Master of Healthcare Administration
Admission Requirements
The student must apply to, and meet all criteria for, admission to the Graduate School, and all additional College of Business requirements.
Admission to the MHA program is granted only to students showing high promise of success. The College of Business uses various measures to determine this likelihood. However, the minimum requirement for admission is based on the following formula:
- The sum of 200 times the grade point average in the last 60 credit hours of coursework (4.0 system) plus the total score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test must equal at least 1150 points.
OR
- The sum of 200 times the grade point average in the last 60 credit hours of coursework (4.0 system) plus the total score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test Focus Edition must equal at least 1120 points.
OR
- The sum of 11.66 times the grade point average of the most recent 60 credit hours of coursework (4.0 system) plus the sum of the GRE Verbal Score and GRE Quantitative score must equal at least 337 points.
For applicants from schools with different grading systems a GPA will be inferred as accurately as possible. Also, graduate courses will be included in the most recent 60-credit hour GPA calculation. For applicants with a significant amount of recent upper-division academic course work versus course work that is considerably older, we may choose to consider only the recent GPA.
Individuals holding a current master's degree from a regionally accredited institution may meet minimum requirements and be considered for admission if they meet the Graduate School requirements, in which case the student is not required to take the GMAT for admission.
All applicants are required to submit a resume outlining work experience, a statement of purpose, and two letters of reference. Please note that no individual can be admitted to classified status in the MHA program until the College of Business has received the applicant’s official transcripts and official GMAT/GRE scores. Applications are accepted at any time. Complete applications are reviewed the first working day of each month up to the Graduate School deadlines for admission.
Locations
The MHA program serves Southeast Idaho's need for part-time and full-time graduate education in business. The traditional MHA degree is offered in the evening in Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and Meridian to full-time and part-time students with some online options.
Conduct
Academic integrity is expected by the College of Business. All forms of academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, are prohibited.
The penalties for students engaging in academic dishonesty, plagiarism, unprofessional or unethical conduct within the university community range from a failing grade to dismissal from the MHA program, and/or permanent expulsion from the university with notation on the student's transcript. The Graduate Catalog explains the dismissal policy and the procedures for the appeal of dismissal. If you are unclear as to what constitutes academic dishonesty, you should consult the Graduate Catalog, then review the College of Business policy on Academic Integrity available from the College of Business Office in BA 202; from the College of Business web site at
http://www.isu.edu/cob/; or refer to the Idaho State University Faculty/Staff Handbook policy on academic dishonesty. If you are still in doubt about academic dishonesty, you are encouraged to consult with a faculty member, the Graduate Studies Director, or the Dean.
MHA Degree Requirements
MHA Minimum Prerequisites
Mathematics Skills
The minimum level of mathematics required for the MHA program is statistics. If students have not completed this course, they must do so early in their program prior to enrolling in MHA courses. College algebra may be waived if the student scores in the 50th percentile or higher on the quantitative section of the GMAT.
Computer Skills
Computer literacy is an essential skill for success in the MHA program and success in a professional business career. The minimum skills required are the ability to use a word processor, a spreadsheet, the Internet, and Windows. Students are required to maintain e-mail and Internet accounts on the Idaho State University network.
Communications Skills
Good communication skills are fundamental for students and managers. Students are expected to have a high degree of proficiency in both oral and written communication skills. Students failing to demonstrate communications proficiency will be required to take remedial work.
MHA Core I Course List
The following courses are prerequisites for any 6000 level HCA course:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MHA I | ||
| MGT 2216 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| MBA 6610 | Applied Economics | 3 |
| or ECON 2202 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| MBA 6615 | Finance | 3 |
| or FIN 3315 | Corporate Financial Management | |
| HCA 4410 | Management of Healthcare Provider Organizations | 3 |
| or HCA 5510 | Management of Healthcare Provider Organizations | |
| HCA 4475 | Health Law and Bioethics | 3 |
| or HCA 5575 | Health Law and Bioethics | |
| HCA 4440 | Healthcare Economics and Policy | 3 |
| or HCA 5540 | Healthcare Economics and Policy | |
| HCA 4453 | Healthcare Finance | 3 |
| or HCA 5553 | Healthcare Finance | |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
Waiver of MHA-I Requirements
MHA-I courses may be waived for students with an HCA degree from an accredited institution, subject to a transcript review by the Graduate Studies Director. MHA-I courses may be waived for students with an HCA degree from a non-accredited program, subject to a transcript and program evaluation by the Graduate Studies Director. For students with non-HCA degrees or degrees from foreign universities, courses may be waived where equivalency of content with the Idaho State University MHA core can be established and the student has earned at least a grade of C- or equivalent. Individuals with degrees greater than 10 years old may be required to take selected MHA-I courses. Work experience is not a basis for waiving MHA-I course work; however, students with substantial work experience may demonstrate competence in a particular field through examination.
MHA Core II Course List
MHA-I requirements must be satisfied before enrolling in the MHA-II core courses listed below. The MHA-II core consists of 30 credits of the following required courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MHA II | ||
| The following courses are prerequisite to any MHA II course: | ||
| HCA 5520 | The Business of Healthcare | 3 |
| HCA 5580 | Long Term Care Management | 3 |
| HCA 6615 | Health Services Management | 3 |
| HCA 6636 | Rural Healthcare Management | 3 |
| HCA 6628 | Applied Healthcare Solutions | 3-9 |
| or HCA 6695 | Healthcare Residency | |
| HCA 6682 | US Health Systems and Policy | 3 |
| HCA 6650 | Healthcare Leadership and Governance | 3 |
| or MPH 6605 | Leadership Policy and Administration | |
| One HCA elective, HCA 6665: Health Insurance and Reimbursement, HCA 5580: Long Term Care Management, or other HCA elective approved by the Graduate Director | 3 | |
| MBA 6621 | Managerial Decision Making and Negotiation | 3 |
| MBA 6637 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| Total Credits | 30-36 | |
Exceptions to the requirement that all MHA-I courses be completed prior to enrolling in MHA-II courses may be made when most MHA-I courses have been taken and enforcement of this requirement would cause undue hardship for a student (i.e., a delay in his/her program).
A request for an exception to the MHA-I must be made to the Director of Graduate Studies. This request should state the MHA-I courses remaining to be taken in the student’s program, when those courses will be taken, and what hardships will be incurred if the exception is not granted.
Students may substitute MHA-II courses only with permission of the College of Business Director of Graduate Studies and the appropriate department chair or program director.
Academic Requirements
Any student who, after admission to the College of Business graduate program, falls below a 3.0 GPA or receives a grade of C+ or lower in the MHA program (MHA-I, MHA-II, and elective courses) is deemed to be doing unsatisfactory work and is subject to review by the College of Business Administrative Committee for possible dismissal from the program.
A student dismissed for academic reasons may apply for readmission to the MHA program no earlier than four months following his/her dismissal. Requests for readmission will be denied unless the student can demonstrate that the reasons for the previous unsatisfactory work have been rectified and can show evidence of ability to perform satisfactorily in the MHA program.
Courses in which a grade of D+, D, D- or F has been earned will not be counted toward fulfillment of MHA-I or MHA-II program requirements. Students may not use more than two courses with a grade of C+, C, or C- to satisfy graduation requirements. Students must achieve a 3.0 or better GPA in order to graduate.