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Master of Health Administration (MHA)

Student Experience

Master of Health Administration (MHA)

The MHA program provides students with individual and group experiential learning experiences as well as opportunities to develop professional skills, allowing students to enter the workplace upon graduation with confidence and to be valued contributors to their profession.

Read more about recent student experiences in the MHA Program's student-led publication: Leaders in the MHAking 

Summer Orientation Engagement

  • A central part of orientation is engagement with peers through team-based activities.

MHA Seminar

  • The MHA seminar takes place each week during the school year. The MHA program invites leaders and executives from local and national healthcare organizations representing various domains and aspects of healthcare to discuss their career paths. The seminar also focuses on professional development activities.

Alumni Engagement

  • Throughout the two years, the program has hosted several alumni panels and events to foster mentoring opportunities. The program uses a closed LinkedIn group of over 600 alumni who create an instant network for enrolled students.

Shadow Experiences

  • Opportunities are scheduled to shadow nurse leaders, administrators, and tour facilities.

Case Competition

  • At the end of year one, students work in teams to compete in a professionally judged internal case competition. This is an integrative activity that combines concepts throughout year one of the program (teamwork, strategy, analytics, finance, problem-solving, quality, performance improvement, and human resources) and is applied to a real-world case study. It is also an opportunity to refine professional presentation skills.

Friday Night at the ER:

An internationally acclaimed simulation activity to improve performance. Students work in teams of four to deliver high-quality service at a low cost within the allocated time.

Administrative Residency

The administrative residency is a hallmark of the MHA program. All MHA students are required to complete an 11-month administrative fellowship prior to receiving their MHA degree. This is a full-time, paid experience that provides an opportunity for students to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom and build competencies by doing real work in a healthcare setting. Students receive mentorship from executives in the organization during the administrative residency to develop their leadership skills further.

The residency placements are similar to a medical school match process, with significant programmatic support to place each MHA student. Throughout the fall of year 1, the program schedules organization showcases conducted by preceptors from partner organizations. These showcases allow students to sample the healthcare ecosystem, meet with successful healthcare executives, demonstrate their intellectual curiosity through active discussion, learn about potential career paths, meet with senior executives and leaders who may serve as precentors and colleagues during the administrative residency, and learn about potential residency opportunities. In the spring, the program schedules student interviews with these partner organizations to match students.

 

 

Additional Professional Development Opportunities

The MHA Program offers a number of other professional development opportunities for students:

Program pays for ACHE and MGMA memberships

  • Case competitions
  • Professional Development Workshops
  • Data Workshops
  • MHA Student Association

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certificates: First-year students receive Yellow Belt training.

  • Many other unique experiences.