MHA Health Administration & Policy

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Master of Health Administration (MHA) is a professional graduate degree that prepares the graduate for a career as a junior administrator of a health service organization. Students will gain an understanding of the following competency areas:

• the U.S. healthcare system;
• communication;
• executive leadership and ethical decision-making;
• critical thinking;
• quantitative analysis;
• patient outcome improvement; and
• professionalism.

There are interprofessional experiences included in the MHA program. All MHA students complete a 400-hour internship in health administration to gain hands-on experience, as well as one health administration & policy case competition. Students have recently served as interns in hospitals, multi-specialty physician practices, long-term care facilities, university medical centers and with the Veterans Administration. The internship provides an opportunity to integrate the student’s understanding of the practical day-to-day functions of management, planning or policy analysis with the traditional basic skills learned during the didactic portion of the program. Following graduation, most students go on to an administrative fellowship program or directly into the workforce.

Click here to view the types of jobs our alumni have.

MHA Class data

Data	Fall 2020	Fall 2021	Fall 2022
Applicants	22	17	14
Enrolled students	16	12	7
% Female	47%	62%	83
% Minority	35%	29%	33%

Graduation and Employment data

Data	2021	2022	2023
Retention rate	100%	100%	100%
Employment rate (within 3 months of graduation)	96%	86%

Competencies	Descriptions	Competency level*
Communication and interpersonal relations
Communication skills	Uses effective verbal and written communication strategies in formal and informal situations, speaking and writing clearly and persuasively	Advanced
Relationship management	Develops & maintains collaborative relationships, supports inclusive environments	Intermediate
Facilitation and negotiation	Facilitates group dynamics and creates/leads teams	Intermediate
Critical thinking and problem solving
Analytical thinking	Develops complex plans or analyses using systems thinking approaches	Intermediate
Project management	Develops and manages projects effectively, prepares a detailed project plan	Intermediate
Process & quality improvement	Evaluates organization structure and design, analyzes and designs processes to improve care quality and patient experience	Intermediate
Performance measurement	Analyzes quantitative/qualitative clinical and non-clinical performance measures and uses these measures in administrative decision-making	Intermediate
Change leadership	Promotes & manages change, promotes continuous organizational learning	Intermediate
Business skills & knowledge
Financial skills	Understands and evaluates financial and accounting information, develops and manages budgets	Intermediate
Health information management	Recognizes the potential of information systems in process & service improvement, champions information system implementation	Intermediate
Strategic planning & marketing	Conducts environmental scanning, develops strategic plans for the organization	Intermediate
Reimbursement and funding for health care services	Understands and evaluates reimbursement principles and techniques, funding, and payment systems and management	Intermediate
Economic analysis and application	Interprets and applies economic theory and concepts to administrative decision-making	Intermediate
Knowledge of the healthcare environment
Organizational awareness	Understands the formal and informal decision-making structures, culture, and power relationships in organizations	Intermediate
Human resources management	Understands employment management principles, policies, and laws in relation to hiring, promotion, and dismissal	Intermediate
Health law and policy	Interprets the impacts of legal, regulatory, and political environments on healthcare organizations	Intermediate
Population health management	Understands and applies the frameworks and tools to measure and manage population health to improve the health outcomes of the population	Intermediate
Professionalism and ethics
Personal & social responsibility	Acts honestly and ethically, ensures organizational integrity	Advanced
Personal & professional development	Pursues lifelong learning participating in continuing education and conducting regular self-assessments	Intermediate
Contributions to the community and profession	Demonstrates service leadership participating in community services and supporting/mentoring others	Beginner

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The following are required:

Must be in good standing with the college or university where currently enrolled or last attended.
Bachelor’s degree or entry-level first professional degree from an accredited institution.
Grade point average of 3.0 or above using the upper-division coursework of the bachelor's degree.
Submission of the SOPHAS application and the supplemental OUHSC Hudson College of Public Health application.
Career goal statement uploaded through SOPHAS.
Current CV/Resume uploaded through SOPHAS.
Transcripts:
- U.S. Applicants: SOPHAS requires a separate official transcript from every U.S. and Canadian institution attended be submitted by utilizing the instructions here. Applicants will enter the information in coursework section of the application utilizing the data from their transcript(s). Do not enter foreign courses taken at Universities outside the U.S. or Canada into the coursework section of the application.
- International Applicants: There are two options for transcript and degree certificate evaluation:
  1. Submit transcripts and degree certificates to the World Education Services (www.wes.org) for a course-by-course evaluation, and designate SOPHAS to receive the evaluation; or
  2. Submit transcripts and degree certificates to the Educational Credential Evaluators (www.ece.org) for a course-by-course evaluation, and designate results to be sent from ECE to admissions@ouhsc.edu or to the following address:
    
    OUHSC Office of Admissions and Records
    1105 N. Stonewall Avenue, LIB 121
    Oklahoma City, OK 73117
International applicants are required to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting TOEFL (score of 100 or above) or IELTS (score of 7.0 or above) that meet the minimum required score. TOEFL scores must be submitted to SOPHAS using the designation code #5688.
Interview with Admissions Committee (in-person or via web-conferencing).

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Hudson College of Public Health applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and applications will be reviewed as they are complete. All materials must be submitted by the deadlines listed below for full consideration.

Master of Health Administration and Policy:

Spring: December 15
Fall: August 1
Summer: May 1

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

CURRENT OU STUDENTS OR ALUMNI APPLICATION PROCESS

Application Instructions for Current OU Students and OU Alumni can be found here.

NON-OU STUDENTS OR ALUMNI APPLICATION PROCESS

STEP 1: SOPHAS APPLICATION

Submit a SOPHAS application (sophas.aspph.org) and required fee (click here to review information regarding SOPHAS fees and fee waivers). The documentation identified in the ‘Admission Requirements’ section must be submitted in SOPHAS.

STEP 2: SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION

Applicants to the OU Hudson College of Public Health are required to submit a FREE supplemental application. The supplemental application is available via the OU Health Sciences Center website at: apps.ouhsc.edu/admissions/. Applicants must select the same program(s) in the supplemental application as they did in the SOPHAS application.

COST & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Student support opportunities to offset costs include graduate research assistantships and public health scholarships. Students may expect additional costs that include, but are not limited to, a personal computer, textbooks, insurance, and supplies. For financial aid information, contact the Financial Aid Office at (405) 271-2118.

Financial support opportunities for students:

graduate research assistantships - may be eligible for waiver of non-resident tuition
Hudson College of Public Health scholarships
traineeships

Estimated Costs

Bursar’s Office – Tuition and Fees

Financial Assistance

Scholarship Opportunities

CURRICULUM

COMPLETION OF MHA DEGREE IN TWO YEARS

FIRST YEAR (FALL SEMESTER)
HAP 5453	U.S. Health Care System
HAP 5643	Quantitative Methods in Health Administration
HAP 5623	Forecasting and Budgeting
HAP 5483	Health Care Law and Ethics
HAP 5203	Health Economics

FIRST YEAR (SPRING SEMESTER)
HAP 5613	Financial Management of Health Service Organizations
HAP 5733	Managed Care and Integrated Delivery Systems
HAP 5863	Strategic Management in Health Service Organizations
HAP 5883	Health Care Quality Management
HAP 7913	Professional Communication Skills in Healthcare Settings

The internship is usually scheduled during the summer between the first and second years after the successful completion of the first thirty hours of the curriculum. Students may not arrange an internship if on academic probation. If a student does not have a 3.0 GPA or has received lower than a “B” letter grade in any course, the internship may be scheduled at a later date which may delay graduation.

SECOND YEAR (FALL SEMESTER)
HAP 5183	Organizational Theory and Behavior
HAP 5873	Health Information Systems
HAP 7103	Managerial Epidemiology
HAP 5543	Marketing of Health Services

SECOND YEAR (SPRING SEMESTER)
HAP 5303	Health Policy and Politics
HAP 5973	Seminar in Health Administration
HAP 5563	Human Resource Management
HAP 5950	Field Work in Health Administration

COMPLETION OF MHA DEGREE IN THREE YEARS

FIRST YEAR (FALL SEMESTER)
HAP 5453	U.S. Health Care System
HAP 5643	Quantitative Methods in Health Administration
HAP 5203	Health Economics

FIRST YEAR (SPRING SEMESTER)
HAP 5733	Managed Care and Integrated Delivery Systems
HAP 5883	Health Care Quality Management
HAP 7913	Professional Communication Skills in Healthcare Settings

SECOND YEAR (FALL SEMESTER)
HAP 5183	Organizational Theory and Behavior
HAP 5623	Forecasting and Budgeting
HAP 5483	Health Care Law and Ethics

SECOND YEAR (SPRING SEMESTER)
HAP 5303	Health Policy and Politics
HAP 5863	Strategic Management in Health Service Organizations
HAP 5613	Financial Management

THIRD YEAR (FALL SEMESTER)
HAP 5873	Health Information Systems
HAP 7103	Managerial Epidemiology
HAP 5543	Marketing of Health Services Organizations

THIRD YEAR (SPRING SEMESTER)
HAP 5973	Seminar in Health Administration
HAP 5563	Human Resources Management
HAP 5950	Field Work in Health Administration

Students are required to be familiar with and meet all current Hudson College of Public Health graduation requirements for the MHA. Those requirements are available on the Hudson College of Public Health website.

Click here to view the curriculum on the department website.

STEM DESIGNATION

The Master of Health Administration and Policy program is NOT considered a STEM-designated degree program.

A STEM-designated program is an academic program that falls under at least one of the approved categories from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These categories are recognized by the government for their focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics. DHS's updated STEM-designated degree list can be found here: https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/stemList2022.pdf.

PROGRAM BROCHURE

MHA Program Brochure

CONTACT INFORMATION

Department of Health Administration and Policy
Hudson College of Public Health
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
801 NE 13th Street, Suite 165
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Office of Student Services
Phone: (405) 271-2308
Email: hcoph@ouhsc.edu

OUHSC Office of Admissions and Records: (405) 271-2359 or admissions@ouhsc.edu
OUHSC Office of Financial Aid: (405) 271-2118 or financial-aid@ouhsc.edu

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Click here to schedule a virtual, phone, or in-person prospective student appointment with one of our Advisors.

FAQs

Click here to review the MHA program FAQs.