Applicable only to students admitted during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Healthcare Administration

Fielding School of Public Health

Graduate Degrees

Health and non-health managers and executives, who are working professionals, may choose to pursue an MHA degree by completing online course work, attending 2 on-campus immersions, and completing a capstone project. Courses are taught by leading practitioners and researchers in the field of public health and healthcare management.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Degree

Advising

An adviser is appointed for each new master’s student by the head of the respective department. Advisers will review MHA students’ progress quarterly and students are expected to meet with their advisers each quarter. A departmental guidance committee is established when the student has completed approximately half of the program for the master’s degree. Members of the departmental guidance committee are nominated by the department chair after consultation with the student and the student’s adviser.

An adviser is responsible for the student’s academic progress. Progress is evaluated on an ongoing basis. At the end of each quarter, the Associate Dean of Student Affairs reviews academic listings of students and notifies them and the advisers when the cumulative grade-point average is below 3.0. Advisers review each case with their advisees and make recommendations to Graduate Division for academic continuance or disqualification. Students who wish to change advisers must file a petition which must be approved by the new adviser, the department chair, and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

Areas of Study

The MHA degree is offered in the Department of Health Policy and Management with courses in Public Health and Healthcare Administration.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The MHA degree program is an online program for people with at least three years of experience in the health care or managerial fields. At minimum, it is a two-year program requiring 16 full courses and two on-campus immersions (66 units). A capstone project is required. Required courses include Public Health 201, Healthcare Administration 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416. Students must take 12 units from the following five electives: Healthcare Administration 406, 407, 408, 417, and 418.

Only courses in which a grade of C or better is received may be applied toward the requirements for a master’s degree. Courses taken for S/U grading may not be applied toward the degree requirements. Students must maintain an overall average of no less than 3.0 (B) in all courses required or elected during graduate residence at the University of California.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

A capstone project is the final requirement to complete the MHA. The capstone project must consist of an original written analysis that addresses an applied management topic and advances existing skills and techniques in healthcare administration. The capstone project will be administered by a committee consisting of 3 faculty members appointed by the MHA program.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

From graduate admission to award of the degree, normal progress is two years (including summer session C).

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (QUARTERS)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.H.A.	7 (incl. summer session C)	8 (incl. summer session C)	16

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.