Friends University Online Master of Health Care Leadership
Friends University offers an online master of health care leadership (MHCL) program that prepares individuals to assume key leadership roles in health care settings. It focuses on leading in areas like hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, and home health or hospice services. Students can complete the degree fully online or in person in Wichita, Kansas, and finish in just one year if they study full-time.
The MHCL helps students build skills to address today’s health care challenges and make smart decisions when running health care groups. It brings together working professionals in a group setting for shared learning, building a supportive network that readies them to guide teams in businesses or nonprofits. Graduates gain broad skills to create caring, lasting health care operations.
The coursework was developed by leaders in the health care industry and includes real-world knowledge from full-time faculty with health care experience and full-time practitioners.
Friends University is a private nondenominational Christian university in Wichita, Kansas, and is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
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What to Expect from the Friends University Online Master of Health Care Leadership
Admission Requirements: To apply for the Friends University online MHCL program, applicants must complete and sign an application for admission and submit an application fee to the Office of Admissions. They need to hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and provide an official transcript from the institution that granted it. Applicants must also participate in a program director interview and receive approval to join the program.
The program requires applicants to have maintained a grade point average of 2.75 or better as set by the program. In addition, they must submit one or more letters of recommendation.
Some students entering without a business-related bachelor’s degree will need to take a Division of Business and Information Technology foundation course early in the program, within the first six credits. This foundation course does not count toward elective credits for the master’s degree.
Study Plan: The Friends University online MHCL is a 30- to 33-credit program that prepares students for health care leadership through core business courses and specialized health care topics. In addition to 15 credits of common graduate core courses and 15 credits of MHCL program requirements, the program may include three credits for a possible business foundation course. There are no clinical hour requirements listed for the program.
Students can finish in as little as one year by taking courses in eight-week terms, one night a week, offered on campus, online, or e-synchronously. Full-time or part-time pacing works for busy schedules. The plan ends with a capstone project that offers options such as a systems management course, international internship trips, or an approved individualized placement.
A foundation course applies only to those without a business bachelor’s degree and must come first within the initial six credits of study.
Curriculum: The Friends University online master of health care leadership curriculum requires a total of 30 to 33 credits. The program may begin with a ‘division of business and information technology foundation’ course for students who do not have a business-related bachelor’s degree.
All students complete 15 credits in the common business or technology graduate core. These courses include leadership as a calling; strategic marketing management; business diversity and cross-cultural communication; managerial finance: domestic and global perspectives; and capstone portfolio. Together, they build a broad base in leadership, marketing, communication, and finance that supports advanced work in health care leadership.
The MHCL program requirements add another 15 credits focused directly on health care. Required courses include quality management in health care organizations; risk management and decision making; strategic planning and performance analytics in health care; contemporary issues in aging services; and managing complex health care systems. These courses help students understand quality improvement, risk and decision processes, planning and analytics, aging services, and the management of complex health systems.
Students complete the program through the capstone component, which is embedded in the curriculum. The capstone course “managing complex health care systems” provides leadership concepts for overseeing a full-service health system. Students have three capstone options: the capstone course itself, international internships with cultural experiences and tours in places like China, England, and South Africa, or an individualized internship with a current employer or another provider, subject to program director approval.
Online Experience: The Friends University MHCL program runs courses online or e-synchronously in eight-week terms, meeting one night a week for convenience. This format allows students to join from anywhere while learning from health care professionals and faculty, and to build peer networks through group study. It supports quick completion in one year with flexible pacing.
On-Site Requirements: The Friends University online MHCL program can be completed entirely online, with no mandatory on-campus or in-person attendance required. While in-person evening classes are available on the Wichita campus, and some capstone options, such as individualized internships, may involve off-campus arrangements, students have full flexibility to fulfill all requirements remotely.
Paying for the Friends University Online Master of Health Care Leadership
Friends University’s online MHCL program tuition costs are listed in the tables below. Applicants should verify current tuition and fees with the university.
Financial aid is available to students who qualify. Options may include federal student aid, private loans, scholarships, or employer tuition assistance. The first step in applying for financial aid is to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students are encouraged to contact the university’s Office of Financial Aid for personalized support and guidance.
Friends University Online Master of Health Care Leadership
| Degree Level | Master's Degree |
| Program Start Dates | 3 - Fall, Spring, Summer |
| Credits Needed to Graduate | 33 |
| Time to Complete? | Finish your degree in as little as one year |
| 100% Online? | Yes |
| Program Accreditation | CAHME |
| Level of Education Required? | Bachelor's Degree |
| GRE or GMAT Required? | No GMAT/GRE Required |
| Work Experience Required? | No work experience required, however a resume is required for admission |
| Credit Hours | 33 |
| Average Cost Per Credit | $636.00 |
| Estimated Program Tuition * | $20,988.00 |
Tuition is calculated based on credits, at the published tuition rate. For programs with variable tuition rates, we use the rates for part-time students. Tuition number represents the cost of tuition for the entire program, not per semester or year. Estimated total tuition does not include additional fees, unless otherwise specified. Please check here for any tuition updates.
