Graduate Health Administration Program Listed Among Nation’s Top Five

Nov 25, 2014
The University of Scranton’s Master’s in Health Administration (MHA) program is among the top five such programs in the country, according to graduateprograms.com, a website that provides information to prospective students about graduate programs through peer reviews.

The website’s recently released fall 2014 rankings, compiled using data gathered between Sept. 1, 2012, and Sept. 30, 2014, are based solely on ratings and reviews from current students or recent graduates. More than 70,000 students from more than 1,600 graduate programs posted the reviews, and the University’s program placed fifth, just after the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins University, Oklahoma State University and Texas Woman’s University.

Ratings were based on a 1- to 10-star system and relied heavily on social media. The University of Scranton achieved a score of 9.44 out of 10.

Graduateprograms.com assigns 15 ranking categories to each program at each graduate school. Rankings cover a variety of student topics, such as academic competitiveness, career support, financial aid and quality of network.

Rankings are determined by calculating the average score for each program based on the 15 categories. The scores are then compared across all ranked schools for that program and translated into a final ranking. A graduate program is not ranked until a minimum threshold of graduate-student surveys is completed for that program.

Students who rated the University in the 15 categories gave the Health Administration graduate program its highest marks for academic competitiveness, education quality, career support and faculty accessibility and support. Campus social life also received high marks.

On the website, a class of 2015 student in the Health Administration program, which is campus-based and online, said: “The Health Administration program at The University of Scranton prepares students well for the many challenges they will encounter in managing a health-care environment.”

A member of the class of 2014 noted the program’s “great affiliation” with local health-care entities, such as Geisinger and Community Health Systems, the fact that students have the opportunity to learn not only out of textbooks but from professors with real-world experience and the existence of a local student chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

“The work is relevant and challenging at the same time,” that student said, also praising the practical administrative residency, the program’s encouragement of diversity and the opportunity to study global health abroad as well as study alongside international students.

The program provides students with a comprehensive, practical and interdisciplinary set of core competencies, knowledge, skills and values for health-administration jobs in a variety of health organizations. The program emphasizes applied research, publications and presentations and strives to satisfy the interests of multiple stakeholders while reflecting Jesuit ideals.

The campus-based graduate Health Administration program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education. The online MHA has been developed as an online replica of the CAHME-accredited ground and is seeking CAHME accreditation.

As a result of an agreement with The Commonwealth Medical College, students also can earn a dual M.D./MHA degree.

An accelerated MHA also is available to University undergraduates who meet specific requirements, and a 15-credit-hour certificate is available for students seeking advanced education in health-care management but not a full graduate degree.
 
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