2020-2021 Catalog

Master of Healthcare Administration Online, MHA

Curriculum

14 - 15 Courses

42 - 45 Credits

Program Length

Part-time in as few as 20 months

Foundation Courses (6 Credits)

HLTH-705Health Systems I: Healthcare in the U.S.

3

HLTH-707Evidence-Based Healthcare Management

3

MHA Core Level 1 (12 credits)

HLTH-710Healthcare Accounting and Financial Management

3

HLTH-720Health Systems Ii: Economics, Law, and Policy

3

HLTH-730Healthcare Operations Management and Performance Improvement

3

HLTH-740Healthcare Management and Human Resources

3

MHA Core Level 2 (12 credits)

HLTH-805Big Data and Analytics for Health and Healthcare

3

HLTH-810Quality, Patient Safety, and Patient Experience

3

HLTH-820Ethics, Leadership, and Organizational Change in Healthcare

3

HLTH-840Innovation and Strategic Management in Healthcare

3

Required MHA Capstone Course (3 credits)

Must be taken in the last or next-to-last semester.

HLTH-892MHA Capstone

3

Internship

Required for Students without Professional Experience in the U.S. Healthcare System

HLTH-885Healthcare Internship

0

Electives (9 credits)

MHA students must take a total of nine (9) credits in electives. This requirement may be fulfilled by either taking all nine (9) credits from the following list of Healthcare Administration Electives or by taking one or two graduate-level courses, up to six (6) credits, in other programs in the Sawyer Business School, with the remaining credits from the Healthcare Administration Electives. Permission to take courses outside of the Healthcare Administration Electives must be obtained from the chairperson of the Healthcare Administration Department.

Healthcare Administration Electives

HLTH-807Innovation: The Future of Healthcare

3

HLTH-815Ambulatory and Primary Care

3

HLTH-842Global Health

3

HLTH-855

HLTHIB-870Global Travel Seminar: Comparative Analysis of the Healthcare Systems in England and United States

3

HLTH-875Community and Public Health

3

HLTH-880Directed Individual Study

1

Waiver Policy

The chairperson of the Healthcare Administration Department evaluates each request for a course waiver and transfer credits. Such a request must be made in writing to the chairperson following an individual’s acceptance into, and decision to attend, the MHA Program and before the start of the student's first semester of courses. Waivers are limited to a total of 6 credits.

Any required course in the MHA Program is eligible to be waived, except for HLTH-705, HLTH-720, HLTH-840, HLTH-892, and HLTH-885 (for students who are required to do an internship).

To be eligible for a course waiver, a course must have been completed in a recognized undergraduate or graduate program in healthcare administration in an accredited U.S. college or university; been completed within the three years prior to the student being enrolled in Suffolk’s MHA Program; and be assessed as equivalent to the Suffolk course for which the waiver is sought, based on a review of the syllabus by the chairperson of the Healthcare Administration Department. The grade for a completed course must be a "B" or better.

All MHA students must complete 42 graduate credits (or 45 credits if an internship is required) in the Sawyer Business School. The number of credits approved for waiver are limited to a maximum of 6 credits.

Transfer Policy

A student can transfer courses in lieu of elective courses, thereby reducing the number of credits required to earn an MHA degree. The MHA Program limits the number of transferred courses to two 3-credit courses (6 credits).

To be eligible for transfer credits, a course must have been completed at the graduate level in a recognized graduate program in healthcare administration in an accredited U.S. college or university; been completed within the three years prior to the student being enrolled in Suffolk’s MHA Program; and be assessed as equivalent to the Suffolk course for which the transfer credits are sought, based on a review of the syllabus by the chairperson of the Healthcare Administration Department. The grade for a completed course must be a "B" or better. In addition, the credits for a course for which a transfer is sought must not have been applied toward a previously completed degree.

All MHA students must complete 42 graduate credits (or 45 credits if an internship is required) in the Sawyer Business School. The number of credits approved for transfer are limited to a maximum of 6 credits.

Transfer Credits from the Moakley Center for Public Management's Certificate Program

Students who have completed a certificate program through the Suffolk University Moakley Center for Public Management may have an opportunity to reduce credit requirements to an SBS graduate degree program (MBA, MMS, MSA, MST, MHA, MSBA, or MSM). All course waivers and/or transfers for the MHA Program must be reviewed by the chairperson of the Healthcare Administration Department.

In order for a course to be considered, the following criteria must be met: must have an MHA Program course equivalent; the student must have received a grade of "B" or better and successfully completed the certificate prior to enrolling in the MHA Program.

Applicants must also meet the admission standards for the MHA Program.

Program Competencies

Competency 1: Healthcare Environment
Knowledge and understanding of the healthcare environment, including the healthcare delivery system and the organizations and professions that comprise it, policy, economics, the legal foundation, innovations, community health status and determinants of health, and current issues and trends and anticipated future dynamics.
Learning Goal Learning Objective
Develop and demonstrate broad-based understanding of the U.S. healthcare system, including its key components and their functions, as well as the forces and dynamics at play throughout the system. 1. Understand the various players and their roles and goals in the U.S. healthcare system, including consumers, providers of care, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, insurers, policy makers, and government agencies.
2. Understand the many forces and dynamics at play, including key stakeholders and their agendas, as well as innovation, social determinants of health, the insurance and payment system, and the availability and accessibility of healthcare services.
Competency 2: Strategic Orientation
Knowledge and skills for internal and external assessment and for developing short- and long-range strategies and actions to guide organizations and respond to, and shape, the healthcare environment.
Learning Goal Learning Objective
Develop and demonstrate understanding of and the ability to conduct internal and external assessments, identify key strategic and operational issues in a healthcare organization, and understand and develop strategies and actions to address the issues. More specifically:
- Diagnosis: What is happening in a given situation – internally and/or externally – and why (in other words, what are the causal factors)? What are the strengths and weaknesses of our organization and those with whom we compete? What is the environment in which we operate? What are the key strategic and operational issues that we face? What is the basis for those issues, such as the organization’s attributes and/or specific conditions in the external environment? What do we think will happen in the environment in the future?
- Assessment of Options: What are the alternative strategies and actions that might be available to address the key issues, now and in the future? What might be the consequences of a chosen strategy and actions? What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each alternative?
- Prescription: What strategies and actions should we select to address the issues?
- Implementation: How do we effectively and efficiently implement the chosen strategies and actions?
- Organizational Adaptation and Capacity Development: What capabilities are needed in the organization to effectively and efficiently implement the strategies and actions?
- Evaluation: How do we assess the effectiveness and outcomes of the strategies and actions?
1. Understand and apply the Trends, Assumptions, and Implications (TAI) methodology to the healthcare field.
2. Understand how to assess and present key attributes of a healthcare organization’s internal and external environments – specifically, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats/challenges.
3. Understand how to identify and present key strategic and operational issues facing a healthcare organization and how to develop, evaluate, and select strategies (goals, objectives, and implementation steps) to address those issues.
Competency 3: Leadership
Knowledge and skills to help individuals, teams and organizations to more effectively and ethically achieve their missions. This includes leadership-related self-awareness and self-development, critical and strategic thinking, change leadership, building and sustaining group and organizational culture, constructive engagement with organizational politics, conflict management and negotiation, and stewardship of resources.
Learning Goal Learning Objective
Develop and demonstrate understanding of the principles, theories, and practice of business leadership in healthcare administration. 1. Understand the principles and theories of business leadership and various leadership styles.
2. Apply business leadership principles and styles to personal experiences and specific healthcare contexts and leadership challenges.
3. Assess one’s own leadership competencies and style, engage in reflective practice related to this, and incorporate this self-assessment and reflection into one’s own leadership development.
4. Prepare and begin implementing a personal leadership development plan for professional growth, including the integration of ethics into practice.
Competency 4: Management
Knowledge and skills for managing people, projects, situations, systems and organizations. With a focus on patients, this includes strategic and operational planning, analytical and critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, project management, and management of human and material resources. These apply across the major operational functions of healthcare organizations, including human resources, finance, service delivery, performance improvement and patient safety, marketing, and information collection and dissemination.
Learning Goal Learning Objective
Develop and demonstrate broad-based understanding of the operations and dynamics of healthcare organizations, along with the skills to be effective managers. 1. Understand the core business areas of healthcare organizations, including care delivery, organizational behavior, planning, accounting and finance, legal, quality and patient safety, information systems, human resources, marketing, data analytics and project management.
2. Understand key aspects of organizational design and function, including organizational structure, climate and culture, communication, and teamwork.
3. Identify, and suggest useful approaches to address leadership opportunities and challenges in healthcare organizations.
Competency 5: Communication and Relationship Management
Knowledge and skills to effectively communicate and engage with people inside and outside of healthcare organizations – one-on-one and in teams – in writing, verbally and in presentations.
Learning Goal Learning Objective
Written Communication: Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in various forms of writing, including short memos and longer thematic papers. 1. Develop a topic with appropriate supporting information.
2. Organize written communication logically and effectively.
3. Use correct word choice and effective sentence structure.
4. Employ normal conventions of spelling, grammar and punctuation.
5. Provide examples and supporting evidence.
6. Communicate accurate quantitative information.
7. Provide clear summary and conclusions.
Verbal Communication: Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively one on one, in small groups and in large groups, including delivering effective presentations. 1. Be able to use both inquiry and advocacy in conversations.
2. Develop a presentation with an appealing storyline and appropriate examples and supporting information.
3. Organize a presentation effectively, with a clearly defined beginning, middle and ending.
4. Deliver a presentation with attention to volume, clarity, grammatical correctness and eye contact with the audience.
5. Use communication aids effectively, such as slides and videos.
6. Summarize the presentation.
Competency 6: Professionalism
Knowledge and skills to behave professionally and ethically, to develop and advance one’s career, and to be active participants and contributors in the healthcare and general communities.
Learning Goal Learning Objective
Demonstrate the ability to identify the range of professional behaviors and behave in a professional manner in all situations, including one-on-one interactions and in small and large groups, as well as demonstrate the ability to identify career goals and pursue suitable professional development activities, including networking, to achieve the goals. 1. Exhibit professionalism in appearance, demeanor, reliability, competence, accountability and ethics.
- Appearance: Maintain a professional appearance by selecting the appropriate attire for a given situation.
- Demeanor: Exude confidence, but not arrogance. Be polite and well spoken, whether interacting with customers, co-workers or superiors. Maintain composure in all situations.
- Reliability: As a professional, find a way to get every job done. Respond to people promptly and follow through on promises in a timely manner.
- Competence: Strive to be an expert in your chosen field by gaining the requisite knowledge and skills by taking educational courses, attending seminars, participating in professional organizations, and working with mentors.
- Accountability: Always be accountable for your actions. If you make a mistake, take responsibility and work to resolve the issue. Don't try to place the blame on someone else.
- Ethics: Always behave in an ethical manner, such as:
   a. Identify conflicts of interests and pressures that could lead to unethical conduct.
   b. Understand what kinds of questions are helpful to ask oneself when confronting an ethical dilemma.
   c. Demonstrate the ability to identify and take into account the interests of different stakeholders.
   d. Understand how business strategies that facilitate “doing good” can be made consistent with profitability.
   e. Understand that what is legal may not always be ethical and that what is ethical may sometimes not be legal.
   f. Appreciate that ethical norms vary across different countries and cultures.
2. Develop regularly updated plans for career goals and development that include both knowledge and skills enhancement as well as professional networking.

Source for some information: 10 Characteristics of Professionalism by Chris Joseph, updated January 30, 2018.