The Master of Health Administration (MHA) is a professional degree program intended for students to enter or continue administrative practice in health service related settings. The mission of the MHA Program is to provide exceptional early‐ to mid‐level careerists with a strong foundation to become leaders dedicated to improving health care services for all populations.
There are two tracks that students can choose to earn the MHA degree:
The Resident track of the MHA program is a 55-credit hour program that can be completed in 21 months (full-time) or 33 months (part-time) and is intended for applicants with limited healthcare experience. This track seeks to prepare students for competitive opportunities post-graduation, including administrative fellowships and entry-level positions in health services organizations. The Resident track curriculum includes a practicum allowing students to apply foundational knowledge in a health services organization. Application to the Resident track of the MHA program requires successful completion (i.e., a grade of B or better) of three undergraduate prerequisites: economics, statistics, and managerial accounting or finance.
The Executive track of the MHA program is tailored to individuals who are already employed within the health care industry and have demonstrated managerial and leadership experience. While no course prerequisites are required, ideal applicants will have a minimum of five years of progressive work experience and are seeking to expand their formal knowledge and skill set. The Executive track of the MHA program is a 45-credit hour program and takes 24 months to complete.
The MHA degree prepares students to:
- Navigate the relationship between health care operations, communities served, and local, state, regional and national organizations and policies;
- Demonstrate motivation and empowerment of organizational resources to achieve a shared vision of health service delivery;
- Prepare to organize the delivery of health services in complex organizations; and
- Utilize effective analytic and technical skills for the successful delivery of health services.
For more details on the MHA program, see the Department of Health Policy and Management website.
This program is also approved for delivery via asynchronous or synchronous distance education technology.
Program Requirements
Student's Advisory Committee
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
The student's advisory committee for the Master of Health Administration (MHA) consists of an assigned faculty advisor. After receiving admission to the program and before enrolling for coursework, the student will consult with their assigned faculty advisor to receive additional information related to curriculum and processing of the degree plan. The faculty advisor must have Graduate Faculty membership in the academic program. If at any point of the student’s time in pursuit of the degree the assigned advisor is no longer available, the department will assign a new advisor and require a comprehensive advisory session to ensure the student is making progress according to degree program requirements. Students in this degree program receive advising prior to all semesters.
Degree Plan
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
The student’s advisor, in consultation with the student, will develop the proposed degree plan. The degree plan must be completed and filed with the Graduate and Professional School prior to the deadlines imposed by the student’s college, and no later than the dates announced in the Graduate and Professional School calendar of deadlines for graduation.
The proposed final degree plan should be submitted through the online Document Processing Submission System located on the website https://ogsdpss.tamu.edu.
Additional coursework may be added to the approved degree plan by petition if it is deemed necessary by the advisor to correct deficiencies in the student’s academic preparation.
Credit Requirements
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
A minimum of 55 hours of coursework is required for the resident track of the Master of Health Administration degree. To demonstrate integration and application of subject matter learned and the development of written and oral communication skills, a student will be required to successfully complete a capstone course and practicum as part of the culminating experience requirement to graduate.
The executive track of the MHA program is a 45-credit hour program. This track takes 24 months to complete; courses will be taught online as either 7-week or 15-week durations, with three courses being offered each semester.
Transfer of Credit
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
A student may transfer up to 9 hours of graduate credit to the Master of Health Administration degree program on the advice and approval of the student’s advisory committee, department chair, and school academic affairs dean, and with the approval of the Graduate and Professional School. Courses taken in residence at an accredited U.S. institution or approved international institution with a final grade of B or greater may be considered for transfer credit if, at the time the courses were completed, the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution. Otherwise, the limitations stated in the preceding section apply. Coursework in which no formal grades are given or in which grades other than letter grades (A or B) are earned (for example, CR, P, S, U, H, etc.) is not accepted for transfer credit. Courses appearing on the degree plan with grades of D, F, or U may not be absolved by transfer work. Credit for coursework submitted for transfer from any college or university must be shown in semester credit hours or equated to semester credit hours. An official transcript from the university at which the transfer coursework was taken must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions.
Courses used toward another degree at another institution may not be applied for graduate credit. If the course to be transferred was taken prior to the conferral of a degree at the transfer institution, a letter from the registrar at that institution stating that the course was not applied for credit toward the degree must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School.
Grades for courses completed at other institutions are not included in computing the GPA.
Limitations on the Use of Transfer, Extension and Certain Other Courses
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
If otherwise acceptable, certain courses may be used toward meeting credit-hour requirements for the master’s degree with the following limitations.
- The maximum number of credit hours allowed toward the MHA as transfer credit is 9.
- Courses previously used for another degree are not acceptable for credit.
-
A zero credit 684 or 685 course is only allowed for non-thesis option master's students. A zero credit 681 course can be used for either thesis or non-thesis option master’s students. Other courses, including 691 research hours, are not eligible for zero credit.
- A maximum of 6 hours of 684 (Professional Internship/Practicum), and 9 hours of 685 (Directed Studies), if approved on the degree plan.
- Undergraduate courses are not allowed to transfer to the MHA degree program.
- Continuing education courses may not be used for graduate credit.
- Extension courses are not acceptable for credit.
-
For non-distance degree programs, no more than 50 percent of the non-research coursework required for the program may be completed through distance education courses.
-
To receive a graduate degree from Texas A&M University, students must earn one-third or more of the credits through the institution’s own direct instruction. This limitation also applies to joint degree programs.
Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases and when petitioned by the student’s advisor, department chair, school academic affairs office, and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.
Final Examination
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
A final comprehensive examination is not required for the Master in Health Administration non-thesis degree program.
Additional Requirements
Residence
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
No residence requirement exists; however, attention is directed to the rules regarding Limitations on the Use of Transfer, Extension and Certain Other Courses.
See Residence Requirements.
Time Limit
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
All degree requirements for a master’s degree must be completed within a period of seven consecutive years. Coursework which is over seven calendar years old may not be applied to master’s degree. Time limits for coursework on the degree plan may also apply to transfer coursework.
Scholastic Requirements
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
To maintain good academic standing, a MHA student must maintain a minimum cumulative 3.000 GPA. If a student fails to attain a cumulative 3.000 GPA, he or she is placed on academic probation. A student on academic probation must raise his or her cumulative GPA to a 3.000 or above according to requirements to be set forth in the probation letter. Typically, this means raising the cumulative GPA to a 3.000 or higher by the end of the next long semester (fall or spring). If this requirement is not met, the School’s Academic Affairs Office will recommend that the Graduate and Professional School block the student from further enrollment. If a student is blocked from further enrollment in the MHA program, he or she shall not be permitted to enroll in other MHA courses.
Foreign Languages
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
No specific language requirement exists for the Master of Health Administration degree program.
Internship or Practicum
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
Students in the MHA are required to fulfill a practicum requirement (PHPM 684). Instructions on submission and successful completion of the practicum are posted on the School of Public Health practicum website as well as with the department’s practicum coordinator. Students are to work specifically with their department practicum coordinator on meeting this curriculum course requirement. The practicum is overseen by the School of Public Health Practicum Coordinator in conjunction with the school’s master’s curriculum committee. Students must be in good academic standing, have completed all core public health courses, or be enrolled concurrently in no more than one core course at the time they enroll in the PHPM 684 course, and have no registration or university holds related to enrollment.
Application for Degree
On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs
For information on applying for your degree, please visit the Graduation section.
