The College of Public Health offers two master’s degree options for students who choose to pursue a career in health services management and policy: the Master of Public Health (MPH) with a specialization in HSMP, or the Master of Health Administration (MHA). Both are well-recognized degrees that are widely acceptable in a variety of employment settings, and many of the courses required are the same. However, there are differences that distinguish the two and might help an individual make the appropriate choice.
The MPH option requires a total of 60 credit hours, including 20 hours of public health core, 28 hours of HSMP specialization, 4 hours of practicum, 4 hours of “culminating experience” (an integrative writing project or thesis), and 4 hours of elective. The MPH is usually completed in four academic quarters plus one quarter spent in a practicum assignment.
The MHA is a longer degree, requiring a total of 84 credit hours, of which 62 are required and 22 elective. In addition, the student must complete a required practice placement, usually in the form of a summer administrative residency, for which academic credit is not given. The MHA normally requires two full academic years plus the summer practice placement.
Other than the difference in length, the principal curriculum distinction is that the MHA is more “business-oriented” than the MPH. For instance, the MHA requires three finance courses, while the MPH requires only one; conversely, the MPH has slightly more required content in core public health disciplines than the MHA. Visit the Academic Programs section to compare specific requirements.
Most students make their choice between the degrees based on their personal interests, including the extent to which they wish to emphasize the business/management orientation of the MHA or the public health/population orientation of the MPH. Most MHA graduates tend to seek careers in the management of health care delivery organizations (hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, etc.), in consulting positions related to health services, or management or policy positions in other settings related to health care delivery (insurance, public health care programs, etc.). MPH graduates have emphasized public agencies such as state and local health departments, public health care programs, nonprofit health agencies, and clinical care. The admissions staff and HSMP faculty would be happy to discuss the relative merits of the programs for individual applicants.
Learn more about the Division of Health Services Management and Policy and the MHA program.
How to apply
Click here for information on how to apply to programs in the College of Public Health.
