Pennsylvania’s Affordable Online MHA

Accredited Online Master of Science in Health Care Administration

The demand for health care services is expected to grow rapidly as the population continues to age. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs in the field will grow 16 percent by 2030, significantly faster than average. That job growth includes medical professionals on the front lines, health care administrators who work behind the scenes to ensure that systems run smoothly, and others who are responsible for navigating complicated regulations and insurance needs.

Earn the graduate degree you need to be a part of this dynamic industry with an online MHA from Point Park University.

Point Park’s Online MHA Curriculum Overview

Pennsylvania’s most affordable, fully online MHA program presents topics critical to health care management such as Health Economics, Health Care Policy, and Health Care Informatics. Focused on developing career preparedness, Point Park’s MHA online courses are created by professors who are professionals. Professors who instruct online MHA courses have years of real-world experience, so students gain relevant, practical skills that can be immediately applied to the workforce.

The 36-credit program can be completed in as little as 18 months. As a student you will be exposed to stimulating MHA courses like:

  • Accounting for Health Care Managers
  • Health Economics
  • Financial Management of Health Systems
  • Marketing and Strategic Planning in Health Care
  • Global Health Care Administration and Management
  • Ethics and Leadership for Health Care Managers

As your experience with MHA distance learning comes to a close, you will:

  • Test your advanced skills and knowledge through a graduate thesis project that allows you to tackle real-world problems
  • Build a portfolio of your work that will help you transition from the MHA degree program to the workplace

Because student success is one of our main pillars, we offer a personalized education experience, with support from application to graduation. Contact an enrollment counselor to learn more.

Tell me more about Point Park University’s Online MHA

  • Next Start Date: May 7, 2023

  • Est. Program Length: 1.5-2 Years

  • Credit Hours: 36

  • Course Length: 8 Weeks

  • Cost Per Credit: $740

  • Transfer Credits Accepted: Up to 9

Program Length: 1.5-2 Years
Credit Hours: 36
Course Length: 8 Weeks
Cost Per Credit: $759
Transfer Credits Accepted: Up to 9

Learn More About Our Program

Hear from Associate Professor Archish Maharaja, Ed.D., C.P.A., and his colleague, Mark Bellinger, M.D., as they discuss the fully online Master of Science degree in health care administration and management program at Point Park University.

Course Offerings

Admission Requirements

Course Description
Theories, strategies and systems of managing healthcare organizations will be analyzed. Students will analyze administrative practices and procedures in health services organizations including certain information technology aspects, examine the evolution of organizational design, and appraise accountability relative to public trust. Continuous process improvement and healthcare quality management will be explored. The course will also examine the contributions of operations research and quality management to improve delivery and production of health services and business and computer processes from the perspective of the healthcare manager.

Course Description

This course provides an overview of financial and managerial accounting with the focus upon the use of financial information within the healthcare sector to understand and analyze activities and operations. An objective is to develop an understanding of the basic structure and substance of financial statements from a user’s perspective. In addition, the course provides an understanding of planning and budgetary control systems and basic financial performance measurements.

Course Description
This course provides a general overview of statistical techniques, data analysis and quantitative methods used in healthcare. Probability theory and statistical decision models are covered. Forecasting, linear regression and correlation analysis leading to computer use for solutions will be the basis for a class project.

Course Description
This class will examine contemporary marketing topics in healthcare. Markets and their environments, healthcare goods and services from inception to final consumption will be discussed. Product, pricing, promotion and distribution issues will be analyzed. Overall strategic planning theories and methods will be explored.

Course Description
Health Economics deals with a diversity of complex issues. Student will learn to direct resources in an efficient manner to attain managerial goals defined by the healthcare organization. Students will learn to apply economic ideas, theories and methodologies in a strategic manner to enhance performance in the sector. Discussion of additional pertinent topics will provide students with further ways of utilizing healthcare economics tools and procedures.

Course Description
The core elements of healthcare policy analysis are problem definition, background, political, economic, and social landscape, development of policy options, and recommendations will each be covered. The course will also teach the written, graphic, and oral presentation skills associated with policy analysis. Case studies of various healthcare issues will provide students substantive knowledge of the federal policymaking process and key issues in health policy. In the context of the discussion of the cases, in-depth historical background related to the policies addressed will be provided. Students should gain both a technical capacity for analysis and an understanding of the operations of the health policymaking process.

Course Description
This course addresses financial principles and concepts as applied to the healthcare financial management of both for-profit and not-for-profit entities within the context of the current healthcare environment in the United States. The goal of this course is to prepare individuals for the responsibilities involved in maintaining a well-managed healthcare organization. Specific processes, functions and reports are presented in this course, including financial statements and reports as commonly seen in healthcare environments. This course will also include a discussion of financial management of challenges of particular interest to administrators such as identification of costs of care, and types of provider payment.

Course Description
This course examines how ethical leadership creates sustainable healthcare organizations by helping students discover what values make a healthcare manager ethical and effective. This course exposes the student to concepts and theories of the ethical decision-making process so students can appraise the signs of an ethical dilemma in order to resolve conflict in the healthcare sector.

Course Description
This class will provide a thorough overview of what is considered true quality healthcare. This class will examine evidence-based practice (EBP). Students will explore what research is relevant to derive the best treatments options.

Course Description
The relationship of the healthcare manager to the legal foundations of the healthcare system is considered through theory and case studies. The legal and regulatory climates of healthcare operations are examined. The impact of international laws such as the act of state doctrine, and the effects of US legislation on multinational operations will also be considered.

Course Description
This class will examine information and computer science as it relates to the healthcare sector. Students will discuss methodology, guidelines and resources required to store and utilize information. Students will also explore electronic health record and its relationship to data gathering and mining.

Course Description
The facets, complexities and issues of administrating and managing healthcare organizations will be analyzed on the global level. Students will analyze the various administrative practices and procedures in health services organizations across the globe. This will include an overview of theories, strategies and systems of healthcare industries internationally. Issues with healthcare quality will be explored. The course will also examine world health issues from the perspective of the healthcare manager.

Brianna Damich

MHA Student Highlight

“My M.S. in health care administration and management degree not only bridged the obvious industry experience gap I once had, but also offered a scholarly competitive advantage…”

– Brianna Damich

Career Outcomes

The BLS reports that the median annual pay for health care administrators in 2020 was $104,280 annually. A degree in health care administration and management can help you start a future in this rewarding field, and many opportunities are available, including:

Nursing home administrators are responsible for overseeing the operations of nursing homes for the elderly. These professionals plan and implement nursing services for residents; balance budgets; manage financial issues related to insurance, risk management and contracts; train staff members; and ensure compliance with local, state and federal laws.

Clinical managers are uniquely responsible for providing a mixture of clinical care and administrative oversight within clinics or medical offices. They may manage treatment strategies for patients, schedule staff coverage and patient appointments, oversee non-physician personnel, ensure proper equipment and supplies are purchased, and monitor budgets, among other duties.

The role of health information managers is to collect electronic health records and regulate their use. Health information managers may help plan budgets and financial reports, ensure a facility’s compliance with regulatory agencies, supervise the release of health information and manage staff, among other responsibilities. These professionals usually work for hospitals and community care clinics, health departments and even health insurance companies.

Nurse administrators generally work as case managers for assisted living facilities and organizations that provide in-home nursing services. They may hire staff, collaborate with upper-level management to ensure quality patient care, oversee patients, plan budgets, ensure compliance with state and federal regulations, and more. To be successful in their line of work, nurse administrators must demonstrate a high degree of skill in interpersonal interaction.

Community health managers work to ensure that public health-based organizations function to the best of their abilities. They may plan and execute community health services, prepare and review budgets, write grants, and establish priorities and benchmarks for their organizations, among other responsibilities. Community health managers sometimes work in tandem with other entities such as stakeholders and organizational partners.

Next Steps

Get Started

Discover the Point Park University Online degree that will help you further your current career or forge a new career path.

Online Application

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Official Transcripts

Print and complete the Transcript Request Form and email it to getstarted@pointpark.edu