Master of Health Administration

For technical support questions such as how to submit supporting documents, please contact the Georgia Southern Office of Graduate Admissions.

Deadlines:

• February 1 – Fall priority admission deadline for consideration for JPHCOPH graduate assistantship
• May 1 – Final deadline deadline for International applicants
• June 1 – Final deadline deadline for United States applicants

Timeline:

We invite you to apply for the JPHCOPH graduate programs. To ensure a thorough review, please request your transcripts/foreign evaluations, test scores, and reference letters well ahead of the JPHCOPH application deadline. Taking a proactive approach and submitting materials promptly will significantly increase your chances of a successful application outcome.

To Apply:

• Complete an application via our online portal.

Application Requirements:

Policies, Requirements and Standards

The objective of the Master of Health Administration degree is to provide the student with mastery of the knowledge and skills for the effective administration of health service organizations across the continuum of care. Specifically, the student will understand the basic organizational, financial, legal, and managerial components of health services as they relate to a dynamic and evolving healthcare delivery system.

Admission Requirements

Minimum cumulative GPA – 2.75 out of 4.0.

For consideration of admission to the MHA program, the applicant must complete an application for admission to the College of Graduate Studies at Georgia Southern University, submit official copies of all required academic transcripts related to undergraduate and graduate coursework at the time of program application, submit an updated professional/personal resume that details educational and work experiences for a period of not less than three (3) years from the time of application, provide at least two (2) letters of recommendation, and complete a structured admissions questionnaire. The applicant must also have satisfactorily completed requirements for the baccalaureate degree from a college or university accredited by an appropriate institutional accreditor.

Standards of Progression and Graduation

A. The program is cohort-based, takes 21 months to complete, and all degree requirements must be completed within seven years

B. Students are encouraged to apply for graduation two semesters before the anticipated date of graduation. Note: A copy of the official program of study must accompany the candidate’s application.

Apply to the Program Transfer to Georgia Southern

Apply for a Graduate Assistantship

Our Master of Health Administration program is accredited by CAHME—the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Upon completion of the program, MHA students will demonstrate the ability to develop an organizational strategic plan that encompasses familiarity and assessment of both the external healthcare environment and the internal organization environment.
• Upon completion of the program, MHA students will demonstrate ability to effectively use evidence-based decision-making to address commonly-encountered operational issues within health services organizations.
• Upon completion of the program, MHA students demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and persuasively with stakeholders of a health organization.

Communication & Relationship Management 

C1. Interpersonal Communication Skills: Effectively communicate ideas, information, opinions and feelings as well as the ability to listen to and understand others’ ideas, information, opinions and feelings. 

C2: Presentation Skills: Effectively communicate ideas, information, results of analysis and positions through professional presentations (including oral and written presentations), including the ability to speak effectively and persuasively in front of decision-makers and other stakeholder groups. This includes preparation and use of visual aids or other media.  small and large groups of people, prepare and use visual aids such as PowerPoint presentations or other media, and write clearly, concisely, and persuasively. 

C3: Team Participation and Leadership Skills: Work effectively as a member of a group or team, including contributing to team productivity and working cooperatively with other team members in a non-leadership role, as well as helping to organize and lead team-based activities when appropriate.

Leadership 

L1. Leadership Skills and Behaviors: Understand, recognize and apply different leadership theories, styles and techniques.

L2: Systems-based Thinking: Observe and evaluate situations from a systems perspective, and apply systems-based thinking in decisions that incorporate this perspective and effectively consider the implications of one’s decisions on all components of the system.  

L3. Critical Thinking/Decision Making: Critically assess and make decisions in complex situations, including the ability to “actively and skillfully conceptualize, apply, analyze, synthesize, and/or evaluate information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action” (Scriven and Paul, 1987).

Professionalism 

P1. Professional Ethics: Describe and apply personal, organizational and professional ethics, including the extent to which one adheres to ethical business principles as well as the extent to which one exhibits ethical behavior in one’s daily life and interactions with other people.

P2. Professional Skills Development: Conduct periodic self-assessments of professional skills attainment, effectively network with professional colleagues, participate in career and professional planning activities and maintain awareness of relevant current events and research.

Healthcare Environment

H1. Patient-Centered Care: Describe the principle of patient-centeredness, including the patient’s role from creating demand to receiving outcomes, the importance of cultural awareness and issues of disparities in access and outcomes.  

H2. Population Health: Explain the factors that contribute to overall health of a population and how to assess and use population health data for decision-making. 

H3. Health Systems Organizations: Describe the interdependency, integration, and competition among healthcare sectors, the inter-relationships among access, quality, cost, resource allocation, accountability, and community, funding and payment mechanisms.

H4. Health Policy Environment: Explain the policy and economic environment that shapes healthcare delivery and of socio-cultural aspects of health care delivery, including cultural influences and disparities in health care access and health outcomes.

H5. Legal and Regulatory Environment: Describe the legal and regulatory environment of the health care system, including how courts, legislatures, and regulators interact and function; how the legal system influences health policy, providers, health care organizations, and organizational strategy; how to apply basic tort, contract, and corporate law principles; and patient’s rights and responsibilities.

Business Knowledge & Skills

B1. Financial Analysis and Management: Apply financial analysis and management techniques, including financial statement composition and analysis, cost allocation methods, cost behavior, pricing decisions, planning and budgeting, time value analysis, risk assessment, debt and equity financing, capital budgeting, and lease financing.

B2. Human Resources Management: Explain and assess human resources management processes, including internal customer service, workforce diversity, employee satisfaction, motivation and improvement strategies and measurements, and the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork among clinical administrative and staff personnel. 

B3. Organizational Dynamics / Management / Governance: Describe the processes of managing individuals, groups, and systems in organizations, including organizational governance, structure, culture, personality, communication, motivation, and leadership.

B4. Strategic Management and Marketing: Discuss and apply principles of strategic management and marketing, including environmental assessment, stakeholder analysis, competitor analysis, market analysis and segmentation, and strategy development, implementation, and tracking.

B5. Health Information Systems and Management: Describe health information systems and information management issues, including electronic medical records, e-prescribing, health information exchange and interoperability, HIPAA, etc. and of the applications of data derived from these systems is used by healthcare organization decision-makers.

B6. Continuous Quality/Performance Improvement: Discuss and apply quality/performance improvement practices, including quality improvement theories and frameworks, accreditation organizations, evidence-based practices, and utilization of clients’ perspectives to enhance operations/activities.

The Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health has a variety of student groups focused on furthering the cause of public health, including the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee, Delta Omega, the Maternal and Child Health Interest Group, and the Public Health Student Association.

Georgia Southern MHA Advisory Board

The Georgia Southern Master of Health Administration (MHA) program is advised by a distinguished group of hospital executives, policy leaders, faculty and students dedicated to preparing the next generation of healthcare administrators. Board members bring deep expertise across hospital operations, rural health, finance, advocacy and strategy. Their collective insight provides strategic guidance and real-world perspective to ensure the program remains aligned with the evolving needs of healthcare organizations and communities.

J. Bruce Barragan, MHA, LFACHE

J. Bruce Barragan spent a 30-year career in healthcare administration, including roles as Vice President of Professional Services at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center and President and CEO of McLeod Health in Florence, South Carolina. He later served 11 years as President of GMK Associates, a healthcare architectural, engineering and design-build firm in Columbia, South Carolina. Since 2014, he has served as Executive-in-Residence and Senior Lecturer at Georgia Southern University.

Andy Cobb, MBA

Andy Cobb is Senior Vice President of Education and Engagement for the Georgia Hospital Association. Prior to joining GHA, he served in multiple roles over a 20-year career with the American Cancer Society, collaborating across states to engage health systems, insurers and cancer control programs to improve access to prevention and early detection services.

Rebecca L. King, MHA

Rebecca King serves as Senior Strategist for State Affairs and Member Advocacy at the American Academy of Family Physicians, leading grassroots initiatives that empower family physicians to shape health policy. Since earning her MHA from Georgia Southern in 2017, she has built expertise in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and organizational strategy.

Charles F. Owens, MSA

Charles Owens is Associate Clinical Professor in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and Director of the Center for Rural and Public Health Practice and Research at Georgia Southern University. He teaches healthcare finance and policy and leads programs supporting public health systems, hospitals, EMS and community health initiatives.

Kwabena Boama Owusu, MBA

Kwabena Boama Owusu is a graduate assistant for the MHA Program and a student in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University.

Stephen Pennington, MHA

Stephen Pennington serves as CEO of East Georgia Regional Medical Center. With more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit and for-profit healthcare systems, he focuses on patient, employee and physician satisfaction under the guiding principle “Every Patient, Every Time, Always.”

Antoine Poythress

Antoine Poythress is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Effingham Health System. He previously served as CEO of Jenkins County Medical Center and is recognized for stabilizing and revitalizing financially challenged healthcare systems. He was the first African American CEO of Washington County Regional Medical Center.

David Schott, DrPH, MBA, MSPH, FACHE

David Schott is a hospital executive with more than a decade of executive leadership experience and currently serves as a hospital CEO in Arizona. He holds a DrPH from the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Damien Scott, PT, MBA, MS, FACHE

Damien Scott is Chief Executive Officer of Emanuel Medical Center, where he has served since 2014. With 28 years in healthcare spanning clinical care, teaching and administration, he emphasizes building cultures of compassionate, patient-centered care.

Daija Smith, DHA

Daija Smith is System Director of Business Operations (Nursing) at OhioHealth in Columbus, Ohio. She leads workforce planning, Lean Daily Management and operational excellence initiatives and is passionate about culturally competent care and inclusive leadership.

Mission

The Master of Health Administration program prepares a highly qualified, diverse group of early careerist students for increasingly responsible management, administrative and leadership roles across the health care industry.

Vision

The Master of Health Administration program aspires to become a nationally-recognized provider of graduate health administration education, professional development, applied research and scholarship, and a valued and sustainable resource working collaboratively to improve the health of the communities we serve.

Values

• Integrity and innovation in our educational and professional endeavors
• Continuous program improvement targeting student success
• Student-tailored educational and professional development
• Creative engagement with community and professional stakeholder groups

Professional development is woven throughout the MHA program, providing students with structured, hands-on experiences that build leadership skills, strategic thinking and career readiness.

• Program Launch: Friday Night in the ER® Simulation: Students begin the program with Friday Night in the ER®, an immersive, team-based simulation that introduces systems thinking, process improvement and leadership decision-making in a fast-paced hospital environment. This shared experience establishes a common foundation for understanding healthcare complexity and collaboration.
• Applied Experience: Internship / Practicum: After completing the first year of coursework, students participate in a supervised internship or practicum within an actual healthcare organization. Students apply classroom knowledge in real operational settings, gaining hands-on experience in management, finance, quality improvement, operations or strategy while building professional networks.
• Leadership Integration: Executive-Level Strategy Experience: At the end of the program, students complete an integrated experience that places them in the role of a hospital executive team. Working in the “C-suite,” students analyze organizational and environmental data, set strategic priorities and develop and execute leadership-level strategy, mirroring the decisions faced by senior healthcare leaders.
• Career Preparation & Professional Skills (Throughout the Program): Across the curriculum, students receive ongoing support in professional skill development, including résumé and cover letter preparation, career exploration and exposure to healthcare leaders through frequent guest speakers. Executives from hospitals, health systems, associations and policy organizations regularly engage with students, offering practical insight into leadership pathways and emerging issues in healthcare.

The Graduate Student Organization (GSO) is committed to representing and supporting the interests of all current and prospective graduate students at Georgia Southern University and seeks to support scholarly activities as well as promote social opportunities for the development of graduate students.

For All Online Programs:

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For required disclosures in general with regard to online programs offered by the University, visit the Office of Legal Affairs website.