Health Administration (MS)

This program is not accepting applications for admission in the spring 2025 term; applications for admission will reopen beginning in fall 2025.

Admission Requirements

Please note the different options for applicants.

  • No professional healthcare experience admissions: Those MSHA students entering the program must complete the MSHA Practicum Series (PHMS 686, 691, and 692), three additional credits (46 total required credit hours) in order to graduate.
  • One year or more professional healthcare experience admissions: Students entering the MSHA with at least one year of healthcare organizational experience are not required to complete the MSHA Practicum Series (43 total required credit hours).

Prospective students must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or its equivalent.  It is recommended that applying students have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

Prospective students must also submit:

  • Application
  • Official transcripts of all degrees
  • Resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
  • One-page personal statement written by the applicant that is a clear, substantive description of his or her goals in public health and health care management, noting any professional or research experience.
  • Three letters of recommendation written within the last twelve months.
  • International applicants: Foreign credential evaluation of all degrees from non-U.S. institutions. Please contact the MSHA program prior to completing this requirement.
  • Admission interviews by the HMSS Health Leadership Committee are required and are in addition to your application for admission. An interview provides the HMSS Health Leadership Committee an additional source of information and perspective about your potential fit for the University of Louisville.
  • If candidate’s primary language is not English, one of the following:
    • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam with a minimum score of 79 
    • IELTS scores of at least 6.5 overall
    • Duolingo overall score of 105
    • Degree from an accredited U.S. institution

Application Deadlines

  • Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
    • July 1 for Fall I Term

For information on the application process, please contact:

MSHA Program Coordinator
Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences
School of Public Health and Information Sciences
University of Louisville
485 E. Gray Street
Louisville, KY 40292
P: 502-852-2797
Email: sphishms@louisville.edu

Program Requirements

To graduate, students must successfully complete the 46 (No professional healthcare organizational experience admission) or 43 (At least one year of professional healthcare organizational experience admission) credit hour curriculum, earn a B grade or above in the MSHA Capstone Course, and have an overall 3.0 GPA in coursework.

All courses within the curriculum are required and there are no electives. 

Students admitted into the program take the same courses except for the MSHA Practicum required for students with less than one year of healthcare organizational experience. The practicum is designed to expose students new to the health management field to working conditions in healthcare organizations 

Academic Standing

To maintain good academic standing in the MS in Health Administration program, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for all coursework in the program. A student must be in good academic standing in order to receive the degree.

Any MS in Health Administration student with a program cumulative GPA below 3.0 will be placed in probationary status. Any student who remains in probationary status for two consecutive terms may be considered for dismissal from the program.

Education Plan

The guiding philosophy for the MSHA curriculum design is that an online, primarily asynchronous learning basis will be used so that the rising healthcare leaders can continue working in their current jobs while in the Program. Courses have been developed in partnership with the Delphi Center for Online Learning adhering to the Quality Matters online course development standards. Courses are offered in five (5) 8-week terms within the Fall (F1, F2), Spring (S1, S2), and Summer terms to facilitate year-round student enrollments and the ability for working professionals to focus on fewer courses within concentrated periods of time. The three-credit MSHA Practicum Series (PHMS 686, PHMS 691, & PHMS 692) is required for MSHA students that have no (less than one year) prior professional healthcare organizational experience in order to facilitate an experiential development and evaluation opportunity within the program.

Coursework

43 or 46 total credit hours:

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1
FallHours
Session 1:  
PHMS 505 Governance and Management of Healthcare Organizations 3
PHMS 520 Foundations of Public Health in Health Management 3
PHMS 680 Health Management Leadership Seminar 1
Session 2:  
PHMS 509 Health Finance and Financial Management 3
PHMS 681 Population Health Quantitative Methods 3
PHMS 684 Project Management for Population Health 3
 Hours16
Spring
Session 3:  
PHMS 620 Healthcare Strategic Management 3
PHMS 682 Population Health Information Management 3
PHMS 687 Managerial Accounting for Healthcare Managers 3
Session 4:  
PHMS 610 Health Policy and Analysis 3
PHMS 662 Health Economics 3
PHMS 683 Healthcare Quality Management 3
 Hours18
Summer
Session 5:  
PHMS 635 Health Law and Ethics 3
PHMS 689 Insurance & Alternative Payment Models 3
PHMS 690 MSHA Capstone Course 3
 Hours9
 Minimum Total Hours43

PHMS 686 MSHA Practicum Experience I, PHMS 691 MSHA Practicum Experience II, and PHMS 692 MSHA Practicum III (three (3) credit hours total) – No professional  healthcare experience admissions only. These regular semester courses are taken in sequenced stages in coordination with the academic advisor and must be completed prior to graduation. Students admitted into the program with at least one year of professional healthcare organizational experience are not required to complete the MSHA Practicum Series.

Students develop an understanding and gain knowledge of the complex health care industry and the internal and external factors that influence decision-making in an assigned organization.

PHMS 690 MSHA Capstone Course (three (3) credit hours) 

The primary objective of the course is to assist students in the transition from theory to practice and from learner to user of management knowledge and skills. The course will emphasize the integration and application of management theory in ‘real world’ context.

Accreditation 

The School of Public Health and Information Sciences is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

 The University of Louisville is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

 The Master of Public Health with a concentration in Population Health Management program is currently undergoing the initial Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) accreditation approval process and is in “candidacy” status. Once the MSHA degree is approved, HMSS will inform CAHME of the curriculum change and the accreditation will transfer to the MSHA.

For more information, see the School’s accreditation webpage.