The Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree has a long and distinguished history of preparing students for management and leadership positions in healthcare organizations. We are the only fully CAHME accredited program in the state and for 50 years, we’ve led the way in educating Indiana’s health administration workforce.
Master of Health Administration (MHA) Traditional Track
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[Words appear: Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health Indianapolis]
[Video: Indianapolis skyline is zoomed in on as music plays in background.]
Anne: It’s really an exciting time to become a future health care leader and there are very few cities that offer the breadth and depth of health care experience that Indianapolis provides.
[Words appear: Master of Health Administration]
[Video: Older female professor is shown teaching a class of students while standing in front of a whiteboard.]
Anne: For providers and manufacturers to pharmaceuticals and insurance companies, the MHA program at IUPUI is at a centrical.
[Video: The IUPUI school’s campus with view of downtown Indianapolis in the background is shown as a man walks on the sidewalk.]
Anne: The city and the campus lend themselves to collaboration across health care sectors creating a unique learning environment.
[Video: Several classes are shown with different professors teaching each, followed by students walking along the halls of a hospital. Scene ends with Anne speaking in her office.]
Anne: This environment paired with our excellent faculty and the largest alumni network in the state, make the MHA program at the Fairbanks School of Public Health top choice for future health care leaders.
[Video: Young woman wearing business attire sitting at a desk in an office meeting room begins speaking.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Patricia Nguyen, MHA/MBA ’14; Healthcare at Navigant]
Patricia: The reason why I chose Fairbanks MHA program was because of its setting within Indianapolis. Indianapolis is a very unique health care landscape.
[Video: Indianapolis skyline is zoomed in on; scene cuts to a woman speaking.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Megan Klopchin, MHA/MPH ’09; Eli Lilly and Company]
Megan: You are seated right here in the heart of downtown where there some of, you know, the major health networks and hospitals and within step to all of it.
[Video: Riley Hospital for Children appears, woman walks by, and hospital is zoomed in on; scene cuts to another hospital as a van drives away from its entrance; Eskenazi Hospital is shown briefly before another woman begins speaking in an office setting.]
Sarah: The school has a lot of connections with all of the hospital networks around town.
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Sarah Roth; Student, Eskenazi Health Scholarship Recipient]
Sarah: I could look at community health. I could look at IU health. I can look at Eskenazi health.
[Video: Man in shirt and tie sits in a meeting room.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Allan Swan; Student, Eskenazi Health Scholarship Recipient]
Allan: You have St. Vincent, St. Francis, they’re all around this area. And a lot of the alumni from the program are actually inserting themselves into these organizations.
[Video: Woung woman sits at a desk, using a mouse and computer, and reaches for the phone. She is then shown standing in a hall.]
Amy: I was very surprised to learn that there’s like hundreds of alumni in the Indianapolis area even still.
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Amy Gravelle, Student]
[Video: Woman with shoulder-length hair in business attire sits in a meeting room.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Annette Seabrook, MHA ’09; Franciscan Health]
Annette: I really think an advantage of the program here is the access that you have to all of these other health care executives, internships, opportunities for projects.
[Video: Girl in blue dress sits in cubicle, typing on a computer.]
Paul: Our program is nearly 50 years old…
[Video: The girl in blue dress then walks out into an office lobby with files in her hand, followed by image of Paul sitting at a desk in a suit.]
Paul: …and we’ve graduated people that are occupying the CEO chairs, chief operating officer chairs, and involved in operations on nearly every aspect of health administration.
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Dr. Paul Halverson, FACHE; Dean, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health]
[Video: Older man in a suit stands in an office, followed by two women talking and laughing during a meeting. A different man in a suit is then shown walking around a corner into a lawyer’s office.
Doug: You have to say the program was a springboard to the rest of my career.
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Doug Leonard, MHA ’79; President – Indiana Hospital Association]
[Video: Sitting in his office, Doug begins to speak.]
Doug: If I didn’t have that MHA, I would never have been able to entertain the kind of career I’ve had.
[Video: Girl in blue dress continues walking through the office with files in her hand, she then enters a meeting room with others and sits down.]
Alicia: That’s how the program is set up, is to put you in those real-life practical situations and expose you to different health care leaders. Truly the golden ticket for me is that experience and exposure.
[Video: While speaking, Alicia is shown standing in a well-lit office, wearing a black dress.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Alicia Schulhof, MHA ’03; Indiana University Health]
[Video: Man in shirt and tie, wearing a name badge speaks while sitting in front of an office window.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Dr. Al Gatmaitan, MHA ’85; COO - Indiana University Health]
Al: The practical experiences that we’ve had through internships was invaluable.
[Video: Screen goes black briefly.]
[Video: Indianapolis skyline is zoomed in on as music plays in background.]
Blake: Part of the program shows the importance of professionalism. How to be a professional, how to think, how to act, how to interact with people.
[Blake’s degree from IU is shown in his office, followed by a close-up of the recognition awards he’s received. Sitting at his desk, he begins speaking.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Blake Dye, MHA ’81; President, St. Vincent Heart Center]
[Video: Students laugh and talk in a classroom setting. Sitting in front of a window, a young female in business attire begins speaking.]
Alexandra: A huge component of our curriculum is learning how to be an effective communicator…
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Alexandra Simonton, Student]
[Video: Alexandra walks through an office, and sits to chat with another woman as they look over a document.]
Alexandra: …how to manage others, how to manage yourself, and how to recognize, you know, what you might need to do to develop personally.
Paul: Not only will you get the business and organizational skills that you need to be successful as an executive, but you’ll get those population health skills necessary to actually contribute.
[Video: Students laugh and talk in a classroom setting.]
Joe: The academic and the education that we receive, those are tremendously helpful and insightful on the topics themselves. But I think the program does a fantastic job of connecting us with professionals that have live it.
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Joe Primavera, Student]
[Video: Joe, wearing a black suit, speaks while sitting in an office.]
Elizabeth: My favorite thing about the program and why I encourage people to pick this program is our professors.
[Video: Different professor speak to classes and the students are shown laughing and interacting.]
Elizabeth: Many of our professors have other careers beyond just being a professor.
[Video: While speaking, Elizabeth is shown sitting in an office, wearing a blue suit jacket.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Elizabeth Walker, MHA/JD ’99; Quorum Health Resources]
[Video: A young woman, wearing a red suit jacket, speaks while sitting in an office.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Alessa Quinones-Ortiz; Student, IU Health Scholarship Recipient]
Alessa: Some of them have a ridiculous amount of experience. You know, stuff that a lot of us students aspire to get to.
[Sarah speaks while sitting in an office.]
Sarah: The faculty also put a high value on networking and they really help us out a lot with that a lot.
[Video: Allan speaks while sitting in an office.]
Allan: They want you to be successful.
[Video: Patricia speaks while sitting in an office.]
Patricia: So I started off in just the MHA program, but through the faculty here, they encouraged me to pursue a dual program.
[Video: Students are shown laughing and interacting during a class, followed by a skyline image of Indianapolis.]
Megan: Having that second degree, for me, a job candidate, and for my potential future career, it was so worthwhile.
[Words appear: Dual Degrees Offered: MHA/MPH, MHA/MBS, MHA/JD]
[Video: Megan speaking while sitting in a meeting room, followed by a similar shot of Alessa in a meeting room.]
Alessa: I realize that my dual degree and my experience at IU Health has prepared me more than I thought it did.
[Video: Alessa is shown laughing and interacting during a class.]
Dr. Gatmaitan: Caused me to realize that the reason why I’m in healthcare is to create the conditions where highly committed caregivers, doctors, patients, environmental service workers can be their best in serving patients in their most vulnerable times.
[Video: Students and professors are shown interacting during different class sessions, followed by two professionals, male and female, shaking hands.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: William Thompson, MHA ’83; Chairman, Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman]
William: I’m so grateful that I look back and I did the MHA program. It was really a good investment.
[Video: Kathleen, wearing a black suit jacket and white top, sits in an office talking.]
[Words appear alongside IU logo: Kathleen McAllen, MHA ’90; Community Health Network]
Kathleen: It’s been a perfect degree for me.
[Video: Alexandra sitting in an office, followed by a closing shot of downtown Indianapolis and the IUPUI campus.]
Alexandra: I’m looking forward to starting my career and I feel very prepared.
p>[Words appear on a white background: Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health Indianapolis]
[Music ends]
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Our graduates go on to build successful careers in health systems, hospitals, physician practices, health maintenance organizations, long term care facilities and health insurance organizations. Many CEOs of Indiana-based health organizations are graduates of the Fairbanks School of Public Health MHA program.
As an MHA student, you’ll develop business skills and become knowledgeable about the dynamic health care environment. Through advanced courses, you'll have the opportunity to participate in project work for health care organizations. Outside the classroom, our students acquire practical experience through a variety of experiential learning opportunities, including paid internships, our mentoring program that matches individual students with local health care executives, and health-related part-time positions.
100% of 2018 graduates, who were full-time, graduated in two years
100%of 2018 graduates reported full-time employment
Why Choose Us for Your MHA Degree?
We’re the only CAHME-accredited MHA program in Indiana.- We have an outstanding faculty that includes full-time educators with lots of practical experience in our health systems and a network of adjunct faculty who are working professionals in the field.
- We're ranked as one of the Best Healthcare Management Programs in the country, according to the U.S. News & World Report's Best Grad School Rankings for 2020.
- Our study abroad programs offer opportunities to gain new perspectives by studying in Europe, Latin and South American, Asia and Africa.
- Our close proximity to the top health systems in Indiana gives our students unparalleled opportunities to gain hands on experience through experiential learning, internships, and capstone projects.
- Our alumni include approximately half of the hospital CEOs in Indiana, as well as many other industry leaders.
- We’re flexible enough to accommodate both full-time and part-time students.
- We offer outstanding career services support to our students and alumni.
I wish people knew how rewarding health administration is.
Shawnice Hogg, MHA Class of '17
Meet Our Program Director
"We're committed to consistently getting feedback from practitioners, alumni, students and faculty to make sure we're constantly adjusting the curriculum to meet the future needs in health administration."
Ann Johnston, EdD, FACHE
MHA Program Director
Curriculum and Competencies
All MHA candidates must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 51 credits. The curriculum includes required health administration and practical experience courses. The Master of Health Administration focuses on five core areas, including understanding the context of the healthcare system, leadership and professionalism, decision making, technical skills and self-development.
Joint Degrees
The Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health offers the opportunity to pursue an MHA in combination with three other degrees. Our joint-degree programs are intended to prepare leaders who will offer a combination of analytical thinking and broad understanding to their industry.
Admissions
MHA students are admitted for matriculation in the fall of each year. The MHA program does not accept applications for admission in the spring term. You may apply to the Master of Health Administration Program online using either HAMPCAS or SOPHAS. HAMPCAS is the Healthcare Administration, Management and Policy Centralized Application Service. SOPHAS is the centralized Schools of Public Health Application Service. Preference is not given to one system over the other. The application deadlines are:
- International Application Deadline: February 1
- Priority Deadline: February 15
- Final Deadline: May 31
Application reviews begin the first week of October. In order to be considered for first round interviews in November, applications must be completed by mid-September. Beginning in January, interviews are held monthly, until the class is filled. All students who apply to the MHA program by the priority deadline, February 15th, will automatically be considered for scholarships.
Please note that all applications must be verified by HAMPCAS or SOPHAS prior to the May 31 deadline, a process that generally takes 4 to 5 weeks to be completed. Applications that are not verified by HAMPCAS or SOPHAS by May 31 are not guaranteed review by the MHA Program Committee.
Admissions CriteriaFor More Information
Students who are interested in this degree are encouraged to contact the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health Office of Student Services at (317) 274-2000 to speak with one of our friendly, helpful admissions advisors. We’re happy to answer questions or schedule a visit to the school.
Learn How to Apply