BS Healthcare Administration/MHA
Accelerate your path to a master’s degree
Loyola University Chicago and the City of Chicago together serve as the ideal location for a Bachelor of Science and Master in Healthcare Administration (BSHA/MHA). Chicago, a leading U.S. hub of health care organization and innovation, offers a unique urban setting for foundational and advanced study in healthcare administration.
Our undergraduate students begin with a broad, interdisciplinary curriculum drawing on courses in healthcare organization, business, data analysis, and ethics. Service-learning, internships, and capstones provide them with rich experiential learning opportunities. Our graduate students develop a more in-depth understanding of operational, finance, and strategic issues in addition to the professional skills to be an effective leader in the vast healthcare industry. With three graduate-specialty tracks, students have the flexibility to tailor an interdisciplinary program to individual interests.
The dual BSHA/MHA program allows students to explore challenges and solutions in a rich healthcare environment while accelerating their ability to earn two degrees.
Our Commitment to You
Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration (BSHA) and Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) dual-degree program will graduate with the following knowledge, skills, and professional values:
KNOWLEDGE
- Discuss the U.S. and global healthcare systems
- Apply core business and financial principles to the healthcare environment
- Synthesize theoretical and analytical knowledge, critical thinking and communication skills to solve problems in healthcare administration
SKILLS
- Drive operational and performance improvements in healthcare organizations
- Manage data to guide effective decision making in health services organizations
- Evaluate industry and organizational dynamics in the healthcare environment
- Assess and prioritize population health needs
PROFESSIONAL VALUES
- Integrate values, ethics and social justice into the management and leadership of health services organizations in keeping with the Jesuit Catholic tradition
CAREER PATHWAYS
Opportunities for graduates of the BSHA/MHA program include:
- Provider organizations, including hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, home health and hospice organizations, physician practices, and integrated delivery systems
- Health information technology vendors, including product development and management firms (e.g., electronic medical record suppliers) as well as education and support firms
- Government agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Public/private organizations focused on quality improvement in health care, such as the Joint Commission (JC) or National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
- Professional provider organizations, such as the American Medical Association (AMA) or American College of Surgeons (ACS)
- Healthcare supply chain companies
- Pharmaceutical and medical device firms
- Healthcare consulting firms
- Health insurance plans
- Health policy research firms and think tanks
- Community-based advocacy and service organizations
Curriculum
The MHA is an online, cohort program with one-day immersion sessions required prior to each fall and spring semester. Our faculty offer a wide variety of industry and academic experience that they leverage into substantial hands-on learning opportunities via twice-yearly immersion weekends and a unique capstone project. With a solid curriculum of core courses, students may specialize in one of three high-demand tracks:
- Healthcare Business Intelligence
- Healthcare Community Engagement and Partnership
- Post-Acute Care
Students may also complete the degree as a generalist without a specialty track.
- Seven foundational core courses (21 credit hours)
- Four specialty track courses (12 credit hours)
- Four immersion sessions prior to each semester (4 credit hours)
- Specialty track includes the culminating capstone project (an applied field-based project)
CREDIT HOURS & TIMELINE
The two degrees require 155 credit hours in total:
- 118 for the Bachelor of Science
- 37 for the MHA
BSHA/MHA students are expected to complete the MHA within 18 months of graduating with the baccalaureate. Completion time for the two degrees is shortened by enrolling in eight credit hours of graduate coursework in the fall and spring semesters of senior year and waiving the undergraduate healthcare finance course (i.e. HSM 325) in lieu of a higher level graduate finance course.
Admission
Juniors in good academic standing in the undergraduate Healthcare Administration program may apply to the five-year BSHA/MHA degree program. Juniors should apply using Graduate & Professional Enrollment Management (GPEM) during the Spring semester of their junior year.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Declared undergraduate major in Healthcare Administration
- Junior standing based on credit hours earned
- Minimum cumulative GPA 3.3 for all coursework at LUC
- Minimum 3.5 GPA in at least five completed courses in the major, two of which must be at the 300 level
- Two letters of recommendation; one must be from HCA faculty member
- Personal statement of interest
Optional:
- GRE score within the last five years can be submitted but is not required for admission
Accelerate your path to a master’s degree
Loyola University Chicago and the City of Chicago together serve as the ideal location for a Bachelor of Science and Master in Healthcare Administration (BSHA/MHA). Chicago, a leading U.S. hub of health care organization and innovation, offers a unique urban setting for foundational and advanced study in healthcare administration.
Our undergraduate students begin with a broad, interdisciplinary curriculum drawing on courses in healthcare organization, business, data analysis, and ethics. Service-learning, internships, and capstones provide them with rich experiential learning opportunities. Our graduate students develop a more in-depth understanding of operational, finance, and strategic issues in addition to the professional skills to be an effective leader in the vast healthcare industry. With three graduate-specialty tracks, students have the flexibility to tailor an interdisciplinary program to individual interests.
The dual BSHA/MHA program allows students to explore challenges and solutions in a rich healthcare environment while accelerating their ability to earn two degrees.
Our Commitment to You
Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration (BSHA) and Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) dual-degree program will graduate with the following knowledge, skills, and professional values:
Curriculum
The MHA is an online, cohort program with one-day immersion sessions required prior to each fall and spring semester. Our faculty offer a wide variety of industry and academic experience that they leverage into substantial hands-on learning opportunities via twice-yearly immersion weekends and a unique capstone project. With a solid curriculum of core courses, students may specialize in one of three high-demand tracks:
- Healthcare Business Intelligence
- Healthcare Community Engagement and Partnership
- Post-Acute Care
Students may also complete the degree as a generalist without a specialty track.
- Seven foundational core courses (21 credit hours)
- Four specialty track courses (12 credit hours)
- Four immersion sessions prior to each semester (4 credit hours)
- Specialty track includes the culminating capstone project (an applied field-based project)
Admission
Juniors in good academic standing in the undergraduate Healthcare Administration program may apply to the five-year BSHA/MHA degree program. Juniors should apply using Graduate & Professional Enrollment Management (GPEM) during the Spring semester of their junior year.