Program director
Huma Shah
The School of Public Health offers a Master of Health-Care Administration (M.H.A.) degree, which provides students with a broad understanding of health-care management in line with appropriate and relevant industry-leading competencies. In addition, students engage in practical experience to apply the principles learned through an 800-hour practicum in the health sector. Graduates are prepared for administrative careers in health-service organizations—including medical centers, health plans, physician groups and dental practices, and long-term and managed-care settings, among others.
This degree program provides students with the knowledge, skills, and practice necessary to further their administrative careers in the health-care sector.
Health professionals who are currently employed and have at least five years of professional work experience in health-care administration are eligible to apply for a waiver of up to 9 units.
Coursework for the health-care administration program may be pursued in the following formats:
Students will gain health-care management competencies across these five domains (knowledge of the health-care environment; communications and interpersonal effectiveness; critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving; management and leadership; professionalism and ethics). By the end of the program, the graduate should be able to:
Our vision is to be recognized globally as a premier, faith-inspired health-care management program. We envision preparing professionals to ethically lead transformative change in health-care delivery. Our graduates will drive innovation that will contribute to the health and well-being of the communities they serve.
The mission of the M.H.A. degree program in the School of Public Health is to prepare early and midcareer individuals from diverse backgrounds for management and leadership roles within the health-care industry. The program helps students integrate a wholistic, patient- and community-centered perspective. The Program transforms students using a competency-based curriculum that implements mission-focused learning, experiential education (through direct experience and focused reflection), evidence-based strategies through informed practice, and the integration of innovative solutions to improve the population’s health. We seek to develop students into conscientious and ethical leaders by providing practice and service-learning opportunities, professional development, mentoring, and coaching.
Graduates will be prepared for entry-level health-care positions, administrative fellowships, or advancement into mid-level management positions of influence in the healthcare industry.
Educational effectiveness will be determined through papers, presentations, experiential exercises, tests, field practicum projects/papers, and an exit interview. A competency inventory survey will be conducted two times during the student's program of study at Loma Linda University—upon starting the M.H.A. degree program and upon completion of all classes and the practicum experience.
Program learner outcomes are evidenced by:
The following undergraduate-level course is required and may be taken as a MOOC or other online course where a certificate is received.
The M.H.A. includes supervised practical opportunities for emerging and experienced administrative health-care professionals. Students from this program with little-to-no health-care leadership experience will engage in an 800-hour practicum in a health-care setting—such as a hospital, long-term care facility, community clinic, or other health-care related organization. Students who enter the program with five years or more of health-care leadership experience will complete a project based on practical experience, in which they will work with a health-care organization and assist or lead a current project in consultation with the faculty and the organization's leaders.
The purpose of the practical experience is to provide students with the opportunity to apply academic learning in an interdisciplinary environment, and to integrate public health concepts and skills from their program of study. The depth and breadth of the experience varies by site location and project availability. This is done in the context of carefully planned and implemented field-based, real-world experience. The practical experience is participatory in nature—rather than observational—and is designed to address students’ program competencies and career interests, while also making contributions to the site or organization where they are placed.
While the assigned hours will be spent at the organization, the student’s work will be guided and evaluated through a course they have registered for on Canvas/LiveText. The number of units for which a student will need to register will vary according to the hours or projects the student will complete each quarter. The practicum coordinator and/or program director will work closely with students and their mentors in monitoring student progress. Students will present their experiences to the program faculty and site supervisors in final papers and oral presentations.
Students who are accepted into the program with five years or more of health-care management experience will complete a consulting project focusing on identified weaknesses within the program learning outcomes. These students will work with the program faculty to meet these requirements in a directed study course.
Students who are accepted into the program from a clinical background, or who are enrolled in a professional clinical program concurrent with enrollment in the M.H.A. degree program, are required to complete 400 hours in their practicum—with their clinical education being counted as exposure to practical and professional development.
Those interested in management and administrative careers in health-service organizations—including hospitals, health plans, physician groups and dental practices, and long-term, managed-care settings, among others—may benefit from the program.
| Public health core | ||
| HADM 515 | Managerial Epidemiology | 3 |
| PHCJ 606 | Public Health Fundamentals | 4 |
| Major | ||
| HADM 506 | Fundamentals of Health-Care Finance | 3 |
| HADM 508 | Accounting Fundamentals in Health-Care Management | 4 |
| HADM 514 | Health-Care Economics | 3 |
| HADM 528 | Organizational Behavior in Health Care | 3 |
| HADM 529 | Applied Leadership Concepts in Health-Care Organizations 1 | 3 |
| HADM 534 | Health-Care Law | 3 |
| HADM 555 | Health-Care Delivery Systems | 3 |
| HADM 559 | Health-Care Marketing | 3 |
| HADM 564 | Health-Care Finance | 3 |
| HADM 574 | Managing Human Resources in Health-Care Organizations | 3 |
| HADM 575 | Management Information Systems in Health Care | 3 |
| HADM 601 | Quantitative Methods in Health-Care Management | 3 |
| HADM 604 | Health Systems Strategic Planning | 3 |
| HADM 605 | Health-Care Quality Management | 3 |
| HADM 607 | Orientation to Professionalism Seminar | 1 |
| HADM 690 | Health-Care Management Capstone | 3 |
| Religion | ||
| RELE 535 | Ethical Issues in Health-Care Management | 3 |
| Electives 2 | 3 | |
| Total Units | 60 | |
| Practical experience | ||
| Practicum units are in addition to the minimum didactic units required for the degree | 16 | |
| HADM 724A | Health-Care Administration Practicum (Total of 16 units/800 hours) 3 | 2-8 |
| or HADM 724B | Health-Care Administration Practicum | |
| or HADM 724C | Health-Care Administration Practicum | |
| or HADM 724D | Health-Care Administration Practicum | |
Fulfills service learning requirement.
Choose a course in consultation with advisor
May substitute with HADM 594 Applied Health-Care Management Project for 2-4 units per approval of practicum director.
Culminating experience. M.H.A. degree students are required to produce a final report at the end of the practicum experience and to present the findings at a formal presentation arranged as part of the grade for the practicum course. They will also complete a final project and portfolio as part of the Integrated Capstone (HADM 690 Health-Care Management Capstone).
Professional membership. During their first quarter, students are required to secure and maintain membership in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) for the duration of the M.H.A. degree program.
Colloquia. Participation in 10 hours of noncredit colloquia designed to acquaint students with various aspects of the health-care industry is required of all students.
Two (2) years (seven [7] academic quarters) — based on full-time enrollment; part time permitted
HADM 501. Health Policy and Leadership Seminar. 1 Unit.
An orientation seminar designed for the first or second quarter of the M.P.H. degree in health policy and leadership. Identifies the expectations of the degree, raises awareness and understanding of academic standards, and promotes cohort and professional loyalty.
HADM 506. Fundamentals of Health-Care Finance. 3 Units.
Covers different forms of business organizations and their impact on taxes and cash flows. Focuses particularly on third-party payer system, time value of money, financial risk and return, debt and equity financing, securities valuation, market efficiency, debt refunding, and lease financing.
Prerequisite: HADM 508 or equivalent.
HADM 508. Accounting Fundamentals in Health-Care Management. 4 Units.
Presents fundamental principles of accounting in health care. Covers additional key financial and managerial accounting concepts and applies them to assist in making informed health-care decisions.
HADM 510. Health Policy Analysis and Synthesis. 3 Units.
Introduces major approaches for understanding the health policy process. Explores how to identify and analyze the forces and interests involved in health policy issues, including stakeholder analysis. Examines how to write a policy brief and describes various techniques of advocating for health policy change.
HADM 514. Health-Care Economics. 3 Units.
Uses analytical tools of economics to describe the behavior of various agents in the health-care industry, including providers and patients, third party payers, the government, and the pharmaceutical industry. Explores the importance of health-care labor markets; analyzes the issue of equity, efficiency, and costs; and explores differences between health-care systems around the world.
HADM 515. Managerial Epidemiology. 3 Units.
Overview of epidemiological concepts including exploration, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiology data and statistical measures utilized in epidemiology studies. Considers how epidemiology is used to reinforce a population health-based approach in health management and service delivery.
HADM 525. Special Topics. 1-4 Units.
Lecture and discussion on a current topic in health policy and management or leadership. May be repeated for a maximum of 8 units applicable to degree program.
HADM 528. Organizational Behavior in Health Care. 3 Units.
Focuses on understanding, predicting, and influencing human behavior in an organization. Students gain experience using practical individual and group case studies and reading/researching organizational behavior books and topics that facilitate thinking through problems/issues and finding solutions as leaders, managers, and employees in organizations.
HADM 529. Applied Leadership Concepts in Health-Care Organizations. 3 Units.
Enhances and applies leadership principles related to managing change process, building and strengthening teams, practicing skills in persuasion and resolution of conflicts, and developing innovative and skilled leaders. Uses case studies and interactive methods to create an innovative environment in which students can apply and enhance their knowledge of the health-care industry.
HADM 534. Health-Care Law. 3 Units.
Examines health care as a highly regulated industry, providing students with an understanding of the vast range of legal issues facing health-care practitioners and administrators. Gives particular attention to topics in regulatory compliance, medical malpractice, health-care contracting, and employment law.
HADM 536. Health Policy Communications. 3 Units.
Strategies for advancing health policy messages. Identifies various forms of public communication and provides techniques for communicating effectively with the mass media and stakeholders in the health system. Focus on critical thinking in addition to oral and written communication.
HADM 545. Government Policy and Health Disparities. 3 Units.
Overview of health disparities in framing health policy discussions. Examines the federal government's use of funding and regulation to influence health-care delivery in the United States. Reviews the role of state and local governments in developing and implementing health policy. Explores how research is used in documenting disparities and evaluating interventions.
HADM 555. Health-Care Delivery Systems. 3 Units.
Reviews current trends in health-care financing; integrated delivery systems; managed care, as well as some focus on health-care operations, including: billing, coding, pricing, utilization review, case management, and systems. Reviews and discusses current events and research relating to the health-care system structure throughout the world and relative to U.S. health-care policy.
HADM 559. Health-Care Marketing. 3 Units.
Applies marketing concepts to health care delivery systems. Emphasizes a strategic market-management approach for developing or evaluating strategies and programs for a health care organization.
HADM 564. Health-Care Finance. 3 Units.
Covers capital structure decisions, capital budgeting, financial analysis and forecasting, project risk analysis, working capital management, business valuation, mergers and acquisitions, reimbursement methods, and financial risk management.
Prerequisite: HADM 506.
HADM 574. Managing Human Resources in Health-Care Organizations. 3 Units.
Purposefully explores how the strategic management of human resources creates value and delivers results in health care. Addresses an emerging human-resource paradigm, in addition to focusing on the traditional perspectives of human resources that center around the personnel function.
HADM 575. Management Information Systems in Health Care. 3 Units.
Systems theory and application in the design and operation of integrated management information systems in a health-care setting. Examines hardware, software, and human interfaces.
HADM 584. Current Topics in Health Policy and Leadership. 1 Unit.
Lectures and discussion on current issues in leadership. Specific content varies from quarter to quarter. May be repeated for additional credit.
HADM 585. Policy Development for a Twenty-First Century Health System. 3 Units.
Addresses the unique application of leadership theory and best practice to the field of public health, health care, and related areas.
HADM 586. Building Healthy Communities: Integrative Health Policy. 3 Units.
Examines the public health system, how health policy is developed, and the diverse stakeholders involved in the process. Examines effective partnerships with government agencies, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, communities, and social entrepreneurs. Explores and analyzes in depth how these partnerships have worked together to make positive health improvements through effective policies.
HADM 587. Health Policy Analysis and Research. 3 Units.
Provides students with the skills needed to translate research into policy and practice. Examines how research impacts public health and health policies. Explores the relationship between statistics, research, and public policy; and understanding policy development and the politics that inform public health policy. Focuses on collaboration with government agencies and community groups in evaluating outcomes associated with changing policies at the institution, community, and state levels.
HADM 588. Leadership, Policy, and Environmental Change. 3 Units.
Examines public health approaches to improve health through environmental and policy change. Explores theoretical and practical applications of legislative advocacy in the area of health policy.
HADM 589. Advanced Practice in Leadership. 3 Units.
Explores leadership through reflection on and analysis of past experiences, readings in textbook and articles, discussion of contemporary leadership theories, and learning activities designed to apply this knowledge to the student’s personal setting. Focuses especially on discussion of issues encountered in leading teams and organizations. Assesses leadership style as well as applied leadership, change theory, entrepreneurial skills, and innovative practice.
HADM 594. Applied Health-Care Management Project. 2 Units.
Development of an applied project for a health-care organization.
Prerequisite: HADM 607; completion of 40 units of program requirements; program director approval.
HADM 595. Leadership—Past, Present, and Future. 3 Units.
Studies in depth the historical and theoretical foundations of leadership, exploring a wide range of sources across time and culture. Emphasizes major theories influencing the current understanding of leadership and its relationship to management.
HADM 601. Quantitative Methods in Health-Care Management. 3 Units.
Utilizes quantitative techniques to analyze processes and apply decision-making tools to optimize performance in health-care institutions. Includes forecasting, facility location and layout, resource allocation, workload management, productivity measurement, supply chain and inventory management, quality control and improvement, project management, and queuing theory.
HADM 604. Health Systems Strategic Planning. 3 Units.
Describes strategic planning process and examines tools needed to analyze external factors and internal capabilities related to an organization. Includes: development of vision, mission, and goal statements; objectives; control mechanisms; human resource management; marketing; finance; and, impact of business, demographic, cultural, political, and regulatory decisions on long-term success.
HADM 605. Health-Care Quality Management. 3 Units.
Focuses on quality systems that include developing clear mission or vision, setting measurable strategic quality goals, deploying goals for action by identifying specific activities to be done, and controlling results. Analysis of quality process in health care historically, with emphasis on key strategies for success.
HADM 607. Orientation to Professionalism Seminar. 1 Unit.
Prepares students for professional distinction in their careers through participation in a seminar series, resume preparation, self-assessments, and other activities. Serves as an orientation to either the 800-hour practicum series (HADM 724) or the applied project-based course (HADM 594).
HADM 616. Health Systems and Population Health. 3 Units.
Employs an economics framework to explore policy issues such as quality and cost within different sectors of health care. Uses a population health perspective to evaluate social determinants of health and considers health systems, community-based, and legal strategies for improvement.
HADM 620. Health Policy Theories and Concepts. 3 Units.
Introduces key theories, writers, and conceptual frameworks that influence contemporary health policy analysis and development. Reviews the evolution of health policy in the US. Examines the health policy development process, which includes problem identification, policy formulation, and implementation.
HADM 625. Health Policy Advocacy and Civic Engagement. 3 Units.
Matches students with public health–related agencies or coalitions to gain in-depth knowledge of agenda setting, power analysis, legislative research, and legislative advocacy in relation to specific health issues. Explains the impact of the political process and develops skills associated with community organizing and civic engagement for policy advocacy and communicating effectively using traditional and innovative strategies, including but not limited to mass and social media.
HADM 685. Preliminary Research Experience. 3 Units.
Experience gained in various aspects of research under the guidance of a faculty member and by participation in an ongoing project. Must be completed prior to beginning the dissertation research project.
HADM 689. Graduate Seminar in Leadership. 2 Units.
While working under the direction of a department faculty member, student applies leadership theory to specific situations and evaluates the effectiveness of such interventions. Limited to doctoral students. Permission of instructor required. May be repeated for a total of 8 units.
HADM 690. Health-Care Management Capstone. 3 Units.
A capstone course that completes the M.B.A. degree program. Integrates the core and cross-cutting health care management competencies, resulting in a learning experience that combines health care perspectives, theories, skills, and tools in an applied format. Final products--derived through case studies, guest lectures, and literature review--include a comprehensive strategic plan that incorporates all the elements of a business plan designed specifically for a health care organization.
HADM 697. Dissertation Proposal. 1-10 Units.
Doctoral student develops a dissertation proposal and works in collaboration with the research adviser on mutually agreed-upon objectives that will provide the basis for evaluation. Culminates in a dissertation proposal.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of comprehensive exams.
HADM 698. Dissertation. 1-8 Units.
Doctoral student prepares dissertation manuscript presenting results of the research study.
Prerequisite: HADM 697 and advancement to candidacy.
HADM 699. Applied Research. 1-4 Units.
Assignment to private, government, international, or voluntary health agency or other approved organization where practical application of the materials studied on campus is made under the guidance of the department faculty and the organization involved. Research project that includes substantial analysis of data and discussion of results. Written report and oral presentation required.
Prerequisite: Consent of department advisor and of instructors responsible for supervision.
HADM 724A. Health-Care Administration Practicum. 2 Units.
Provides experiential learning opportunities in health-care administration with an emphasis on student skill sets and interests, and organizational needs. Includes 100 clock hour practicum.
HADM 724B. Health-Care Administration Practicum. 4 Units.
Provides experiential learning opportunities in health-care administration with an emphasis on student skill sets and interests, and organizational needs. Includes 200 clock hour practicum.
HADM 724C. Health-Care Administration Practicum. 6 Units.
Provides experiential learning opportunities in health-care administration with an emphasis on student skill sets and interests, and organizational needs. Includes 300 clock hour practicum.
HADM 724D. Health-Care Administration Practicum. 8 Units.
Provides experiential learning opportunities in health-care administration with an emphasis on student skill sets and interests, and organizational needs. Includes 400 clock hour practicum.
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