Welcome!

The health services administration faculty and staff are delighted to help you pursue or enhance your health services administration career.

Program Overview:

The Master in Health Administration (MHA) Degree from Midwestern State University is a comprehensive 45 credit hour program which brings together experienced individuals in health administration and enhances their skills, knowledge and abilities for an increasingly complex health industry.

We prepare students for a leadership role in health services administration that is vital to their professional and organizational development.   MHA courses meet face-to-face and online and are designed for persons (though not exclusively) who want to continue to work fulltime and complete a masters degree. 

Our Vision:

To be a high value provider of health services administration education at the regional, state and national level to all types of clinical and non-clinical individuals.

Our Mission:

The Programs in Health Services Administration will provide students with tools for successful careers and personal growth through:

• The use of both on-campus and off-campus media to enhance their skills, knowledge and abilities in health administration at a reasonable expense
• Instruction of theoretical and conceptual frameworks for programmatic solutions in actual practice settings,
• Instruction in the domains and competencies required by the Accrediting Commission on Education in Health Services Administration
• Preparation for private, public, profit or non-profit health care organizations
• Community based internships and residencies that add value to patients’ care

Objectives:

The specific educational objectives are: (1) development of independent thinking in a complex world, (2) development of superior health care administration skills, (3) development of strong health economics/financial skills, (4) promotion of managed health care demonstration sites, (5) promotion of pragmatic application from internship (or research paper) experiences, (6) exposure to current health care systems analysis and forecasting, (7) exposure to health care ethics in a changing environment, and (8) preparation for certification/fellowship as a health care executive or nurse administrator.

Graduate Admission Requirements:

Applicants must complete an application for admission to the Midwestern State University Graduate Programs.  In addition to completing MSU admission application materials, each applicant must also complete a separate application for admission to the Health Services Administration Program.  Application forms can be obtained from the online forms link on this page menu.

Entrance into the MHA program is competitive, but open to students with varied educational backgrounds. No specific baccalaureate degree is required. The applicant must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and meet the respective admission requirements for each degree program.  Students who have obtained a graduate degree from a regionally accredited program - master's or doctoral - are exempt from standards above and are admitted with unconditional status.

Unconditional Admission Guidelines

Unconditional Admission may be granted to an applicant who meets the general admission requirements of Midwestern State University graduate admission, and has met the department’s minimum Competency requirements including consideration of the following:¹

1)       A competitive score on the quantitative section of the GRE;

2)       A competitive score on the analytical writing section of the GRE;

3)       A competitive score on the reading section of the GRE;

4)       Successful completion of College Algebra with a B or better within the last 3 years, or other documented evidence of analytical skills required for graduate level work approved by the Department Chair;

5)       Successful completion of a College level course in Technical/Report Writing with a B or better within the last 3 years, or other documented evidence of graduate level writing skills approved by the Department Chair; and

6)       A basic knowledge of Excel, Word and PowerPoint to enable the student to adequately prepare assignments and effectively function within the Web-based instructional modes used in instruction.

¹  Please note these requirements are not a change from those written in the current Midwestern State Catalogue, but a clarification.

Conditional Admission Guidelines

Applicants who do not meet the requirements of unconditional admission may be admitted conditionally subject to specific requirements determined at that time.  As a general rule,

1)       Conditional admission shall continue through the first twelve hours of graduate study.

2)       If the conditional admission requires leveling courses they must be completed in the first semester of attendance with a grade of B or better, unless the department agrees otherwise.

3)       Upon reaching twelve hours, the student's records will be reviewed to determine eligibility for full admission status.

4)       The student must have a 3.2 grade point average in the first twelve hours and have no grade lower than a B in courses within the major.

5)       Any student removed from the program for academic reasons or rejected for admission to the MHA program may apply for a waiver according to directions below

Requirements for Academic Good Standing

Any student who receives two grades of C or D, or a combination of C and D, or one F will be administratively removed from the program.  MHA courses in which the student earns a grade of C or lower, may be repeated one time for a higher grade, with the approval of the department’s academic review committee.  A 3.0 overall grade point average is required for graduation, and students must have a grade of B or better in all courses in the major.

Required Courses for Completion of the MHA

To complete their degree each student must write a Comprehensive Paper.  This paper is begun in HSAD 5253 and completed as a part of the course requirements in HSAD 6063.   Students must also successfully pass a comprehensive Oral Exam that covers the information they have studied while enrolled in the program. In the beginning of their final academic term, the student should also approach their academic advisor or the Department Chair and request a copy of the list of oral exam questions for that term so they can study and research the questions.  They must write up a response to each question and turn it in to the Department Chair.  This must be submitted to the Chair at least three weeks prior to the beginning of final exams week.  With the Chair’s approval the student may then schedule their oral exam.  The exam will be presided over by the Department Chair.

Class Meetings Schedules

The MHA program requires face-to-face class meetings at the beginning and at the end of each semester.  These meetings are generally scheduled for a full day on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  Students are required to attend one class session at the beginning and at the end of each semester for each course in which they are enrolled.

For further information please contact us:

Mrs. Sue Cook  at (940) 397-4752 or email her at sue.cook@mwsu.edu