Health Administration, M.S.H.A.

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Return to: Institute of Health Administration

Marie Cameron, FACHE, Faculty Director, 404-413-7637, mariecameron@gsu.edu

In addition to offering the M.B.A. and M.H.A. degrees as a dual degree program (described earlier), the Robinson College of Business offers the Master of Science in Health Administration as a single degree. This program is designed to meet the needs of students who desire a background in health administration and the opportunity to acquire specialized skills in areas of business or healthcare administration, including health information systems and data analytics. PMBA and other graduate degree students may apply for the MSHA as a second degree.

Admissions

The application procedures and admission criteria are given in the “Master’s Admissions” section of this chapter. A personal interview normally is required for all applicants but may be waived.

Admission to the M.S.H.A. degree program may occur each semester. Early application is encouraged, however, since the number of applicants each year exceeds the capacity of the program.

Degree Requirements

Regulations for the Degree

All Master of Science in Health Administration students will complete the Business Communication Skills Requirement explained earlier in this chapter. The regulations, policies, and procedures given in the “Master’s Enrollment” and “Master’s Programs” sections of this chapter apply to the M.S.H.A. program.

Course Requirements. The course requirements for the Master of Science in Health Administration degree and the format of the program follow. Consult the Course Descriptions chapter for prerequisites to the graduate courses listed below.

Program of Study/Course Selection. All M.S.H.A. students must contact the Institute for consultation and guidance. Concentration courses must be approved by the Faculty Director, and students are required submit a formal program of study to the Office of Graduate Student Services. Progress toward the degree, including clearance for graduation, will be determined by Office of Graduate Student Services by comparing courses taken with the foundation courses assigned at admission and the degree requirements stated above. Students must consult the Course Descriptions chapter of the current graduate catalog to determine if they have met the prerequisites for any course to be taken.

Time Limit. The time limit for completing the M.S.H.A. degree with a concentration is five years from the first semester a course in section b or c (above) is taken.

Foundation Courses

See section 7110.10 for the foundation requirements for this degree.

Required Courses in Health Administration (24 Hours)

HA 8160 - Introduction to the Health Care System 3 Hours
HA 8190 - Health Policy and Ethics 3 Hours
HA 8250 - Health Economics and Financing 3 Hours
HA 8450 - Legal Environment of Health Care 3 Hours
HA 8550 - Healthcare Planning and Financial Management 3 Hours
HA 8620 - Operations Management and Quality in Health Care 3 Hours
HA 8670 - Health Information Systems 3 Hours
HA 8990 - Strategic Management in Health Care 3 Hours

Concentration (12 hours)

An approved selected concentration may be taken such as: a customized concentration of 8000-level RCB courses, or MBA concentrations, to complete this section of the M.S.H.A. program. For concentrations in the Master of Business Administration program cited earlier in this chapter, follow the course requirements given for the chosen MBA concentration.

Law and Health Administration Dual Degree Program

The College of Law and the Institute of Health Administration in the Robinson College of Business, offer two dual degree programs leading to the Juris Doctor degree (JD) and either (1) a Master of Science in Health Administration degree (MSHA), or (2) an MBA/MHA (Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration).

The J.D./M.S.H.A. and J.D./M.B.A./M.H.A. are courses of study which allow selected previously-approved course work earned in one degree program to satisfy some of the elective course requirements of the other degree program. This enables a student to complete the requirements for both or all tree degrees in a shorter time than required to complete each of the degrees separately. Students who have already earned a J.D. and an M.S.H.A. degree or M.B.A./M.H.A. degree at Georgia State University or at another institution are not eligible for the dual program.

The following regulations apply to students who are accepted to the J.D. and M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A., programs and are enrolled in the dual degree program as opposed to being enrolled in each degree program separately.

Application

Applicants to the J.D./M.S.H.A. or J.D./M.B.A./M.H.A. dual degree programs must meet the entrance requirements and follow the application procedures of both the College of Law and the Robinson College of Business. Applicants must be accepted by both colleges. Admission into one program does not presume admission to the other. To be in the J.D./M.S.H.A. of J.D./M.B.A./M.H.A. dual degree programs, students must be admitted to both programs before completing either program.

Applicants must take the LSAT to apply to the College of Law. Robinson College of Business will accept the LSAT in lieu of the GRE or GMAT for students already accepted into the J.D. program.

Students who are accepted to both the J.D. and M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A. programs and wish to be enrolled in the dual degree program are responsible for providing written notification of their intentions to each college.

Requirements

Students must satisfy the curriculum requirements for both the J.D. and M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A. degrees.

J.D. Degree requirements

As stated in the College of Law chapter of the catalog, a law student must earn 90 semester hours of credit to qualify for the J.D. degree. For students enrolled in the J.D./M.S.H.A. or J.D./M.B.A./M.H.A. dual degree programs, the College of Law will permit up to 12 semester hours of 8000-level M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A. courses with grades of B or better to be credited toward elective hours required for the J.D.

M.S.H.A. Degree Requirements

The requirements for the M.S.H.A. are described in section 7210 of the Robinson College of Business catalog.

For students enrolled in the J.D./M.S.H.A. dual degree program, the Robinson College of Business will accept 12 semester hours of relevant health law elective courses from the J.D. program with grades of B or better to be credited toward the 12 semester hours of concentration/electives for the M.S.H.A.

In addition, 3 credit hours will be given for LAW 7239 Health Law: Quality and Access or LAW 7240 Health Law: Finance and Delivery in place of HA 8450 - Legal Environment of Health Care .

M.B.A./M.H.A. Degree Requirements

The requirements for the M.B.A./M.H.A. are described in section 7170 of the Robinson College of Business catalog.

For students enrolled in the J.D./M.B.A./M.H.A. dual degree program, the Robinson College of Business will accept 3 credit hours for LAW 7239 Health Law: Quality and Access or LAW 7240 Health Law: Finance and Delivery in place of HA 8450 - Legal Environment of Health Care . The Robinson College of Business will also accept 3 hours of legal externship courses or clinic in the health care area in place of HA 8810 - Administrative Residency and Survey I .

Enrollment Sequencing and Time Limits

The College of Law does not permit enrollment in the dual degree program after a student has completed more than 21 semester hours of 8000-level M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A. coursework.

After students have been admitted to both the J.D. and M.B.A./M.H.A. programs and have declared intent to be enrolled in the dual degree program, they must, at the first opportunity, complete 30 semester hours of required courses in the J.D. program. After completion of these 30 hours, enrollment in the courses of either college or enrollment in both colleges concurrently is permitted.

Dual degree students may be required to take prerequisite, foundational or introductory courses prior to beginning M.B.A./M.H.A. coursework.

Grading and Scholastic Discipline

Students enrolled in either of the dual degree programs must meet the academic regulations of each college, including those related to the minimum GPA and scholastic discipline. The computation of the GPA in each college is based only on courses taken in that college.

Graduation

Prior to graduation, students completing the dual degree program are responsible for confirming with both colleges that the degree requirements for each program have been satisfied. Students must complete the graduate application for each degree.

No credit hours of J.D. course work will be applied toward the M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A. degree requirements until the completion of J.D. degree requirements. No credit hours of M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A. course work will be applied toward the J.D. degree requirements until the completion of M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A. degree requirements. A simultaneous awarding of degrees will satisfy this requirement.

The requirements for the M.S.H.A. or M.B.A./M.H.A. degrees must be completed within five years of the initial semester of enrollment in the Robinson College of Business.. The J.D. degree must be completed within six years of the initial semester of enrollment in the J.D. program.