Master of Health Administration (MHA)

Graduates of the MHA program are prepared to assume management positions in health services organizations through-out the world. The integration of theory and practice in the program allows students to develop technical and interpersonal skills essential to successful leadership in health services. Students complete 15 core courses in health management and policy. They also take five graduate electives in the School of Public Health or in other schools of the University.

In addition, students take what they learn from the classroom into the field during a 13-week internship under the direction of a senior health care executive. Each year, the program recruits sponsors from more than six dozen diverse health care sites nationwide including hospitals and health systems, managed care organizations, consulting 4 firms, long-term care facilities, physician practices and government agencies.

Prerequisites All students entering the MHA program in the fall of 2004 should complete a three credit hour course in two areas: microeconomics and introduction to finance concepts, before matriculation. They may be taken at the undergraduate or graduate level. One of these requirements may be completed during the first semester of study with minimal alteration to the course of study. Students entering without a background course in either area are required to complete a course in the Fundamentals of Economics and Finance offered by the Department. An introductory course in statistics is also recommended. Applicant questions regarding these prerequisites should be addressed to the Department.

Required Courses (45 credit hours) Health Care Accounting • Principles of Biostatistics • Health Care Organization • Health Information Systems • Management of Health Care Organizations • Managerial Environmental and Occupational Health • Health Care Economics • Management of Human Resources • Legal Aspects of Health Services Management • Health Care Financial Management • Managerial Epidemiology • Health Care Ethics in a Pluralistic Society • Financial Aspects of Managed Care • Health Operations Management • Strategic Management in Health Care • Health Services Management Rounds • MHA Internship

Total Credit Hours: 60

Examination Requirement Each student in the MHA program must sit for a comprehensive oral examination during the final semester of academic work. No thesis is required for the MHA degree.

Founded in 1910, the John Cook School of Business is the 15th oldest business school in the nation. The school is accredited by the AACSB and offers undergraduate, Masters and Ph.D. degrees to more than 1,700 stu dents per academic year.

While many schools are members of AACSB or are recognized by AACSB, Saint Louis University's business school is one of the few area schools that is accredited by the AACSB, the International Association for Management Education, the premier accrediting body of business schools. Accreditation by AACSB ensures continuous quality improvement in collegiate schools of business in terms of the curriculum, instructional resources, student selection, and career planning and placement, and the intellectual contributions and qualifications of the faculty.

Business school facilities have increased 75% with a 60,000-square-foot, $15 million expansion that opened in September 2000. Named John and Lucy Cook Hall, the addition is designed with students in mind, featuring ample study rooms, a café, a beautiful commons and computer docking stations throughout the building. Those stations provide student access to the internet, enabling individual research and entry to sites for specific SLU classes where professors maintain current syllabi and other course information. The structure is open, light and airy, offering many comfortable gathering spots for you to study or socialize.