2024-2025 Catalog

Master of Healthcare Administration, MHA

Curriculum

14 - 15 Courses

42 or 45 Credits

Program Length

Full-time in as few as 16 months

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-820Leadership, Ethics, 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-892Master of Health AdministrationCapstone

3

Internship (3 credits)

Required for students without professional experience in the U.S. Healthcare System.

HLTH-885Healthcare Internship

3

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 Healthcare Administration Electives list, or by taking at least one three (3) credit HLTH elective, and the remaining credits from the Approved MHA Electives list. 

Healthcare Administration Electives

HLTH-807Innovation: The Future of Healthcare

3

HLTH-842Global Health

3

HLTH-843Design Thinking for Healthcare Solutions

3

HLTH-844Healthcare Analytics

3

HLTH-855Advanced Quality, Patient Safety, and Performance Improvement

3

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

3

HLTH-880Directed Individual Study

3

Approved MHA Electives Outside the Healthcare Administration Program

Students: please contact the RAM Center regarding the difference in per credit tuition for Law 2438. 

ISOM-631Data Analytics with Python

3

ISOM-801Solving Business Problems Using Advanced Excel

3

ISOM-821Data Management and Modeling

3

ISOM-825Enterprise Data Management

3

ISOM-840Security and Privacy

3

ISOM-845Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Storytelling

3

ISOM-851Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Operations, and Analytics

3

ISOM-861Project Management: Gaining Competitive Advantage

3

LAW-2438Statistics

3

MBA-730Innovative Thinking

3

MBA-920Master of Business Administration Student Business Clinic

3

MGOB-810Emotional Intelligence

3

MGOB-835Managing Difficult People at Work

3

MGOB-841Bldg Inclusive Organizations

3

MGOB-855Conflict and Negotiation

3

P.AD-717Organizational Change

3

P.AD-718Leadership Strategies for an Interconnected World

3

P.AD-815Nonprofit Management

3

P.AD-819Grant Writing and Management

3

P.AD-864Performance Measure Capacities

3

Waiver Policy

The academic advisor of the MHA Program evaluates each request for a course waiver and transfer credits. Such a request must be made in writing 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 and substituted for an approved elective, 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 Director of the MHA Program. 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 maximum number of credits approved for waiver or transfer is 6 credits. Students with waived or transferred credits can graduate with 36 credits if they do not require an internship, or 39 credits if they do. 

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 is limited to a maximum of 6 credits.

Students Who Leave Boston Before Their Degree is Complete

Occasionally, a Suffolk MHA student must leave the Boston area before completing their degree. The Sawyer Business School has several options available to enable completion of the Suffolk MHA Program. A student may be able to transfer in six credits of elective courses from a recognized graduate program in healthcare administration in an accredited U.S. college or university close to the new place of residence. Courses must be pre-approved by the Director of the MHA Program and have a grade of “B” or better.

A student who leaves the area may also be able to complete a portion of their Suffolk MHA degree on a part-time basis online.

Transfer /Waiver 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 course requirements to an SBS graduate degree program (MPA, MBA, MSA, MHA, MSBA, or MSM). All course waivers and/or transfers for the MHA Program must be reviewed by the Director of the MHA Program.

In order for a course to be considered, the following criteria must be met: must have an MHA Program course equivalent, and 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.