Applicable only to students admitted during the 2025-2026 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 M.H.A. 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

Progress is evaluated on an ongoing basis by the program office. The Student Services Advisors as well as the Program Director monitor and check-in with students throughout the quarter to ensure that the students are receiving support to succeed in the program. At the end of each quarter, the Associate Dean of Student Affairs reviews academic listings of students and notifies them and the program office when the cumulative grade-point average is below 3.0. The program office reviews each case and makes recommendations to the Division of Graduate Education for academic continuance or disqualification.

Areas of Study

The M.H.A. 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 M.H.A. 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, Healthcare Administration 596 and 597 (66 units). A capstone project is required, Healthcare Administration 400. Required courses include Public Health 201, Healthcare Administration 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 596, and 597. Students must take eight units from the following four selected topics: Healthcare Administration 406, 407, 408, and 418. (Course offerings will vary quarterly.)

Up to two required courses may be substituted with a petition and approval from the M.H.A. Program Director.

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 M.H.A. 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 M.H.A. 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.