MPH or MHA

[theenterpreneur]

I am confused whether I should do Masters in Public Health or Masters in Health Services Administration . I was thinking what is the difference in the work one does after the program is over .

Public Health appears to be very popular , is there a difference in the job opportunities . I wondwer what makes it so popular .

I want to know which program offers more capability for growth and advance ment in career .

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[Senior007]

Its pretty much the same thing, but different universities grant different degree names. Some universities offer an MPH concentrating in health policy and administration, an MHA (health administration), an MHSA (health services administration) or simply an MS in health administration.

same thing- different degree names.

 

[tcp03]

I would agree that certain schools can have equal degrees like a DBA (Doctor of Business administration) and a Ph.D in Business administration which the U.S. Dept of Education homepage views as "Equal"

AN MPH and an MHA are most certainly not in this category. the courses are different and the jobs they perform are different (assuming you use your degree as intended).

MPH: Focuses on Public Sector healthcare delivery. You learn methods for researching health stats in lare populations. When you hear stats like "The state of FL has a 40% obesity rate in children ages 12-16" this was collected by someone who probably holds an MPH. You could also work for the Center for Disease control, enter politics...etc. (think publich sector).

MHA: This degree is much more private sector oriented although it can put you in a position to compete for public sector jobs. MHA's become chief medical officers at hospitals, learn to run their own practices and take more business relative courses. An MHA is like an MBA for someone who wants to stay on the clinical side of administration vs. the MBA which usually goes into the business side of administration.

The courses to obtain these degrees can differ greatly. Check out some of the programs online and judge for yourself. Keep your end goals in mind and then pick a degree instead of picking a degree and then figuring out what you want to do with it. Hope this helps

 

[aupz23]

I would say that it really depends on the program and the courses that you take.

I would agree with Senior007 on the fact that it depends on the courses.
For example, an MPH concentrating in Epidemiology is different from an MHA

BUT and MPH in health policy & management can be identical/similar to the MHA.. That is to say, an individual with an MPH in health policy & management can do the exact same thing and can possibly qualify for any job that a person with an MHA can do and vice versa.

There are people who have only an MPH who are presidents, CEOs, etc. of hospitals and other healthcare organizations. UC-Berkeley and Yale offer MPH programs that allow you to be a healthcare executive with an MPH

My friend's cousin graduated from Emory University with an MPH in health policy & management and she got a health administrative fellowship with Emory Hospital. So, I think that a person with an MPH in health policy & management can do everything and anything a person with an MHA can do. You have to also remember that MHA people perform statistics just like teh MPH people do. Make sure you check wiht the programs and look at teh curriculum to make sure there are business classes (Economics, strategic capability, technology, HR, etc.) If a couple fo the classes are missing, take some for electives and make sure that the people in the program are interested in you being successful and assisting you with that.