Curriculum

The MHA in health systems management curriculum is driven by a set of professional competencies, organized into five domain clusters. At the completion of the program, students are expected to achieve targeted proficiency in each of the competencies associated with the following domains.

  1. Knowledge of the Healthcare System and Healthcare Management
  2. Communications and Interpersonal Effectiveness
  3. Critical Thinking, Analysis and Problem Solving
  4. Management and Leadership
  5. Professionalism and Ethics

The curriculum is designed to develop student proficiency in the Professional Competencies necessary for future success in mid- and executive-level management in a variety of roles located in health-related organizations in public and private sectors.

The program curriculum, including short descriptions of the required courses, is available in Mason's University Catalog.

Most courses in the on-campus program are taught in the evening at Mason’s Fairfax Campus. Additionally, some courses are offered on Saturdays, a few are offered at the Arlington Campus, and a small percentage can be taken online. Students can complete their degree at their own pace provided that they do so within six years of starting the program.

The online program follows the same curriculum as the on-campus program. Online format courses are taken one at a time. Each course lasts eight weeks.

A wide complement of teaching methods is employed by the faculty teaching courses in the MHA program. These include case studies, problem solving, project reports, student presentations, reflective papers, team projects, moderated group discussions, and lectures. Read more about our outcomes.