Online Master of

Healthcare Administration

As an experienced healthcare professional, you tirelessly strive to improve access to quality patient care. Perhaps you’re an administrator, a nurse, a pharmacist or work in insurance, but the objective remains the same.

Abilene Christian University’s fully online Master of Healthcare Administration degree builds off your existing skillset to transform you into a leader ready to serve others and enact change through a faith-based approach blending patient care and business acumen. 

As an experienced healthcare professional, you tirelessly strive to improve access to quality patient care. Perhaps you’re an administrator, a nurse, a pharmacist or work in insurance, but the objective remains the same.

Abilene Christian University’s fully online Master of Healthcare Administration degree builds off your existing skillset to transform you into a leader ready to serve others and enact change through a faith-based approach blending patient care and business acumen. 

Main Content

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Promote Patient Care in a Growing Industry

Through multiple factors, the healthcare industry is seeing an influx of open positions — including for leaders ready to take charge. Learn to improve care quality and access from individual through community levels with ACU’s online Master of Healthcare Administration degree program. 

Our online degree programs are designed for busy working adults just like you — intentionally structured to allow you to balance a full-time job, life and other commitments. As a student of ACU Online, you are part of a vibrant, virtual, Christ-centered community.

Locked-In Tuition

Introducing
Locked-In Tuition.

Our Locked-In Tuition program guarantees you’ll pay the same price for your entire graduate degree.

About the Program

Master of Healthcare Administration

ACU’s online Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) allows you to gain industry insights immediately upon beginning coursework and develop a professional network tailored to healthcare leaders. Taught by experienced healthcare professionals, the program offers a depth and breadth of field-specific knowledge that is beneficial to students and stands out to employers.

Program Structure

All the Details on Your Degree

Through a Christian worldview, our Master of Healthcare Administration will prepare leaders in health organizations by focusing on innovation in the healthcare industry and exploring how faith shapes the ethical challenges of patient care. This program is ideal for students who are working professionals seeking to enhance their healthcare leadership and administration skills. 

Stackable Certificate:
Earn a certificate while completing your master’s degree.

While enrolled in our Master of Healthcare Administration program, you will also earn a graduate-level Certificate in Healthcare Administration. Earn this valuable credential as you progress through your degree at no additional cost. 

Timeframe

36 Hours
24 months

Example Coursework

Foundations in Health Services Administration & Leadership
Community & Population Health: Transforming the Healthcare System
Self-Reflection in Healthcare Leadership
Innovation and Trends in Healthcare

Upcoming Start Dates

October 15, 2024
January 14, 2025

Common Job Titles

Director of Patient Access
Clinic Operations Director
Healthcare Strategy Director
Compliance or Business Operations Director
Vice President of Quality
Healthcare Research and Development Analyst
Population Health Manager

Concentrations

Master of Healthcare Administration

Healthcare Operations

The Healthcare Operations concentration focuses on systems and practices necessary for the administration of healthcare services. Students will explore the unique considerations of leading healthcare interdisciplinary teams, tools for population health management, and the use of information systems to drive clinical and administrative decision support. Students completing this concentration will be prepared to manage a variety of healthcare organizations. 

 

 

 

Master of Healthcare Administration

Leadership

The Leadership concentration focuses on the tools and techniques that healthcare administrators use to inspire their teams and ensure the quality delivery of patient care. Coursework examines theoretical and practical models of leadership and strategies for leading organizational change. Students will also gain an awareness of their personal leadership and communication styles. 

 

 

 

Master of Healthcare Administration

General

The General concentration offers broad exposure to the field of healthcare administration and leadership. Students can customize their degree by selecting from courses in the Leadership and Healthcare Operations concentrations. This concentration allows students to identify courses specific to their individual interests and professional goals.

Meet the Program Director

Dr. Meghan Hope, Master of Healthcare Administration

Dr. Meghan Hope is an assistant professor and program director for ACU’s Master of Healthcare Administration and Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration programs. Meghan received her Juris Doctor with health law concentration from the University of Tulsa and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Midwestern State University. Prior to joining ACU, she worked as a healthcare regulatory and operations consultant focusing on new hospital development, management, and reimbursement issues. With more than a decade of expertise in the healthcare industry, Meghan has also served as an administrator in community-based and academic healthcare environments. Her research interests and passions include healthcare policy influences on management decisions and regulatory considerations in clinical research.

Meghan received her master’s online and has since developed a passion for the online learning experience. She loves the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with her students while helping them develop the leadership skills and industry expertise necessary for successful careers in healthcare administration.

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A Master of Healthcare Administration is a versatile degree. The types of positions, duties, and settings can vary, but one thing is certain: there’s no shortage of openings for people with both a solid medical background and the right academic credentials.

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Innovation in Healthcare: ACU Master of Healthcare Administration

Our online Master of Healthcare Administration program is growing quickly, but who is the Master of Healthcare Administration for? What are the benefits of this degree? Find out all of this and more in our blog post.

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online Master of Healthcare Administration

For our online degrees, Abilene Christian University keeps the pulse on industry trends — what’s in demand now and what has future growth potential. The healthcare industry’s rapid pace has resulted in a deficit of compassionate, knowledgeable leaders. Considering this, ACU Online launched the Master of Healthcare Administration program in August 2021 to prepare a spectrum of professionals to step up, empower patients and effectively steward their care.

Our online Master of Healthcare Administration is geared toward:

  • pharmacists, physicians and nurses interested in cultivating their leadership skills to improve team or department operations in relation to patient care;
  • healthcare administrative and support professionals interested in reaching the next level of their career;
  • insurance and medical services professionals looking to broaden their knowledge to provide improved patient-centric services; and
  • existing business and technology professionals considering a move to the healthcare field. 

Based on figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for medical and health services managers is predicted to rise 32% between 2019 and 2029. Fueling this shift are factors like a growing aging population and greater focus on preventative care. 

ACU’s online Master of Healthcare Administration degree leads you to envision yourself in this role early on. Today, the healthcare industry values innovation, communication and big-picture thinkers, and your degree not only presents you as an engaged, dedicated leader but someone ready to direct policy and implement technology to benefit patient care delivery. 

Your skills equip you to lead an entire medical facility, department, specific clinical area or a private practice. Healthcare administrators and managers are needed for these roles in:

  • hospitals;
  • rehabilitation centers;
  • group practices;
  • urgent care centers;
  • research facilities;
  • government programs;
  • insurance companies;
  • retirement communities;
  • healthcare suppliers; and
  • educational or advocacy organizations.
online Master of Healthcare Administration

This 24-month program emphasizing leadership, relationship management and administrative skills in the specific context of healthcare helps community, medical facility and practice leaders face the industry’s current challenges and guide a spectrum of technical to administrative professionals to success. To achieve this, the online Master of Healthcare Administration:

  • provides industry insights right from the start of the program to equip you with practical skills and tools to begin your journey;
  • helps you develop an industry-specific professional network while expanding what you know about delivering healthcare services;
  • strives to not only instruct but also graduate professionals who innovate from within the healthcare industry;
  • approaches the ethical challenges of patient care with a Christian worldview;
  • prepares you to plan, direct and coordinate medical and healthcare services;
  • touches on key areas of healthcare administration, including revenue cycles management, human resources, information technology and supervising service delivery in primary care, pediatrics or a specialty practice;
  • instructs you in the techniques to maintain supportive, meaningful relationships with internal and external constituents, from nurses and physicians to allied health professionals, insurance payers, information technology teams and compliance officers; 
  • trains you to deliver quality, accessible patient care in a cost-effective manner and foster a healthcare entity’s presence in your community; and
  • stresses real-world examples through assignments and case studies.
online Master of Healthcare Administration

To be considered for admission, students must:

  • Complete the online program application accompanied by a non-refundable processing fee.
  • Submit official transcripts showing earned bachelor’s from a regionally accredited college or university or the equivalent.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above, probationary status may be granted for those with a 2.5 to 2.99 GPA.
  • Write a purpose statement addressing career goals and fit with the program, including the Christian identity of the university.
  • Submit a current resume.
SACSCOC Stamp Color

Abilene Christian University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Ga. 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of ACU.

Abilene Christian University enjoys a strong national reputation as one of the leading private Christian universities in the west and southwest, indicated by various ratings (such as U.S. News and World Report and other reports).


Curriculum and Format

This challenging journey involves a 36 credit–hour program divided between core courses (27 credit hours) and a specialization concentration (9 credit hours). Ideal for motivated individuals with clear career goals, courses are held in seven-week periods and are taught by seasoned healthcare professionals ready to illustrate theoretical concepts with their own perspectives. 

Taking a holistic approach to what healthcare managers are expected to know, the core courses cover:

  • the structure and operations of patient care organizations;
  • policy, regulation and ethical factors influencing healthcare delivery;
  • current industry trends, from technology implementation to service delivery;
  • common sources of conflict between medical and administrative professionals and negotiation theories to resolve these issues;
  • healthcare payment methods and revenue cycle operations;
  • healthcare analytics, particularly how statistical concepts enhance clinical and management decisions;
  • healthcare planning and marketing relating to service delivery and community needs;
  • healthcare strategic management, including developing and implementing concepts and tracking their performance; and
  • technology’s role in influencing and improving healthcare delivery systems.