrea G. Thomas, DHSc, MBA, MPH, CHEP, FACHE
• Kim Walker, MBA
• Marcus West, MHA, CSP
• Yashica Wilson-Hearns, RRT, MSHA

• Our Students
• Alumni Profiles
• MHA Completion and Employment Rates
• Current Student Outcomes