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Students may choose to take program completely online or on-ground
JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health is now offering a Master of Health Administration (MHA), expanding opportunities for current health care professionals, as well as individuals without previous experience in health care.
The MHA prepares professionals to plan, direct and coordinate the business activities of health care providers. ETSU’s MHA has four areas of focus: finance; quality; policy and regulation; and people and partnerships.
The new program, which has two tracks, is designed to be convenient and accessible to students from different educational and professional backgrounds.
The first track is for current health executives who have a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of experience in supervisory roles in health care. Because of their professional experience, students in this track do not have to take an introductory course and are exempted from an internship requirement.
The second track is for students who have a bachelor’s degree in any field and have decided that they want to pursue a career in health care. In order to gain the experience they will need in health care administration, students in this track will complete a required internship.
“We have designed the program so that it is beneficial for current health care executives and for those who might have majored in something completely different – even something outside of the sciences or business such as history or art,” said Ryan Youngblood, MHA program director. “We have also created the program so that students can choose to take their classes completely online, completely on-ground, or as a mixture of both delivery options. This flexibility allows professionals to pursue the degree without interrupting their jobs.”
Careers in health administration are currently in demand, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expecting roughly 826,000 new jobs in this field between 2012 and 2022.
With a thriving health care sector in the Appalachian Highlands, ETSU identified a demand for an MHA to meet the needs of the region.
“Accessibility to such a program will make available wonderful resources to our aspiring leaders that will shape them for future leadership opportunities,” said Sean McMurray, vice president of Market Operations and Service Line Integration and Development at Ballad Health. “The impact of such a professional program will, no doubt, be manifest in a better workforce, and consequently, a better health care system.”
The program is currently accredited through the Council on Education for Public Health, and the college is also seeking additional accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education.
ETSU is currently accepting applications for the MHA. For more information about the program and how to apply, visit www.etsu.edu/cph/hsmp/mha.php.