Learn more about the largest master's programs in health administration
Hospitals and health systems
CAHME’s analysis found the majority of graduates at the University of Southern California's Sol Price School of Public Policy in Los Angeles go to traditional provider settings.
Dr. Jason Doctor, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, said the USC MHA program provides meaningful work experience for their graduates through residency opportunities, which require 1,000 hours of service. The residency organizations often end up hiring the students, or they gain enough experience to be eligible for an entry-level management position, he said.
The program is also innovating ways for students to better understand health data, he added. For example, the program started a health data lab allowing students to learn the fundamentals of querying data for analysis and reporting.
"Administrators need to know this because they are on the hook for quality metrics in value-based incentive plans operated by insurance companies and the federal government," Doctor said.
Consulting
CAHME's analysis found that 8% of graduates went into some type of consulting.
“There’s a recognition that it’s helpful to hire graduates who understand how the healthcare system works, the policy environment in which organizations operate, and have high-level data analysis and decision-making skills,” Sale said.
She said her department strives to ensure students come out of their program with strong analytic, financial and management skills.
“We also emphasize the development of soft skills such as communication, leadership, writing and problem-solving, which are crucial for success in consulting roles,” she said.
Doctor said some of his program’s recent graduates have gone on to work with consulting firms in a variety of areas including mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy and growth as well as health information management.
At Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, about a third of students go into consulting for sectors such as biopharma and care delivery, according to faculty director Ned Rimer.
He said the school now offers a course focused on technical advances to take advantage of the emerging opportunities offered in the digital health sector."We prepare our students to adapt strategies and innovate with new technologies to execute on promising advances in the field," he said.
Physician practice management
Thompson said practice management appeals to a number of graduates from UNC Charlotte's College of Health and Human Services because it presents a more well-rounded path for professional growth.
"If you're a practice manager, you're working with all different aspects [of operations] from scheduling to billing," he said. It also provides opportunities in a changing job market.
He said entry-level management roles within health systems historically were staffed by people with advanced degrees. Now with streamlining and downsizing, MHA graduates often find themselves competing against people with an undergraduate degree. With practice management training, graduates have a broader skill set to offer.
Long-term care
While CAHME found only about 1% of graduates in their accredited programs go into long-term care settings, that sector is a focus for St. Joseph's College of Maine’s long-term care administration program.
Michael "Kevin" Harrington, the program’s director, said being an online program helps the school appeal to students from across the country, but that there are no curriculum shortcuts because it’s virtual.
“In years past, a hospital could hire a manager in training for two years who would be taught everything they want them to do,” he said. “Now they have to be ready [from the start]; there’s no more training.”
The faculty is also a big contributor to the program’s success, he said. As a remote program he said the school is able to hire high-quality instructors based across the country who are subject matter experts.
“That gives us an opportunity to give students what they’re looking for,” Harrington said.
