Online MHA Programs (2-4 Years of Professional Experience Required)

Healthcare professionals who are seeking leadership roles in administration or to change their career path are fortunate to have numerous online MHA programs available to them. Below are five well-known and reputable schools that offer this type degree. All five require incoming MHA students to have at least two years of professional work experience.

The George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health’s online MHA program (MHA@GW) was ranked in the top 20 graduate programs in healthcare administration in the U.S. by the U.S. News and World Report. Graduates of the program have obtained positions in clinical administration, healthcare planning and management, and non-clinical operations. This program requires students to complete eight online ten-week modules. Each module focuses on a different set of core skills needed for success in a healthcare administration career. Examples of coursework include community health and quantitative methods, finance and economics, information technology and decision science, law and regulation, and leadership and ethics. Outside of the rigorous coursework, students must complete four immersion experiences and an applied research project. For admission, students must have at least two years of experience in healthcare or three years in any other sector. They must also submit official transcripts from an accredited bachelor’s program, a statement of purpose, two letters of recommendation, and a professional resume. They are not required to complete the GRE or GMAT for admission. However, applicants need to participate in a live interview with an admissions manager via web camera. The MHA program starts in January, April, July, and October.

• Location: Washington, District of Columbia
• Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health
• Format: Online with four on-campus immersions and at healthcare facilities in the U.S. and abroad
• Tuition: $1,655 per credit
• Program length: 50 credits; two to four years

The University of Scranton was the first to gain full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) for its online MHA program. This accreditation is considered the gold standard in the healthcare administration industry. The goal of this online MHA is to provide students with strong skills in communication, analysis and critical thinking, ethics, and leadership. It requires students to complete a healthcare administration practicum towards the end of the curriculum, which includes 150 hours of fieldwork and counts for three credits. The core competencies that students can expect to study at the University of Scranton include ethics, financial management, health systems, law, operations, organization, and quality control. Students will take 12 credits of foundational courses in organization and administration, financial management, statistics and research methods, and services and systems. They also take 32 credits of core courses in human resources management and healthcare policy. A three-credit elective and the practicum round out the degree. Admission requirements include transfer credits, a satisfactory academic record, three letters of recommendation, a professional resume, a letter of intent, three years of supervisory experience in the healthcare field, and a background check.

• Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
• Accreditation: Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
• Format: Online
• Tuition: $940 per credit
• Program length: 47 credits over two and a half years

This Ohio University program requires students take 12 three-credit courses. All students begin the program with an introduction to the healthcare delivery system in the U.S. and progress through other classes such as information systems for health services, research methods for health services, health policy, healthcare financing, and healthcare law. It prepares students for numerous exciting roles in healthcare administration such as analyst, director, nurse manager, and CEO.

Admissions requirements for this program include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, two years of recent full-time work experience in a healthcare system within the U.S., and excellent English writing skills. Some students may need to submit scores for IELTS or TOEFL.

• Location: Columbus, Ohio
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
• Format: Online
• Tuition: $673 per credit
• Program length: 36 credits; two years

The University of Cincinnati’s EMHA program is a professional, third-person program that values a conception of the health systems leader as a true health professional rather than a simple manager. The program strongly supports the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Code of Ethics, focusing on the healthcare manager’s responsibilities to the profession, patients or others served, the organization, and employees.

Students applying to the program must have completed a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. In addition, applicants must provide official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work. The MHA program is 100 percent online, with a fast track or extended program available through the College of Allied Health Sciences.

• Location: Cincinnati, OH
• Duration: Five to eight semesters
• Accreditation: Candidate, Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
• Tuition: $662 per credit

As a participant in the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Higher Education Network (ACHE), Queens University of Charlotte focuses on five core competencies in its online MHA program: business expertise, communication, healthcare knowledge, leadership, and professionalism. The college designed its curriculum to meet today’s most pressing healthcare needs and provides students with practical knowledge and skills that they can apply to their current as well as future roles in healthcare. Courses in this 36-credit program focus on the school’s “learn it today, use it today” mentality and include health services organization and delivery, organizational behavior in healthcare organizations, financial management, management and human resources of healthcare organizations, and quality improvements in healthcare organizations. Admission requirements include having a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, a 3.0 or better grade point average, two letters of recommendation, at least two years of work experience in a healthcare organization, official transcripts, professional resume, and a career statement.

• Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
• Format: Online
• Tuition: $720 per credit
• Program length: 36 credits; two years or more