Mission:
The mission of the Masters in Health Administration (MHA) Program is to provide students with the competencies necessary for early to mid-level management positions and provide the foundation for professional development, leadership and executive management in organizations involved in the delivery or financing of health care organizations.  The MHA program is founded on evidence-based practice enriched by the research activity of the faculty.  

Vision:
The MHA program strives to be the premier provider of graduate level health management education in partnership with health care organizations of national prominence.  

Values:
The core values of the MHA program are: Professionalism, Life-long Learning and Commitment to Excellence.

MHA Program:
The primary purpose of our MHA Program curriculum is to provide graduate-level education that equips early to mid-career healthcare professionals with enduring and transferable skills, values and conceptual abilities sufficient to facilitate advancement within management and leadership roles in health care, healthcare policy and public health. Upon completion of the MHA program, our graduates obtain Post-graduate Fellowships or full-time employment in hospitals, academic medical centers,  physician practices, long-term care facilities, health plans, and consulting firms.

The curriculum requires 60 credits of full-time study over five academic terms including a full-time Management Residency for the MHA degree. The program can also be completed on a part-time basis and students are expected to make forward progress toward the completion of the degree on a timely basis.

Requirements for the MHA Degree: In order to be eligible for graduation, students must complete 60 credit hours with a B (3.0) average or better including a supervised management residency (which is typically scheduled during the summer term), prepare a scholarly master’s essay relating to the culminating experience, and clear all debts and obligations to the University of Pittsburgh.

The Curriculum consists of the GSPH School’s public health core courses, a broad array of courses in health care system organization and management, health policy and economics, leadership, and professional development activities. The MHA Program also provides the student opportunities for transition to the world of practice through the Executive in Residence, the required Management Residency, assignment of a professional health care leader as a Mentor, and an expanded orientation program.

The Master’s Essay is a requirement of the MHA program and the Graduate School of Public Health. No MHA student can graduate without successfully completing a Master’s Essay. It is an important educational component of the MHA program since the essay provides students an opportunity to integrate the major components of the GSPH learning experience. Students apply the principles of public health, health administration, and health policy to a formal inquiry and analysis of a problem or issue relevant to health administration and their career interests. The essay allows the student to demonstrate his/her mastery of health policy and management concepts, principles, and theoretical models gained from formal coursework. The student is expected to demonstrate professional-level proficiency in expository writing, clear and logical thinking, and appropriate use of analytical tools and research methods.

The Management Residency is a required one-credit course of approximately three months in duration, taken at the midpoint of the curriculum, usually scheduled for Summer Term (May through August). This course is designed so that students spend one academic term in a health care organization, serving in an educationally appropriate career development position under the direction of a preceptor. A preceptor is a professional in the field of health management or administration who is respected by peers and willing to mentor and to share knowledge and insights with students. The Residency may be served in a variety of health care, public health or related settings.

Curriculum 2011-2012

Curriculum 2010-2011

Learning Objectives
The learning objectives for the MHA degree program are closely linked to the accreditation criteria established by CAHME. The following learning objectives are separated into curricular and professional development objectives.

Curricular (Instructional) Objectives
Upon completion of the MHA program, the graduate will be able to:

• Use the concepts and tools of epidemiology and biostatistics in the analysis of health care needs of the target community or service population and in the development of appropriate health services to address those needs
• Understand the other core disciplines of public health (behavioral and community health, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, human population genetics, and infectious diseases to enhance decision-making in managing the health of the population or community to which the health care organization is accountable
• Apply knowledge of the structuring, marketing, and positioning of the health care organization to achieve its optimal performance
• Use the concepts and tools of financial management to sustain organizational viability and effectiveness under alternative financing mechanisms and reimbursement policies
• Demonstrate leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills (oral and written) in managing human resources and health professionals in diverse organizational environments
• Perform effectively in work teams, both as a leader and a follower
• Demonstrate understanding of the design, functions, and staffing of health management information systems
• Apply knowledge of information resources and technologies in collecting, accessing, analyzing, and using health information and business-relevant data in managerial decision-making
• Apply basic statistical, quantitative, and economic concepts and tools to support analysis and decision-making
• Understand the basic legal and regulatory principles and constraints affecting the health care organization, to facilitate informed decision-making
• Identify situations and issues that require more expert judgment and consultation (e.g., legal counsel, statistical and economic analysis)
• Demonstrate knowledge of the primary ethical values underlying health care delivery (i.e., respect for persons, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, in managerial decision-making)
• Apply information relevant to the assessment of the health status of a population, the determinants of health and illness, and health risks in effective implementation of health services to a given population or service area
• Apply knowledge of the context and process of health policymaking at the federal and state levels of government in the U.S. in informed policy discussions
• Demonstrate understanding of selected contemporary federal and state health policy issues
• Apply policy competencies in analyzing and influencing the health policymaking process at the federal and state levels of government
• Understand the processes of health policy formulation and implementation to enhance decision-making relevant to the strategic direction and management of the health care organization
• Apply knowledge from the social and behavioral sciences in designing, organizing, staffing, financing, and managing health care systems
• Understand the benefits and challenges of managing a diverse staff in addressing the implications of gender, ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, age, and lifestyle diversity within the service population
• Identify, define, and apply relevant business and health outcome measures, process-to-outcome relationships, and methods for process improvement, to enhance and sustain the quality of health care services and outcomes

Professional Development (Socialization) Objectives
Upon completion of the MHA program, the graduate will have developed the professional skills, competencies, and characteristics to:

• Identify, effectively access, and build relationships within a network of professional contacts
• Initiate and sustain an effective learning relationship with a professional mentor(s)
• Adopt a professional demeanor, dress, and behavior that comports with prevailing norms and standards for executive management in health care organizations
• Develop and present an effective portfolio of career-related products that supports the graduate’s job search and longer term career plan
• Synthesize and apply classroom and experiential learning in both (1) an intensive, supervised, on-site experience in a health care or related organization, i.e., the management residency or practicum, and (2) the integrative capstone experience, i.e., the management or policy analysis project (master’s essay)
• Assess his/her leadership strengths and deficiencies in developing a plan for life-long learning and professional development