Master of Health Administration, MHA

About the Program

The MHA program at LSUS requires that students complete a series of courses consisting of 30 graduate credit hours. Students who do not have a background in business or a related field are encouraged to take one or more of the optional foundation courses: MBA 500, MBA 501, MBA 502, and MBA 503. These optional one-hour credit courses are graded on a pass/fail basis and are designed to provide a fundamental understanding of accounting, economics, finance, and informatics/statistics. The four optional foundation courses do NOT count towards MHA degree completion. The MHA program is offered exclusively online.

Admission Requirements

Admission is permitted to applicants who hold at least one of the following qualifications:

• Graduate degree from a university accredited by a USDE-recognized institutional accrediting agency, OR
• Bachelor’s degree from a university accredited by a USDE-recognized institutional accrediting agency, with minimum 3.0 overall GPA or minimum 3.0 GPA in last 60 semester hours of courses, OR
• Bachelor’s degree from a university accredited by a USDE-recognized institutional accrediting agency, with minimum 2.5 overall GPA or minimum 2.75 GPA in last 60 semester hours of courses, AND at least three years of professional work experience, OR
• Bachelor’s degree from a university accredited by a USDE-recognized institutional accrediting agency, with minimum 2.5 overall GPA or minimum 2.75 GPA in last 60 semester hours of courses, and a minimum GMAT score of 450, and a minimum score of 1000 based on the following formula: GMAT score plus (200 x overall undergraduate GPA).

Career Opportunities

The MHA prepares students for professional middle- and upper-level management positions within healthcare institutions. Such institutions include hospitals and medical centers, medical group practices, pharmaceutical firms, medical technology corporations, health insurance companies, government and nonprofit health agencies, nursing homes and assisted living centers, and home health agencies.

Within each of these institutions, critical administrative functions must be carried out on an ongoing basis, providing significant opportunities for current and future healthcare administrators. Whether you aspire to become the administrator of a medical group, the director of human resources at a long-term care center, the sales manager of a pharmaceutical manufacturer or health insurance company, or the chief executive officer of a medical center, the MHA at LSUS can assist you in accomplishing your goal.

The degree is also quite useful for experienced healthcare executives seeking to further develop their administrative knowledge, skills, and abilities to enhance their contributions to the healthcare industry.

Degree Requirements

1. Students who possess an undergraduate degree must complete a minimum of 30 graduate hours: 10 core courses. In addition to the 10 core courses, students who do not possess an undergraduate business degree, or those who may need additional preparation, should take up to four optional foundation courses at 1 credit hour each.
2. Meet minimum 3.0 GPA requirement in both of the following:

• Graduate courses taken at LSUS, and
• Graduate courses fulfilling degree requirements, including the 10 core courses

General Recommendations

Students in the MHA program are expected to show a level of independence and self-reliance. The LSUS General Catalog is an important source of information regarding University expectations. All students admitted into the MHA program are expected to familiarize themselves with University and MHA policies. Specifically, students are expected to visit the MHA Resource Center Moodle course.

Catalog

If a student withdraws from the program for more than two regular sessions, he/she must reenter under the catalog in effect at the time of reentry.

Time Limit

A student has eight years to complete the MHA degree, starting when he/she begins graduate-level coursework. If the student does not meet the time limit requirement before graduate courses are completed, he/she must reenter under the catalog in effect at the time of reentry or obtain approval from the Graduate Studies Committee, the Dean of the College of Business, and Graduate Council to extend the time limit.

Transfer and Transient Credit

The LSUS MHA program in the College of Business does not accept transfer or transient credit. All required courses must be taken from the LSUS MHA program. If graduate courses were taken at another university, they will not be applied to the LSUS MHA program.