PDF version of this chapterMaster of Health Administration
The Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) prepares students for management positions in hospitals, managed care systems, physicians groups, ambulatory care systems, government agencies concerned with health care planning, delivery, and quality assurance, and private firms involved in health care consulting, evaluation, and finance. The curriculum aims at assuring sufficient knowledge of public, private and nonprofit sectors to permit effective functioning as a manager in each.
The M.H.A. degree is offered at the University Park and Sacramento campuses.
Requirements for Admission
General
Applicants for the Master of Health Administration must apply separately to the Health Services Administration Program. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants may take courses on limited standing pending formal admission to the master's degree program.Applicants with bachelor's degrees must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in their undergraduate course work and a score of at least 500 on the verbal and at least 500 on the quantitative sections of the GRE. Deviations from these minimums will be allowed when justified by exceptional work experience, letters of recommendation or improvement in academic performance during the third and fourth years of undergraduate study.
Prerequisites
Statistics
A basic competence in descriptive and inferential statistics is also required for the M.H.A. program. This prerequisite may be fulfilled by successfully completing the school's Statistics Competence Examination, or by successfully completing PPD 404x with a grade of C or higher (A = 4.0), which may not be used for graduate credit.Accounting
A basic competence in accounting is also required for the M.H.A. program. This prerequisite may be fulfilled by successfully completing the school's Accounting Competence Examination, or by successfully completing PPD 516x Financial Accounting in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors with a grade of B or higher (A = 4.0), which is not available for credit to M.H.A. majors.Limited Status Students (Preadmission)
Students taking courses who have not been admitted to the school are designated limited status students. These students may be waiting for part of their application package materials to arrive; or they may be investigating whether an M.H.A. may be right for them.To be considered for limited status reenrollment, interested students need to complete the School of Policy, Planning, and Development Limited Student Application for Enrollment form and submit official or unofficial copies of their transcripts from their bachelor's degree granting institution. Students with a 3.0 grade point average (A = 4.0) may enroll in up to 8 units of graduate courses in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
School of Policy, Planning, and Development Limited Student Application for Enrollment forms may be obtained from the Admissions Office, School of Policy, Planning, and Development, University of Southern California, RGL 111, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626, telephone (213) 740-6842. Limited students may only enroll during the in-person registration period (the week before classes begin).
Limited status students may apply only 8 units of appropriate graduate work toward the M.H.A. after admission. Units beyond these first 8 must be petitioned for through the school. Students on limited status are encouraged to complete the application and admission process before completing those first 8 units.
The Accelerated M.H.A. Program
The Health Services Administration Program will admit a small number of undergraduates specializing in Health Policy and Administration in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development to the M.H.A. program after three years of undergraduate studies.Applicants to the Accelerated M.H.A. Program must be USC undergraduates specializing in Health Policy and Administration in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Applications will be considered only from those who have completed at least 80 units in the curriculum for this specialization. Students interested in the Accelerated M.H.A. Program must apply at the beginning of the second semester of their junior year. A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 (A = 4.0) will be required for consideration. In addition, applicants will submit a detailed essay specifying their goals and reasons for selecting the field of health service administration, as well as letters of recommendation from three instructors, at least two of whom must be full-time USC faculty members. Substantial importance, in the evaluation of applicants, will be placed on an interview procedure to be carried out by a full-time faculty member in the Health Services Administration Program and a practitioner in the health administration field who holds an adjunct appointment at USC. Academic promise, clarity of purpose and personal maturity will all weigh heavily in determining admission to the Accelerated M.H.A. Program.
Information regarding the Certificate Program in Health Services Administration can be found on the Certificate Programs page.
Curriculum
Curriculum for the M.H.A. includes 12 courses. In addition, a supervised field placement (residency) in a health service organization is required.| Required Core | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PPD 501 | Public Sector Economics | 4 |
| PPD 509 | Problems and Issues in the Health Field | 4 |
| PPD 510a | Financial Management of Health Services | 4 |
| PPD 511 | Health Information Systems | 4 |
| PPD 512* | Health Administration Residency Seminar | 2-2 |
| PPD 513 | Legal Issues in Health Care Delivery | 4 |
| PPD 514 | Economic Concepts Applied to Health | 4 |
| PPD 515 | Strategic Management of Health Organizations (capstone course) | 4 |
| PPD 545 | Human Behavior in Public Organizations | 4 |
| PPD 557 | Quantitative Analysis I | 4 |
| Electives: Any two, but emphasis on: | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PPD 600 | Management of Managed Care Organizations | 4 |
| PPD 601 | Management of LongTerm Care Organizations | 4 |
| PPD 602 | Strategic and Operational Planning for Health Services | 4 |
| PPD 603 | Marketing of Health Services | 4 |
| PPD 604 | Seminar in Hospital Administration | 4 |
| PPD 605 | Frontline Issues in Health Care | 2, max 4 |
| PPD 649 | Concepts and Practices in Public Personnel Administration | 4 |