MHA vs. Master's in Public Health Programs
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The healthcare industry in America sits at a unique crossroads between public policy, academic science, and private business. Already the largest employer in the country, the healthcare industry is set to grow further in the next few decades due to the Baby Boomer generation’s retirement and there’s a dire need for more experts and leaders. Those who aspire to take on leadership roles in the healthcare sector have their choice between two paths: a master of healthcare administration degree (MHA), or a master of public health degree (MPH).
The MHA degree prepares young professionals to take on leadership and management roles in healthcare facilities. The coursework in these programs often includes a robust education in business principles as they apply to healthcare, covering areas such as healthcare finance, healthcare marketing, and strategic management. Graduates of MHA programs often go on to manage long-term care facilities, private clinics, and hospitals. This is a degree for those interested in the business side of healthcare.
The MPH degree prepares students to become experts in the causes, effects, and policies behind issues of public health. MPH curriculums often include courses in epidemiology, healthcare policy, the social determinants of health, and biostatistics. Those who graduate with an MPH often go on to work as researchers, policy analysts, biostatisticians, and social workers. This is a degree for someone who wants to drive better public health outcomes through policy and research.
Whether you decide to pursue an MHA or an MPH, you’re placing yourself in an in-demand field, and moving your resume towards the top of the stack.
To figure out which degree is right for you, check out our side-by-side comparison chart below.
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Typical Admissions Requirements |
Admissions requirements vary from program to program, but often include some combination of the following:
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Admissions requirements vary from program to program, but often include some combination of the following:
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Accreditation |
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Specializations |
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Curriculum Overview |
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Typical Duration |
A full-time MHA program, which typically consists of between 36 and 60 credits, can often be completed in one to two years. | A full-time MPH program, which typically consists of between 40 to 80 credits, can be completed in one to three years. |
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Tuition |
Tuition rates vary widely depending upon residency status, public or private schools, concentration options, and the number of credits needed for completion. Of the schools below, tuition rates can range from $714 to $1,672 per credit. | Tuition rates vary widely depending upon residency status, public or private schools, concentration options, and the number of credits needed for completion. Of the schools below, tuition rates can range from $525 to $1,660 per credit. |
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Examples of On-Campus Programs in Healthcare Administration and Public Health |
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Examples of Online Programs in Healthcare Administration and Public Health |
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Career Opportunities for Graduates |
Those who graduate with an MHA can go on to manage clinics, long-term care facilities, non-profits, and hospitals. They can also work for insurance companies, government agencies, or consulting firms. | Those who graduate with an MPH can find work as biostatisticians, epidemiologists, policy advisors, public health educators, researchers, and social workers. |
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The Bottom Line |
Those who earn their MHA go on to run the business side of healthcare. While they almost always work in a setting that administers healthcare-related services, they drive outcomes through shrewd business management and organizational leadership. | Those who earn their MPH go on to work with policy, services, and initiatives that impact public health. Even in research or policy advisement roles, they work hands-on with public health-related matters and use their public health knowledge to drive better population health outcomes. |
Featured Online MHA Programs
Ohio University’s 100 percent online master of health administration program helps working professionals in fostering their confidence for making a lasting and positive impact on the organization in which they work. Combining practical learning with academic theory, this online MHA will help students in enhancing their decision-making skills and will also help them in broadening their impact as a leader in almost any health industry setting. The faculty of the program includes dedicated professionals who are actively working in the industry.
Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution, an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0, two years of professional work experience, one letter of recommendation, English writing skills, and TOEFL or IELTS scores for international students. GRE scores are not required for admission.
Made up of 36 credits, the curriculum includes courses such as information systems for health services, the leadership of health organizations, health policy, healthcare finance, health law, epidemiology in health administration, ethical issues in healthcare, and human resource management in healthcare.
Graduates of the program will be ready and well equipped to work at hospitals, mental health organizations, clinics, rehabilitation centers, government organizations, and health insurance organizations. They can take up roles such as clinical manager, healthcare administrator, health information manager, hospital administrator, health services manager, and healthcare executive, among others.
- Location: Athens, OH
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: Ohio resident ($654 per credit); non-Ohio resident ($673 per hour)
George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services offers an online CAHME accredited MHA in health systems management program preparing students with the business, decision-making, analytic, and strategic skills needed for successfully navigating and leading innovation in today’s evolving healthcare industry. The online delivery format of this program provides accessibility and flexibility for working professionals everywhere. Students in this online program engage with the same on-campus faculty of renowned experts shaping the healthcare industry.
The major admission requirements to the program include a bachelor’s degree from an institution of higher education accredited by a recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency or international equivalent and have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, letters of recommendation, a completed online application, and English language test scores for international students. GRE or GMAT scores are not required for admission to the program.
Comprising 47 to 51 credits, the curriculum includes courses in organizational behavior and healthcare leadership, health economics, legal issues in health administration, human resource management in healthcare, statistics in health services management, quality improvement in health services, financial management in health systems, and managerial accounting in healthcare.
At the end of the program, graduates are prepared to work as executive-level managers and leaders in evolving health systems, or as managers or consultants of health-related organizations. They can take up opportunities at hospitals, medical practice groups, health systems, consulting and regulatory entities, ambulatory clinics, and managed care organizations.
- Location: Fairfax, VA
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; CAHME
- Expected Time to Completion: 32 months
- Estimated Tuition: $895 per credit
Featured Online MPH Programs
The University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health offers an online master of public health program preparing students to make a greater impact in their community and across the globe in the public health arena. The program’s education can be being applied across cultural and geographical borders for promoting a healthy and happier society. The faculty of the program includes world-class public health leaders who provide students with a dynamic online learning experience that is built on integrative thinking, direct interaction, and collaborative discourse.
Students in this program will have the option to choose from three distinct concentration options: applied epidemiology, health behavior health promotion, and health services administration.
Consisting of 42 credits, the program includes courses such as the fundamentals of health budgeting and financial management, basic principles of epidemiology, public health policy and management, environmental and occupational health, biostatistics in public health, and socio-cultural and behavioral aspects of public health.
To get accepted into the program, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0, Three letters of recommendation, a current resume, a statement of purpose, mission and values statement, and TOEFL or IELTS scores for international applicants.
With an MPH degree, students can work in a variety of settings, including healthcare delivery and administration, nonprofits, and government organizations.
- Location: Tucson, AZ
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission; Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $950 per credit
The University of South Dakota offers an online master of public health program preparing public health leaders and practitioners to address the public health needs of rural communities. In collaboration with South Dakota State University, this MPH program adopts an interprofessional approach to the five core areas of public health: epidemiology; biostatistics; health services administration; environmental health; and social and behavioral sciences.
Applicants to the program must submit a completed online graduate application form, a baccalaureate degree, or an equivalent degree from an institution with full regional accreditation, a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0, a statement of purpose, two letters of recommendation, and official proof of English language proficiency for international students.
The program comprises 42 credits including coursework in biostatistics for public health, epidemiology, public health theory and practice, an introduction to health systems and policy, social and behavioral sciences in public health, and public health immunology.
This MPH program will train students for a range of public health specialties and public health positions, including health service administrator, environmental health specialist, epidemiologist, healthcare industry analyst, biostatistician, and medical and health services manager.
- Location: Vermillion, SD
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC); Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: Resident ($340.15 per credit); non-resident ($654.05 per credit)
