Master of Health Administration
The Master of Health Administration program is changing for the Fall 2024 admission cycle.
Review the revised program information here.
Format: In person on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah
Credit Hours: 52
Entry Term: Fall
Health administration is an interdisciplinary field of expertise that focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary for the effective administration, management and leadership of health services delivery organizations, including hospitals, medical practices, long-term care facilities, consulting firms, etc. Professionals that work in this field must possess a thorough understanding of the organizational, financial, legal/regulatory and managerial components of health services delivery as they pertain to a dynamic and rapidly evolving health care system.
Candidates who wish to take courses at the Army Education Center at Fort Stewart beginning October 9, 2023, should submit an application for the Fall 2024 semester and email Graduate Admissions at gradadmissions@georgiasouthern.edu to request an entry term update to Fall 2023.
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Careers in Health Administration
When you obtain an MHA degree from Georgia Southern University, you will find that it is not only your knowledge that has increased but also your earning potential. Types of careers include:
- Consulting Firms
- Hospitals and Medical Centers
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Long-term Care Facilities
- Physician Group Practices
- Insurance Industry
- Associate Consultant
- Ambulatory Care
- Management Associate
- Outreach Coordinator
- Health Systems Specialist
- Fiscal Program Analyst
- Project Coordinator
- Practice Manager
- Coordinator, Education and Practice Improvement
- Utilization Manager
- Quality Improvement Coordinator
Scholarship Opportunities
Below are links to possible scholarship opportunities for students interested in the health administration field.
Scholarships available through Georgia Southern University:
MHA Curriculum
The MHA curriculum focuses its teaching, learning, and assessment methods on the preparation of early-to-mid careerists for a broad range of professional employment opportunities across the continuum of health services delivery. Small class sizes (typically 15 or fewer) allow for significant use of team-based activities as well as project-based assignments that allow students to gain real-world experience while in the program. The program’s capstone requirement provides opportunities for students to identify, conceptualize, and execute a project of strategic importance to the field of health administration.
MHA Mission
The Master of Health Administration program prepares a highly qualified, diverse group of early-to-mid careerist students for increasingly responsible leadership roles in the administration of health services delivery across the continuum of the health services industry.
MHA Core Values
The MHA program values the following:
- Educational integrity and innovation
- Community engagement
- Diversity
- Continuous program improvement
- Student-centered educational programming
MHA Vision
The MHA program will become a leading provider of graduate health administration education within the state of Georgia and serve as a regional resource for community and professional development and applied research and scholarships.
Contact Us!
Please direct program and admission questions to:
Phone: 912-344-2548
Email: hk-office@georgiasouthern.edu
Accreditation
Accredited by CAHME, the objective of the Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree is to provide the student with mastery of the knowledge and skills for the effective administration of health service organizations across the continuum of care. Specifically, the student will understand the basic organizational, financial, legal and managerial components of health services as they relate to a dynamic and evolving health care delivery system.
Student Resources
Career Development Resources
Program of Study
The Master of Health Administration program is changing for the Fall 2024 admission cycle.
Review the revised program information here.
Consistent with its mission, the MHA curriculum focuses its teaching, learning, and assessment methods on the preparation of early-to-mid careerists for a broad range of professional employment opportunities across the continuum of health services delivery. Small class sizes (typically 15 or fewer) allow for significant use of team-based activities as well as project-based assignments that allow students to gain real-world experience while in the program. The program’s capstone requirement provides opportunities for students to identify, conceptualize, and execute a project of strategic importance to the field of health administration.
Grading Policies
The MHA program utilizes the same grading rubric as the university, as described in the Georgia Southern University’s Graduate Studies catalog.
GRADE | QUALITY POINTS PER SEMESTER HOUR |
A (Excellent) | 4.0 |
B (Good) | 3.0 |
C (Satisfactory) | 2.0 |
D (Passing) | 1.0 |
F (Failure) | 0.0 |
W (Withdrew, no academic penalty) | 0.0 |
WF (Withdrew, failing) | 0.0 |
WH (Withdrew Hardship, no academic penalty) | 0.0 |
WM (Withdrew Military, no academic penalty) | 0.0 |
I (Incomplete) | 0.0 |
IP (In Progress) | 0.0 |
S (Satisfactory) | 0.0 |
U (Unsatisfactory) | 0.0 |
With the exception of professional seminar and ALE sections, all required coursework is graded on an A-F scale.
As per College of Graduate Studies policy, all students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is order to remain in good academic standing and graduate from the MHA program.
Program Goals and Objectives
Goal #1 – Foster student success
Objective #1-Monitor student attainment of education competencies
Measurement(s)-(1) student self assessment of competency attainment at program inception and completion; (2) preceptor assessment of student competency attainment and the conclusion of applied learning experience(s).
Benchmark(s): (1) 100% of students will self-assess as proficient on all program competencies at program completion; (2) 100% of students will be assessed as proficient on all program competencies by their preceptor(s) at the conclusion of their applied learning experience(s).
Objective #2: Monitor student job placement after program completion
Measurement(s) – (1) student career placement rates; (2) student post-graduate residency/fellowship placement rates based on responses to MHA Alumni Survey results.
Benchmarks: (1) 90% of graduates will be working/advancing in the field of health administration within five years of program completion; (2) 20% of graduates will complete a post-graduate administrative residency or fellowship within five years of program completion.
Goal #2-Foster/promote diversity of student experiences in the MHA program
Objective #1 – Monitor demographic characteristics of student applicants to the MHA program.
Measurement(s) – (1) monitor number of ethnic minority applicants and admissions to the MHA program; (2) monitor number of years of health-related experience among program applicants and admissions
Benchmark(s): (1) 30% or more of MHA admissions will consist of persons from ethnic minority group(s); (2) average years of health related experience among MHA admissions will be one year or greater.
Objective #2 – Monitor demographic characteristics of program faculty, preceptors and other program resources (e.g. guest speakers)
Measurement(s) – (1) monitor number and type of ethnic minority faculty members; (2) monitor number and type of ethnic minority preceptors and guest speakers/lecturers.
Benchmark(s): (1) at least one full-time or part-time faculty member will be from an ethnic minority group; (2) 100% of MHA faculty will utilize at least one ethnic minority guest speaker and/or student preceptor in one or more classes annually.
Goal #3 – Foster / promote excellence in faculty performance
Objective #1 – Monitor faculty participation and performance in activities that improve teaching/instructional/pedagogical skills.
Measurement(s) – annual faculty evaluation results in the area(s) of instructional/pedagogical skills development
Benchmark(s): 100% faculty participation in instructional/pedagogical skills development and satisfactory rating or higher on annual faculty evaluations in this area.
Objective #2 – Monitor student evaluations of instructional performance
Measurement(s) – Faculty and Course Evaluation (FACE) instrument administered at the conclusion of each course/term.
Benchmark(s): 100% of MHSA faculty attaining average course instructional rating of good to excellent across all MHA courses taught per year.
Objective #3 – Monitor faculty performance in scholarly activities
Measurement(s) – number and type of scholarship related activities engaged in by MHA faculty.
Benchmark(s): 100% of MHA faculty will be engaged in one or more activities of scholarship on an annual basis.
Goal #4 – Recruit/admit highly qualified students for success in health administration.
Objective #1 – Monitor academic qualifications of students accepted into the MHA program.
Measurement(s) – (1) Monitor average undergraduate grade point average for MHA program applicants and admissions; (2) monitor standardized test scores (GRE, GMAT) for MHA program applicants and admissions.
Benchmark(s): (1) Average GPA of successful MHA admissions will be 3.2 or higher; (2) Average GRE score will be 900 or higher/average GMAT score will be 450 or higher.
Objective #2 – Monitor program completion/graduation rates for all MHA program admissions.
Measurement(s) – program completion rates for both full-time as well as part-time students.
Benchmark(s): 90% or greater of full-time MHA students will graduate within three years of program matriculation; 80% or greater of part-time MHA students will graduate within three years of program matriculation.
Program Outcomes and Placement Data
All CAHME accredited programs are required by CHEA to include current student outcomes data. For a complete data set of program outcomes for Georgia Southern’s MHA program, visit MHA Residential at https://cahme.org/programs/?georgiasouthern.
Post-MHA Job Title | Organization | Location |
Administrative Assistant, Physical Medicine | Mayo Clinic | Jacksonville, FL |
Research Nurse Coordinator | St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System | Savannah, GA |
Business Manager, Surgical Services | St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System | Savannah, GA |
Administrative Assistant, Physician Practice Management | Memorial Health University Medical Center | Savannah, GA |
Associate Administrator | The Heritage at Brentwood | Brentwood, TN |
Administrative Fellow | Ochsner Health System | New Orleans, LA |
Chief Executive Officer | Southern Sky Recovery | Bluffton, SC |
Administrative Fellow | Ochsner Health System | Lafayette, LA |
Director of Talent Acquisition | Evans Memorial Hospital | Claxton, GA |
Administrative Project Manager | Evans Memorial Hospital | Claxton, GA |
Graduation Placement Rate: 100% |
Post-MHA Job Title | Organization | Location |
Administrative Fellow | McLeod Health System | Florence, SC |
System Fellow | Novant Health | Winston-Salem, NC |
Administrative Fellow | Ochsner Health System | New Orleans, LA |
Administrative Coordinator | Southeast GA Health System | Brunswick, GA |
Administrator in Training | The Lodge at Bethany | Statesboro, GA |
Administrative Coordinator | PA Lifesharing LLC | Harrisburg, PA |
Systems Data Analyst | Coastal Medical Billing LLC | Savannah, GA |
Project Coordinator | Wayne Memorial Hospital | Jesup, GA |
Decision Support Analyst | Curtis V. Cooper Healthcare | Savannah, GA |
Billing Specialist | Xenon Health | Trenton, NJ |
Administrative Fellow | Ohio Health | Columbus, OH |
Special Projects Coordinator | Delta Research and Educational Foundation | Washington, SC |
Admissions Specialist | Baptist Health System | Pensacola, FL |
Graduate Placement Rate: 76% |
Student | Post-MHA Job Title | Location |
Puneet Ahluwalia | Business Analyst - IT | Optum Healthcare Inc., Houston, TX |
Dustin Binkley | Purchasing Coordinator | St. Joseph's/Candler Health System, Inc., Savannah, GA |
Taylor Fletcher | Radiologic Technologist | Northside Hospital, Atlanta, GA |
Ashley Jacob | Administrative Fellow | Trinity Health of New England, Hartford, CT |
Jody Kinnes | Administrative Resident | CHI St. Luke's Health, Houston, TX |
Lindy Milhomme | HR Coordinator | US Department of Defense, Smyrna, GA |
Cheyenne Quindara | Operations Coordinator | National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD |
Jordan Richardson | Administrative Resident | Main Line Health System, Philadelphia, PA |
Julius Rodillas | Project Coordinator | Emory Health System, Atlanta, GA |
Kaitlyn Stanfield | New Patient Coordinator | Low Country Cancer Care, Savannah, GA |
Graduate Placement Rate- 83% |
Name | Current Job Title | Employer | Location |
Stephen Akeredolu | Physician | Lagos, Nigeria | |
Lindsey Arft | Specialty Practice Office Manager | SJC Medical Group Management | Savannah, GA |
Kenneth Brown Wilson | Managed Care Analyst | Strategic Healthcare Partners | Savannah, GA |
Kelly Lytjen | Sales/Marketing Associate | Compounding Solutions, Inc. | Savannah, GA |
Melissa McCollough | Management Consulting Analyst | Price Waterhouse Coopers Consulting | Atlanta, GA |
Wael Omar | Physician | Cairo, Egypt | |
Alumni Profiles
Tyler Barnett (December 2015)
Current Position: Hawai’i Health Partners (Sr. Population Health Analyst)
Testimonial: My MHA degree provided a very necessary robust and multifaceted overview of the many complexities within the health care industry. As I sought employment with a consulting firm and a commercial accountable care organization, I quickly recognized the importance of this broad understanding. The industry really is changing at a rapid pace, it is difficult for many professionals to understand the macro-level adjustments while focusing on their day-to-day duties. My degree solidified both my ability to recognize the conflicting pressures health systems, physicians, and private practices are experiencing while also providing me with the tools necessary to look ahead to where the industry is heading, through a foggy haze of competing policy adjustments, logistical practicalities, and market demands.
Ryan Burnside (May 2014)
Current Position: Assistant Patient Access Director, Memorial University Medical Center
Testimonial: The MHSA/MHA program at Georgia Southern University prepared me for a multi-faceted health care landscape that is ever adapting and changing. The program does this by providing a strong foundation in the health care field by exposing you to the many aspects that make up the major careers in this market. One of the great things about the program is that it prepares its students with an education that can take them into many fields within the health care arena and does not limit your career aspirations in this profession.
Michelle K. Horne (Summer 2015)
Current Position: Director, Operations and Administration at University of Nevada Reno, School of Medicine (UNR Med)
Testimonial: My studies prepared me to understand the “big picture”. By learning the fundamental components of health care operations it helped me go into organizations and assess their needs, and help them bridge the gaps between vision and goals and execution.
Ashley Anderson, MHSA, CMPE (Spring 2012)
Current Position: St Josephs/Candler Medical Group
Testimonial: My experience with the MHSA program was extremely positive. Without a doubt, it allowed me to turn a corner professionally. The program’s materials were relevant as they hit heavily on current events, regularity shifts, MACRA, and real health system challenges- all of which were areas I was challenged with in the workplace following graduation (and still am). I found the health care law exposure very valuable, and I use that legal knowledge almost daily in decision making and it changed the way I assess certain workplace situations and opportunities. The program also facilitated internships that exposed me to senior leadership and project management- ultimately making me more comfortable with formal presentations and to executive presence. The MHSA program’s rigorous finance, statistics, and quality courses provided me transferable skills. For example, the Quality course had a tremendous impact on my ability to lead projects, impact change, monitor my project teams performance, and it truly strengthened my approaches in process improvement. I use those formal methods regularly in practice in workflow changes, clinical quality improvement projects, financial analysis, patient access efforts, etc. I’ve also been able to leverage and share those process improvement models (DMAIC, PDSA) to other on my team- managers, team leaders, providers, clerical and clinical staff, all in an effort to engage teams in impactful change efforts.
Shinal Y. Patel (December 2015)
Current Position: Triage Consulting Group, Associate Consultant
Testimonial: Coupled with my innate passion for health care, the MHSA/MHA program expanded the context through rigorous instruction, diligent research, and practical experience. The quality of education gained is evident through my daily application of revenue cycle management, professional development, analytics, and much more. Under the guidance of a competent and compassionate staff, my confidence level in my work increased as I matriculated throughout the program.
Trevor Castaneda (May 2011)
Current Position: President and Chief Executive Officer Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Frisco
Testimonial: The MHA program at Georgia Southern University provided me the opportunity to establish an extraordinarily meaningful and practical foundation of understanding as it relates to health care and the complexities and interdependencies that exist within the field. This very foundation is what I have built my health care career on and around, enabling me to continually develop as a health care executive and advance my career throughout the ranks of several health care organizations.
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Last updated: 12/19/2023