Health Administration (H ADM)

Degree Conferred: M.H.A.

The Graduate Faculty

• Cynthia Mara, Ph.D. (Virginia Tech) Associate Professor of Health Care Administration and Policy
• Göktug Morçöl, Ph.D. (VPI) Associate Professor of Public Affairs
• Bing Ran, Ph.D. (Waterloo) Assistant Professor of Public Administration
• Jill S. Rumberger, Ph.D. (Penn State) Assistant Professor of Health Administration
• Triparna Vasavada, Ph.D. (SUNY, Albany) Assistant Professor of Public Administration
• James T. Ziegenfuss Jr., Ph.D. (Pennsylvania-Wharton) Professor of Management and Health Care Systems

The Program

The U.S. health care system is in a period of flux. The program, therefore, focuses on system design and redesign. The program’s mission is to further student knowledge and skills in a continuous learning cycle. Students are expected not only to know the existing health care system but also to identify the potential impact of current changes on system design. Also addressed are system demands related to access to care, management and control of costs, and quality of care delivery. The program consists of eight required core courses that defi ne the foundation of health care administration, as well as elective courses, in a 36-credit curriculum.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have received their baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university prior to starting the graduate program. Applicants who are still completing their baccalaureate requirements at the time of the application may be admitted to the Graduate School conditional on the awarding of the baccalaureate degree.

Admission to the MHA program is based on clear suitability for the program as demonstrated by the application as a whole, to include the following:

• Completed applications (Penn State Graduate School and MHA Supplemental) with the application fee;
• Evidence of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university;
• A statement of career and educational goals;
• A successful undergraduate record with a GPA of 3.0 (with particular attention given to the last 2 years of undergraduate work);
• Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) are required if the GPA is less than 3.0;
• Three years of professional work experience;
• A current resume;
• Three names of and contact information for three individuals willing to provide a reference.

The GPA requirement may be relaxed if the student has professional experience or other strong evidence suggesting likely success in the MHA program. Some applicants may be accepted on a non-matriculated probationary basis, pending performance at the B (3.00) level or higher over 15 hours of approved credit.

Prerequisite Courses

All undergraduate degrees are acceptable for admission. All students are expected to have had at least an introductory course in statistics and statistical software with a grade of "C" or better. Students without a prior course in statistics must fulfill this prerequisite within two semesters of admission to the program. Introductory courses – for which no graduate credit is given – are available at Penn State Harrisburg.

Applied Statistical Package Workshop

Increasingly, organizations expect employees to incorporate data-driven analysis into daily decisions, long-range planning, and organizational operations. H ADM 486 Applied Statistical Package for Health Administrators is an intensive two-day, non-credit workshop designed to enable students to learn the use of computerized statistical analysis packages. Students enrolled in H ADM 503 Research Methods are also to enroll in the Applied Statistical Package workshop unless they are confident that they have the SPSS skills that will be required in H ADM 503. A pretest is given prior to the workshop for those who feel confi dent that they are profi cient in the required skills. Evaluation will be pass/fail. Those who pass the pretest are not required to take the workshop.

Graduate Certificate Program in Long-Term Care Administration and Policy

The certifi cate program, offered by the MHA program, is designed for individuals with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university (with a 3.0 grade-point average in the last two years of undergraduate work) and three years of professional work experience who need knowledge and skills in long-term-care administration and policy, as well as in the long-term-care system and its relationship to the other parts of the health care system. The program includes four regularly scheduled, three-credit courses in the MHA Program. Required courses are H ADM 543, 542, and 545. One elective is chosen from the following: H ADM 539, 551, or 552. The courses must be taken for a letter grade with at least a 3.0 GPA maintained.

The Curriculum

The degree requires a minimum of 36 graduate credits, including a 3-credit, faculty-supervised paper. Three credits of 400-level work may be included in the electives. An overall 3.00 (B) or higher grade-point average must be earned in all 400- and 500-level work.

REQUIRED CORE COURSES: 24 credits

• H ADM 486 APPLIED STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR HEALTH ADMINISTRATORS (0) Prerequisite: 3 credits statistics
• H ADM 503 RESEARCH METHODS (P ADM) (3). Prerequisite: 3 credits statistics or permission of program and a demonstrated working knowledge of SPSS
• H ADM 506 (P ADM) MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR PUBLIC AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (3)
• H ADM 510 (P ADM) ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOR (3)
• H ADM 539 HEALTH SYSTEMS ORGANIZATION (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 540 HEALTH ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY FORMULATION (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 541 HEALTH ECONOMICS AND POLICY (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 542 HEALTH CARE POLITICS AND POLICY (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 545 HEALTH FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (3.) Prerequisite: permission of program and the noncredit H ADM 486 APPLIED STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR HEALTH ADMINISTRATORS (0) Prerequisite: 3 credits of statistics.

ELECTIVE COURSES: 9 credits

• H ADM 543 LONG-TERM-CARE ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 546 HEALTH PLANNING FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 548 HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 551 HEALTH CARE LAW (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 552 HEALTH DELIVERY SYSTEMS: (3). Prerequisite: permission of program
• H ADM 596INDIVIDUAL STUDIES: (1-9)
• H ADM 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9)
• P ADM 505 HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE PUBLIC AND NONPROFIT SECTOR (3). Prerequisite: P ADM 500
• P ADM 511 ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT (3). Prerequisite: P ADM 510 or H ADM 510
• P ADM 512 ISSUES IN HUMAN RESOURCES (3). Prerequisite: P ADM 505; and P ADM 510 or H ADM 510
• P ADM 514 PUBLIC ORGANIZATION AND MANAGERIAL CONSULTATION (3). Prerequisite: P ADM 500 and either P ADM 510 or H ADM 510
• P ADM 515 LABOR MANAGEMENT RELATIONS (3). Prerequisite: P ADM 505
• P ADM 516 STRATEGIC PLANNING (3). Prerequisite: P ADM 500
• P ADM 550 POLICY AND PROGRAM EVALUATION (3). Prerequisite: P ADM 503

CAPSTONE COURSE (REQUIRED): 3 credits

• H ADM 594 RESEARCH TOPICS (1-15)

Transfer Credits and Course Substitutions

Students may transfer up to 9 credits from an external institution, or up to 15 credits of nondegree work from Penn State, if the credits contribute to the required core and the electives. Transfer credits require approval by the Program Coordinator.

Grade-Point Average and Time Limit

Students may start the program at the beginning of any semester. Part-time students usually take one or two 3-credit courses each semester. Students may also take one or two courses during the summer session to maintain steady progress toward the degree. All Health Administration courses are available during the evening for the convenience of part-time students. A student may complete the M.H.A. on a part-time basis in about two to four years.

Students must have a 3.00 grade-point average to graduate and all degree requirements (including acceptance of the completed master’s paper) must be met within eight years of admission to graduate status.

Please note: This page is not a part of the official Penn State Graduate Bulletin.