MHA Program (Cornell vs. Georgetown)

[GlobalHealth88]

I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts towards the MHA degree.
To be more specific...

1) What is the job potential for a MHA degree and how difficult is it to land a senior administration position at a hospital with only the MHA degree (without a MD).

2) How does consulting firms view MHA candidates compared to a MBA student with a specialization in the Health Sector.

I have been doing immense research for the past.. well 8 months and I have been flying all over for interviews. It is hard to get candid responses on the Internet or by speaking to program directors. I really appreciate any help or advice I can get… this is my first time using this forum. Thanks everyone.

P.S. I have narrowed down my choices to either: Cornell or Georgetown. Anyone have any thoughts about the MHA program at these schools… it would be great if someone actually attended either one of these schools to give me their "two-cents"!

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[marbury]

did you have any luck in finding any answers to your questions? please let me know... i am interested in applying to similar MHA programs. thanks.

 

[DrBuffett]

Personally, I think that MHA programs are kind of BS. Not trying to be mean - just honest. I am familiar with the one at Cornell, but not the one at Georgetown. I think that you are much better off getting an MBA for any kind of management career track, including one in healthcare. That said, MHA programs are less popular and so it is easier to get into one with a good name - definite plus.

I know the profs and many of the courses at Cornell and they are kind of dated and out-of-touch with reality. Cornell, of course, has a good name with it, and that can help. These kind of degrees are largely about reputation. Future employers are not going to examine the courses that you took, research you did (if any), etc. They are going to be impressed by and remember the name. Georgetown is good, too. Consider regional effects - if you want to work in DC, go with Georgetown. Otherwise, go with Cornell.

If you have time to dig deeper, compare the courses and faculty of each. For professional degrees of any kind, it's good to have a faculty that is participating in the field actively and whose research is current. You don't want to wind up with a prof whose lecture overheads were written 20 years ago (I have seen this). Generally speaking, schools in more urban areas tend to have more "with it" faculty. This give points to G-town. If you are a prof and want to stay on top of your field, do a little consulting for some extra $$$ on the side, and feel like you are still in the action, where would you go?

Further, think about where you want to live - Ithaca and DC are very, very different. This is important. If you would be easily depressed by cold, dark days of winter, Cornell is not for you.

Lastly, to answer your question about job prospects in top management. I think that they are a little better for MBAs than MHAs, and best for MDs, but an MD is not essential. Often, presidents of med centers and deans have MDs and most other top execs don't. Be warned, though: I think this is likely to change as more MDs get frustrated with clinical practice and seek other positions over the coming years (especially if Hillary ends up in the White House). The good thing is that hospital exec positions demand personable people who are comfortable with sales and managing others. MDs are usually pretty lousy at this.

I realize this post is a little scattered, but I hope it helps!

I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts towards the MHA degree.
To be more specific...

1) What is the job potential for a MHA degree and how difficult is it to land a senior administration position at a hospital with only the MHA degree (without a MD).

2) How does consulting firms view MHA candidates compared to a MBA student with a specialization in the Health Sector.

I have been doing immense research for the past.. well 8 months and I have been flying all over for interviews. It is hard to get candid responses on the Internet or by speaking to program directors. I really appreciate any help or advice I can get… this is my first time using this forum. Thanks everyone.

P.S. I have narrowed down my choices to either: Cornell or Georgetown. Anyone have any thoughts about the MHA program at these schools… it would be great if someone actually attended either one of these schools to give me their "two-cents"!

 

[Bun]

You got PM

 

[Leichenstein]

I too am worried about the weight, or lack thereof, that an MHA will carry in the administrative job market. I haven't looked much into Cornell or Georgetown, but I have looked into a few schools that offer a joint MHA/MBA program. You come out with both masters degrees in 3 years time instead of 4. A few of the best programs that I've found include Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia Commonwealth.

The downside is that you have to be accepted to both the MBA and MHA programs, and as already metioned, it is easier to get into an MHA than an MBA. But nonetheless this is the route that I hope to go.

If you want more info on the programs and what they offer, go to the above mentioned schools' websites. They have a lot of info on the programs.

Hope this helps.

 

[marbury]

VCU has a very strong MHA program. You can't go wrong with either Michigan, UNC, or VCU.

 

[Essex]

would doing a MHA increase one's chances of acceptance to med schools? what's the general view by adcoms on premed applicants (average quality) who instead of doing post-bacs, have opted to pursue a MHA instead?

 

[dr37]

HI ALL,

I AM A DENTIST FROM INDIA.
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH WAY TO GO FOR MY CAREER.

2 YEAR DDS FOR INT'L DENTIST IS TOO TOUGH AND TOO EXPENSIVE TO GET INTO..
SO I WAS THINKING ABOUT MHA IN U.S.A.
WHAT ARE THE JOB PROSPECTS THERE IN U.S. AND AROUND HOW MUCH SALARIES DO THEY GET..

I AM REALLY CONFUSED.. SOMEONE KINDLY HELP..

 

[nmed20]

would doing a MHA increase one's chances of acceptance to med schools? what's the general view by adcoms on premed applicants (average quality) who instead of doing post-bacs, have opted to pursue a MHA instead?

I'm wondering the same thing - have you found out the answer to this question? I was thinking of doing an MHA first and then going to med school -- will i be able to get residencies that incorporate both of these?

 

[dragonfly99]

MHA degrees are generally for people who have experience in the field (i.e. nurses, physicians, or those who already work in health care administration). At least that is how it is at my institution. They require 5 years of work experience in your field before you can even apply. I would think if someone is applying to med school it would be better to do a science master's degree, or a postbac, vs. a MHA. If you have a really, really strong interest in health care economics and business, you could do the MHA, but I don't know that it will help your med school application much. Usually it's done by people later on in their careers, with the idea being it will help the person with their current and future career duties (i.e. if you are a hospital chief of medicine or a nursing division director, it might help you with organizing the medical staff/other docs, etc.).

For the doctor from India - I'm not sure really how to advise you. It might be better to just get an MBA, since in general it's a more marketable degree. If you were a dentist or doctor in the USA already practicing, I might tell you to do the MHA because it's an easier degree and takes less time. However, for just getting a business job in general, would think that getting an MBA from a reputable US university would be safer and better for you. I seem to remember that Washington U. in St. Louis had a special MBA program for international students (at least they did some years ago). You may want to check that out.

 

[tammyvlt]

Im not so sure that MBAs carry a heavier weight than MHAs in the job market. I worked at a large hospital over the summer, and all the CEOs, executives, and presidents had a MHA degree. Even if you look at at other health care organizations or hospitals, many of the top administrators hold MHAs or MHSAs.

 

[GBUT]

I just wanted to add my two cents.
From everyone I have talked to and worked with at hospitals it seems that an MHA degree is king if you want to work as a hospital administrator. It may not carry more weight in certain fields but to go into hospital administration it is the degree to get and will show you are committed to the field.
Secondly, I recently visited and researched schools quite a bit. From what I found Cornell had a much better program than UNC. When I visited campus they had 2 alumni there speaking. Both were extremely successful (one in consulting one in administration)and spoke highly of how the program prepared them. UNC was not run nearly as well. Cornell has a 100% placement rate after graduation. I hope to go to Cornell...

 

[JaggerPlate]

I just wanted to add my two cents.
From everyone I have talked to and worked with at hospitals it seems that an MHA degree is king if you want to work as a hospital administrator. It may not carry more weight in certain fields but to go into hospital administration it is the degree to get and will show you are committed to the field.
Secondly, I recently visited and researched schools quite a bit. From what I found Cornell had a much better program than UNC. When I visited campus they had 2 alumni there speaking. Both were extremely successful (one in consulting one in administration)and spoke highly of how the program prepared them. UNC was not run nearly as well. Cornell has a 100% placement rate after graduation. I hope to go to Cornell...

Any idea how much weight it carries in consulting? I know it's a vague term, but I also see positions where people only use the DO/MD, so I figure any masters degree, MBA, MHA, MMM, etc, should help???

 

[Gatorej]

tammyvlt hit it on the head. Roughly 75% of mid-level managers in health care have MBA degrees, whereas 75% of Top Level Executives in health care organizations have MHA degrees (the remaining 25% in each have either the other degree or a similar administrative degree i.e. MPH, MPA).

If you're going to stay in Health Care for the entirety of your career (or at least until you desire to get another 'non health related' degree) pursue the MHA; depending on the caliber program you graduate from is directly related to how quickly you are catapulted to top level management.

In conclusion, most employers view the MBA degree as a 'specialized' degree or in other words those who have an MBA are more preferable when it comes to managing a particular function within the organization i.e. Finance, Marketing or Human Resources....

However, those with an MHA (from CAHME accredited programs) usually find it easier to locate fellowships (typically found on the ACHE website) in which they shadow top level executives and eventually are placed in top management positions themselves within that organization or another organization within that health system. I'd say pursue an MBA if you're not certain you want to be in health care your entire career, but get an MHA if you want to be in health care for the long run and eventually want to be on track to become a CEO.

 

[JaggerPlate]

tammyvlt hit it on the head. Roughly 75% of mid-level managers in health care have MBA degrees, whereas 75% of Top Level Executives in health care organizations have MHA degrees (the remaining 25% in each have either the other degree or a similar administrative degree i.e. MPH, MPA).

If you're going to stay in Health Care for the entirety of your career (or at least until you desire to get another 'non health related' degree) pursue the MHA; depending on the caliber program you graduate from is directly related to how quickly you are catapulted to top level management.

In conclusion, most employers view the MBA degree as a 'specialized' degree or in other words those who have an MBA are more preferable when it comes to managing a particular function within the organization i.e. Finance, Marketing or Human Resources....

However, those with an MHA (from CAHME accredited programs) usually find it easier to locate fellowships (typically found on the ACHE website) in which they shadow top level executives and eventually are placed in top management positions themselves within that organization or another organization within that health system. I'd say pursue an MBA if you're not certain you want to be in health care your entire career, but get an MHA if you want to be in health care for the long run and eventually want to be on track to become a CEO.

Nicely put and good to know

 

[PolarBear04]

That's informative. Thanks for the post. I think about pursuing the business of health care every now-and-again, but decided to do a residency. My interests are in quality improvements and cost reduction. I hope that I can take on a project or two during residency and perhaps learn the essentials without ever taking a business class. Otherwise, I'll look into a graduate program - perhaps an MHA.

 

[drnischal]

hiii
It has been a great help for me from the forum ..bcoz of such depthy discussions in the field..i am a FTD from india & i am interested in doing MHA..i am much interested in administrative posiotions..i kwn v.little abt the job situations and salaries for a FTD ..plz help as i am in a gr8 confusion..meanwhil can any1 suggest whether the dentistry experience i hav from india will help me for the MHA or jobs after MHA..and hw abt the placements as soon as we finish it..

kindly help..