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The Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) degree at Boston College prepares ethical leaders to drive organizational change within the rapidly transforming health ecosystem. The online program addresses contemporary challenges and emerging trends in healthcare innovation through a societal perspective aligned with Boston College's values of social justice.
Meet some of our students and learn why they value their experiences in the Master of Healthcare Administration program at the Woods College.
102
Number of enrolled students
28–65
Students' age range
22
States represented
Provides students with an overview of healthcare services in the United States, including their historical development within a unique social, economic, and political environment. Current institutional structures and delivery systems are described, as are the evolving health needs of Americans. Emphasis is placed upon the basic concepts and issues associated with the management and regulation of healthcare providers and the delivery of services.
In today’s highly competitive healthcare environment, data-driven decision making is key to assuring quality, increasing access, minimizing cost, and supporting innovation. In an industry focused on evidence-based decisions, leaders must be able to understand current research and critically evaluate research presented in the media and in peer-reviewed publications. The course emphasizes the use of various data sources from across the health ecosystem, the development of research questions, hypotheses, study design, analytic approaches, and data visualization techniques. Students will learn how to assess the validity and reliability of information, and interpret data to optimize the decision-making process and assure that decisions are evidence-based.
Federal and state-level healthcare policies affect a wide range of issues, including access to care, quality, cost, and modes of delivery. Effective healthcare managers must interpret and anticipate a changing policy landscape, and strategically apply that interpretation as part of the process of organizational planning and execution. In this course, the social and economic implications of contemporary healthcare policies are explored. Emphasis is placed on how public policy (e.g., Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act of 2010) influences human resources/capacity, values, needs, reimbursements, and regulation of individuals, insurers, and medical and healthcare organizations.
Economics is a large driver of what happens in the health sector. The course provides an understanding of the economic drivers that effect patients, providers, and payers across the health-related industries. As a leader in these industries, it is important to understand and anticipate the economic challenges of spending growth, expensive new technologies, and how payment reform can promote lower cost high quality care. The course includes an overview of economic principles, including supply and demand and perfect markets, and explores the economic challenges of healthcare economics and how health and health services are different from other goods. Considerable attention is given to topics of current public concern, including market failure, government interventions, health insurance, rapidly increasing cost, value, and expensive new technologies.
This course explores the critical role of e-health and information systems in the planning, operation, and management of healthcare organizations. Students will learn how to assess and evaluate health information systems and business requirements in a variety of settings such as health systems, hospitals, and medical practices. Students will develop skills in healthcare technology implementation design that address industry-specific requirements such as translating HIPAA and other regulations into specific technology decisions while implementing medical systems (EMR, lab, clinical services, medical database providers, etc.). Students will also learn how to manage multi-institutional relationships as they are expressed in technology implementations, including the many vendor configurations, but also cross-provider organization relationships. Specific topics include data and systems integrations, communications protocols, security standards, procurement, and authentication and authorization.
This course explores the theoretical foundations and application of quality improvement methods, tools, and strategies needed to increase organizational effectiveness. The course focuses on measurement and accountability in healthcare delivery systems through the examination and analysis of data, structures, processes, and outcomes. Process improvement theories and models are explored with the goal of preparing students to lead and practice in organizations that advance high reliability principles, patient safety, inter-professional teamwork, and continuous learning.
Decisions involving strategy and marketing must be based on a manager’s overall understanding of the organization’s mission, goals, and objectives. This applied research project provides methods to evaluate organizational performance and productivity, analyze internal and external resources, and perform needs assessment. The course presents various models and methods for planning, branding, and positioning of healthcare services. It also emphasizes the importance of creating a strategic planning process.
As the culmination and synthesis of the program experience, the applied research project requires each individual student to develop a business plan for the expansion of or development of a new healthcare facility. The business plan must address the major themes of each prior course, including relevant policies, quality initiatives, financial planning, human resource planning, technology planning, and planning for regulatory compliance.
The course introduces leadership models, theories, and skills needed to successfully manage and lead healthcare organizations through transformational versus transactional leadership styles. Students use a variety of self-assessment tools (e.g., Myers-Briggs, SWOT analysis of self, leadership-style inventory) to develop self-awareness and to better understand the role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership. Students gain knowledge and skills for building and growing the interpersonal relationships and political skills required to develop and lead teams, and to successfully advance from organizational management roles to leadership roles.Ìý
This course examines how healthcare organizations can innovate and adapt to the ever-evolving needs and demands of a dynamic, competitive, and regulatory healthcare environment. To do so, the course explores types of innovations and how individuals/organizations develop them, factors that affect the adoption and implementation of these innovations, and approaches to evaluating whether these innovations had their intended effect.
This course will provide an overview of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), explore the history of laws related to medical product development, commercialization, and clinical use, and will consider relevant cases whose decisions have been important in establishing precedents and current guidelines. Governing medical products are the beginning point for regulations that identify how research, development, and marketing should be pursued. Reviewing and analyzing the development to commercialization will follow the investigational device exemptions (IDE), premarket approval, 510(k) application process, and product development protocols and review processes.
Healthcare industry is undergoing transformation with innovative digital technologies and solutions driving care, improving operations, solving problems, and developing treatments and cures. Designed to address the rapidly changing healthcare landscape and increasing demand across the health ecosystem, the Product Development and Marketing course will provide a practical overview of the foundational marketing disciplines and communication channels and their applications to healthcare, pharma, biotech, and medtech industries in the digital age. Students will learn various marketing and communication strategies and planning, brand development, market research and analysis, market segmentation, targeting and positioning, user experiences and journey mapping, content marketing, and explore tools and methods to measure the impact and value of marketing and communications.
Healthcare managers face human resources issues such as benefits, grievances, and labor relations management in health organizations with organized labor. This course covers personnel practices such as job analysis and description, recruitment, selection, and compensation in various health delivery system settings. The course focuses on skill development in dealing with personnel at all levels of education, licensure, and skill sets.
This course will provide an overview of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by describing the basis for FDA regulation of the development, production, and the approval processes for drugs, devices, and biologics. Offers an opportunity to study FDA standards and to develop the foundations necessary of scientific and technical basic understandings of the drug discovery, testing, reporting, manufacturing, and commercialization. Examines the steps in the development and regulation process within the governing FDA’s regulatory centers, and ensures overall compliance with policies, laws, and the evolving regulations.
In this course, legal issues related to the organization and delivery of healthcare are examined, along with the ethical and moral considerations associated with the management of healthcare facilities and the provision of health services. Topics include government regulation of healthcare facilities and occupations, civil rights regulations regarding diversity, fraud, and abuse, institutional and personal liability for negligence and malpractice, patient consent requirements, termination of care, the confidentiality of medical information, medical staff credentialing, peer review of care, utilization review, and managed care regulations. Treatment of ethical and moral issues emphasizes the understanding of diverse viewpoints and methods for resolving conflicting moral obligations. Students apply course concepts through the development of a compliance plan to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in billing.
This course introduces the basic tenets and components involved in project management. The primary objective is to provide frameworks that make it possible to track and measure project performance, overcome challenges, and adapt to changes in a variety of professional environments across the health ecosystem. Specific topics covered in the course include project scope, communications, time, cost, quality, risk, and stakeholder management. Operational issues and implementation processes that emerge during project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing a project will be addressed.
The below example pathways are representative of potential elective selections that support careers in various areas of the health ecosystem:
Pathway ElectivesÌý
Drug Discovery and Product Regulations (3 credits)
Medical Device Regulation (3 credits)
Product Development and Marketing (3 credits)
Pathway ElectivesÌý
Health Ethics and Law (4 credits)
Workforce Development (4 credits)
Project ManagementÌý(3 credits)
Pathway ElectivesÌý
Workforce Development (4 credits)
Health Ethics and Law (4 credits)
Product Development and Marketing (3 credits)
The MHA Program prepares graduates to address needs across broad health-related industries such as the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, hospitals and health systems, insurance providers, government, and digital health companies.Ìý
Ìý
Where they work
ÌýAthena HealthÌý
NYU Langone HealthÌý
Mass General Brigham
ÌýJohnson & JohnsonÌý
WellSpan HealthÌý
eClinicalWorksÌý
New York Presbyterian HospitalÌý
Bristol Meyer Squibb
What they do
Clinic Manager
Registered Nurse
Program Director
Radiology Technician/Manager
Administrative Services Manager
Revenue Cycle Operations Manager
Wellness Director
Director of Finance, Medical Devices
32%
Job Growth Projected for Medical & Health Services Managers, 2019-2029
97,400
New Jobs Projected in Life, Physical, and Social Sciences, 2018-2028
2.4 million
New Jobs Projected in Healthcare, 2019-2029
TheÌýMaster of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program accepts applicants based on a holistic review of the application materials. The minimum undergraduate GPA for acceptance is 3.0. For those interested in beginning the program immediately after finishing an undergraduate degree, the minimum GPA is also 3.0.ÌýConditional acceptance may be considered for applicants with a GPA below 3.0 at the discretion of the admissions committee. Conditionally admitted students are often required to achieve a B or better in the first two courses.
The Master of Healthcare Administration does not require the GRE or GMAT for admissions. If you believe your scores would enhance your application, please feel free to submit them. Our GRE reporting code is 7534, and our GMAT reporting code is 44X-HX-07.
In addition to your academic history and relevant work experience, please include any licenses currently held, social justice-related experience, language skills other than English, and research experience or publications.
In 1,000-1,500 words, describe your academic and professional goals; any experience relevant to this program; and your future plans, expectations, and aspirations.
All applicants must include two professional letters of recommendation. These letters should come from supervisors, people familiar with your work, or if you are a recent graduate, professors from relevant courses. Letters from family, friends, political figures, and the like are discouraged. Letters must be sent directly from the recommender either through an online application portal or directly to Woods College.
We will not accept letters that are not in a sealed envelope mailed directly from the recommender or emailed directly from the recommender.
Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to your online application form for purposes of application review. However, official transcript(s) must also be submitted upon acceptance/matriculation. Both undergraduate and graduate transcripts are required if applicable.
Transcripts should be mailed to:Ìý
Boston College
Woods College of Advancing StudiesÌýAdmissions Office
St. Mary's Hall South
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
If your academic institution provides electronic transcripts please indicateÌýwcasadm@bc.eduÌýas the recipient.
Applicants whose native language is not English are required toÌýdemonstrate English language proficiency.ÌýVisit ourÌýInternational Student pageÌýfor required scores.
The admissions committee often requires a phone interview.
The minimum undergraduate GPA for acceptance is 3.0. For those interested in beginning the program immediately after finishing an undergraduate degree, the minimum GPA is also 3.0.ÌýConditional acceptance may be considered for applicants with a GPA below 3.0 at the discretion of the admissions committee. Conditionally admitted students are often required to achieve a B or better in the first two courses.
If you have technical difficulties with or technical questions about the online application, please emailÌýmhaprogram@bc.edu.
There are three convenient start dates offered per year (Fall, Spring, and Summer).Ìý
Each course is seven weeks in length. Students can easily take two courses per semester with a one week break in between semesters.
The program typically takes one to two years to complete. Most students take two 7-week courses per semester, finishing the program in two years. However, students can take longer to complete the program.
No, there is no application fee.
The tuition for the Academic YearÌý2024–2025 is $1,452 per credit. The program is 46 credits. You can find additional information on the Tuition and Aid page.
A comprehensive fee of $25 per semester in the fall and spring, and $45 per semester in the summer helps to support the cost of providing the online courses, online library access, academic support, career services, and more, all of which can be accessed virtually. Students pay the comprehensive fee when they take one or more classes during a semester. On-campus services are available upon request.
Yes, financial aid and payment plans are available. A recommended first step is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) atÌý.ÌýPlease use Boston College’s FAFSA school code: 002128. More about Boston College’s payment plan for graduate programs can be found atÌý
The minimum number of credits to qualify for Federal Financial Aid at Boston College is six credits per semester. ToÌýmeet this requirement, students can elect to take two, four-credit courses during any given semester, or a four-credit course and a two-credit course. A student’s advisor will help with course planning.
A bachelor’s degree is required to enroll in the program.
TheÌýMaster of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program accepts applicants based on a holistic review of the application materials. The minimum undergraduate GPA for acceptance is 3.0. For those interested in beginning the program immediately after finishing an undergraduate degree, the minimum GPA is also 3.0.ÌýConditional acceptance may be considered for applicants with a GPA below 3.0 at the discretion of the admissions committee. Conditionally admitted students are often required to achieve a B or better in the first two courses.
The Master of Healthcare Administration does not require the GRE or GMAT for admissions. If you believe your scores would enhance your application, please feel free to submit them. Our GRE reporting code is 7534 and our GMAT reporting code is 44X-HX-07.
The MHA program does not require that applicants have experience in the healthcare sector. The programÌýis designed for those who seek to work across all industries of the health ecosystem.
Accreditation for Boston College’s online CBE MHA program is approved by the New England Commission of Higher Education, Inc. (NECHE).
Boston College operates in compliance with individual U.S. state regulations regarding distance education. Boston College’s MHA program currently enrolls online students living in all 50 United States.Ìý
Boston College's valuesÌýof justice and intellectual inquiry are incorporated into the curriculum of the Healthcare Administration graduate program. It's design reflects Boston College’s commitment to helping prepare students to become engaged and moral citizens of the world. Students engage in rigorous and sustained conversations about emerging issues and develop the analytical and critical-thinking skills that allow them to impact health outcomes.
The design of the Healthcare Administration graduate program and its pedagogy directly benefit from Boston College’s agility and intentionality. Preparing students to respond to emerging challenges in healthcare, the program continuously adapts the course content by incorporating current health-related crisis situations and considers contemporary challenges that the health industry faces in the fast-changing future across the health ecosystem.
Yes, admitted students who confirm their enrollment must pay a $250 enrollment deposit. The enrollment deposit is not an additional fee, and will be applied directly to your student account and will be deducted from your tuition bill.Ìý Anyone hoping to defer their enrollment will have to pay the deposit before their deferment request will be processed.
We know that a ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ education is a worthwhile but significant investment. We're committed to helping you affordably achieve your educational goals while treating each student and their family equitably.ÌýFinancial aid and payment plans may be available for domestic students taking a minimum of six credits across a semester.