MHA vs. MBA in Healthcare Management

If you want to lead in health care and you are weighing graduate school, two degrees come up most often: the Master of Health Administration (MHA) and an MBA with a healthcare concentration, often called a healthcare MBA. Both can lead to management work in hospitals, health systems and other health organizations, and some programs of each type hold the same accreditation. They are still different credentials, built on different cores. This guide sets out the differences that show up in official program descriptions so you can decide which fits your goals.

The credential you actually earn

The first difference is on the diploma. An MHA is a health administration degree. A healthcare MBA awards a Master of Business Administration, even when "health" appears in the program's name. The University of Colorado Denver's program, for example, is officially the "Master of Business Administration in Health Administration," and its catalog requires "a minimum of 45 semester hours of graduate-level course work." The degree is an MBA.

That matters on a résumé, for licensing or employer requirements that name a specific degree, and if you later apply to a doctoral program that asks for a particular master's degree. We list the two separately: dedicated degrees under master's programs, and business degrees with a healthcare focus under healthcare MBA programs.

How the curricula differ

The clearest way to see the difference is to read how schools describe their own programs. Baylor University offers healthcare MBA programs, and it summarizes the distinction this way: "An MHA specializes in healthcare management, while a Healthcare MBA offers versatile business skills applicable across industries, including healthcare."

Program descriptions on both sides follow that pattern:

• Healthcare MBA. Western Governors University calls its MBA in Healthcare Administration "a business-first MBA with a healthcare focus." Students cover core business disciplines and then apply them in health settings. CU Denver says its curriculum "blends core MBA coursework with healthcare-focused management."
• MHA. Columbia University's full-time MHA provides "an interdisciplinary education across management, organizational leadership, healthcare policy, and health systems." The University of Minnesota says its MHA "integrates business principles with a deep understanding of health care delivery and complex healthcare organizations."

In practice, an MHA builds its coursework around the health sector itself, as the Columbia and Minnesota descriptions show. A healthcare MBA spends a large share of its credits on business fundamentals. Baylor lists "accounting, finance, economics, and business analytics" and then adds healthcare-specific topics. How large each share is varies by program, so compare the actual course lists rather than the titles.

Practical training and residencies

Practical training at a health organization is common in MHA programs, though not universal. It is separate from whether classes are on campus or online.

• Johns Hopkins' residential MHA includes "one year of full-time academic coursework followed by a full-time, 11-month compensated administrative residency with faculty preceptors."
• Columbia's full-time MHA includes "a summer practicum designed to provide valuable fieldwork experience."

Some healthcare MBAs include the same kind of experience. Baylor's full-time healthcare MBA has an Administrative Residency Track, "a 22-month program including a paid 9-month executive administrative residency." CU Denver's MBA ends with a capstone field study in which students are "paired with a healthcare organization," and the school says the program prepares students to compete for post-graduate administrative residencies and fellowships. Other healthcare MBAs, especially fully online ones, end with a capstone project instead.

If supervised experience in a health organization matters to you, check each program's requirements directly. Don't assume it from the degree type.

Accreditation: one accreditor, several degree types

CAHME (the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education) accredits graduate programs in healthcare management, and it does not limit itself to the MHA. Its accreditation page notes that accredited programs carry "a variety of degrees," including the "MBA, MHA, MHSA, MPH, MS, and others." Its page on joint site visits with AACSB, the business school accreditor, refers to CAHME accreditation of healthcare management programs "whether stand-alone or part of an MBA program."

Two practical points follow:

• A healthcare MBA can be CAHME-accredited. CU Denver states that its Executive Health Administration MBA "is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)."
• An MHA is not automatically CAHME-accredited. CAHME accredits specific programs, not universities, and a school may have one accredited format and others that are not. Check CAHME's own list for the exact program and format. Candidacy is not the same as accreditation.

Our CAHME accreditation page explains how to read the listings.

Dual MHA/MBA degrees

If you want both credentials, many universities offer a dual or concurrent degree. These take longer than either degree alone, and you usually have to be admitted to each program separately.

• The University of Minnesota's MHA/MBA, offered with the Carlson School of Management, is typically completed "in three academic years, upon completion of the required 100 credits." Applicants "must be admitted to both programs."
• UNC-Chapel Hill's dual MHA-MBA is residential, with an expected duration of three years and a minimum of 96 credit hours.
• The University of Washington's MHA/MBA concurrent degree "is designed to build on the content areas shared by the business and health administration disciplines." Most students take their MBA coursework in the first two years.

A dual degree costs more time and tuition. It makes most sense when you can name a role that needs both the depth in health care and the general business credential.

Which one fits your goals

Two notes on outcomes. First, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says medical and health services managers commonly hold degrees in "health administration or nursing" or "other relevant fields, such as business." It also notes that "advancement to top level executive positions may require a master's degree." Second, BLS does not compare MHA and MBA graduates, and no degree guarantees a job or a salary. For side-by-side details on specific programs, use our comparison tool.