Health Administration, M.H.A. (Executive)

Saint Louis University's Executive Master of Health Administration offers a hybrid format to better fit the needs of working professionals by blending distance learning with monthly face-to-face classes.

Ranked among the top 15 graduate programs for health care management by U.S. News & World Report, Saint Louis University's Executive Master of Health Administration program prepares working professionals to be leaders in a variety of health care organizations such as hospitals, health systems, insurance companies, pharmacy benefit management organizations, consulting firms and physician organizations.

Saint Louis University has been a pioneer in health management education since 1947. A leader in developing competency-based education, our spirit of innovation endures as we continually develop new options for students to explore health administration.  

• A face-to-face residential M.H.A. track is also available for students available for day-time classes in the traditional face-to-face format. 
• The Health Administration, M.H.A. and Business Administration, M.B.A. or Health Administration, M.H.A. and Law, J.D. dual degree programs allow you to earn two degrees in a compressed timeline.
• Working professionals can earn the Health Care Quality and Performance Excellence certificate in under a year and have the option to apply it to the M.H.A. program. 

Program Highlights

• Residential and online/hybrid options are available. Pursue the option that works best for you. 
• Our competency-based model focuses on how you will apply your skills rather than simply what you learn in class. 
• Approximately 95 percent of our recent graduates were working full-time careers in their fields within 90 days of graduation.
• Earn a certificate in Health Care Quality and Performance Excellence at no additional cost.
• Multiple areas of emphasis are available. 

Curriculum Overview

As one of the nation’s most established M.H.A. programs, SLU's M.H.A. connects students to a coast-to-coast network of recruiters and alumni working in senior leadership positions. The program is triple-accredited: the M.H.A. program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME); the College for Public Health and Social Justice is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH); and Saint Louis University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). 

The curriculum's foundation is the SLU Competency Model, pioneered early in healthcare pedagogy's shift to competency-based education, and the cornerstone of CAHME accreditation. A competency-based healthcare management education is focused not simply on the lectures you hear or writing papers, but on what you can do as a professional once you graduate.  

Careers

M.H.A. graduates occupy senior management positions in a variety of health care settings. Alumni work in health and hospital systems, insurance companies, academic medical centers, physician practices, consulting firms and pharmacy benefit management organizations, such as Express Scripts.

The 2019 class had a 100% graduation rate and 93% were pursuing: full-time careers in their fields (45%), fellowships (48%) or seeking further graduate education (4%) within 90 days of graduation.

The 2019 alumni are working in:

• Hospitals and health systems (78%)
• Managed care or insurance (10%)
• Consulting (6%)
• Other (6%)

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold at least a bachelor's degree or the equivalent from an accredited college or university. The E.M.H.A. is limited to working professionals seeking to advance their health care careers.

Application Requirements

• Application form and fee
• Transcript(s)
• Three letters of recommendation
• Resume/curriculum vitae
• Interview
• Professional goal statement
• No GRE test required

Requirements for International Students

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• Proof of financial support must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the time at Saint Louis University
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of study at the University
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until classes are full.

Review Process

All applications are considered on an individual basis with a balanced approach. Candidates may be invited to an on-site interview.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

The College for Public Health and Social Justice offers several ways to help finance graduate education.  Opportunities include a limited number of merit-based scholarships and graduate research assistantships.  Awards are made to applicants with the highest combinations of GPAs and test scores who complete their applications by the priority deadlines.

For more information, visit the student financial services office online at http://finaid.slu.edu.

Accreditation 

The College for Public Health and Social Justice is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). 

Most recent CEPH Self-Study - July 2016

Self-Study

Saint Louis University's Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) works to transform talented service-motivated students into knowledgeable, ethical professionals prepared for a range of management careers across the U.S. health sector. To achieve this goal the program relies on competency-based education. In fact, SLU's M.H.A. program has a long history of competency-based education (CBE). In 2002 the program developed one of the three nationally recognized competency models that has since been adopted and adapted by health management and health administration programs throughout the country.

In keeping with CBE, classes and the corresponding learning objectives are organized to meet 21 core competencies necessary for success in health administration across the broad health sector. Similar types of knowledge, skills and abilities are grouped into five competency domains (leadership, critical thinking/analysis, management, culture and community engagement, and communication). To remain at the forefront of Health Administration Education, the SLU M.H.A. program regularly re-evaluates the model with the input of alumni and other health industry professionals. 

LEADERSHIP (L)

• L1. Leadership Excellence: Demonstrate the abilities and behaviors that are characteristic of leadership excellence, which include establishing a vision and inspiring and supporting others to work towards that shared vision and related goals
• L2. Ethical Behavior: Demonstrate ethical behavior through words and actions, which include honesty, integrity, and a concern for justice
• L3. Social Responsibility: Prioritize goals and policies that balance the mission, vision and values of organizational stakeholders with the values and needs of the community
• L4. Adapting to Change: Evaluate changing environments, listen to diverse viewpoints, and propose effective responses that align with personal values and organizational mission

CRITICAL THINKING AND ANALYSIS (CTA)

• CTA1. Data Analysis: Apply appropriate methods and technology to analyze data patterns, trends and relationships
• CTA2. Environmental Analysis: Evaluate political, economic, social, technological, workforce, legal and regulatory factors that impact systems, organizations, communities and individuals at multiple levels along the health care continuum
• CTA3. Translating Complexity: Translate the results of complex analyses into information that illustrates potential problems and opportunities in a persuasive, meaningful way
• CTA4. Evidence-Based Decision Making: Assemble and utilize reliable and valid information sources and data to support informed, evidence-based decision-making
• CTA5. Systems Thinking:  Apply appropriate models and methods to analyze issues from a systems perspective and to design creative, flexible solutions that advance organizational goals and effectiveness
• CTA6. Ethical Analysis: Identify ethical concerns in management and policy and analyze those concerns using appropriate frameworks and principles

MANAGEMENT (M)

• M1. Management Functions: Apply management theories, approaches and core functions to routine operations and to current and emerging issues in the health care environment
• M2. Teamwork: Demonstrate the ability to lead and work with people and teams to accomplish planned goals and actions on time, with budgeted resources
• M3.  Essential Skills: Demonstrate essential management skills, which include efficient time and resource management; conflict negotiation and resolution; coaching and motivating others; facilitating discussion, cooperation, and consensus-building; delegating authority
• M4. Adapting to Uncertainty: Under conditions of uncertainty, demonstrate the ability to produce high quality work, make decisions, adapt to changing priorities, and learn from mistakes
• M5. Systems Management: Demonstrate the ability to deploy organizational resources and enforce accountability to support implementation of systems-based management approaches
• M6. Professionalism: Demonstrate conduct characteristic of health care professionals, which includes adhering to professional expectations, workplace norms, and performance standards; engaging in professional and community service; and participating in professional development opportunities

CULTURE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (CCE)

• CCE1. Cultural Competence: Build cultural competence in personal standards and practices and within the performance standards and practices of organizations, systems, and communities
• CCE2. Community Engagement: Apply evidence-based approaches to engage communities and multilevel partners in working together to improve modifiable determinants of health and health outcomes

COMMUNICATION

• C1. Create Information: Demonstrate the ability to promptly create and organize ideas and information that are effective and customized to fulfill the needs of the target audience
• C2. Convey Information: Demonstrate formal and informal communication using traditional and contemporary modalities to convey messages that are clear and cogent for the target audience
• C3. Interpersonal Effectiveness: Foster positive interpersonal relationships with internal and external stakeholders through use of bidirectional communication techniques, which include listening and responding appropriately to the ideas and opinions of others; giving and receiving feedback; and participating in crucial conversations

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.

Apply for Admission

For additional admission questions please contact,
Bernie Backer
Director of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions 
bernard.backer@slu.edu
314-977-8144