MHA vs. MPH: Health Administration or Public Health?

The Master of Health Administration (MHA) and the Master of Public Health (MPH) are often taught in the same school, sometimes in the same department. Both can include management, policy and finance. They answer different questions, though. An MHA asks how to run a health care organization well. An MPH asks how to protect and improve the health of a population. If your goal is a management career in health care, an MPH with a management or administration concentration is a real option. It is a public health degree with a management emphasis, not a substitute for an MHA. This guide shows where the two overlap and where they part.

Two different fields, by definition

The federal Classification of Instructional Programs, which colleges use to report programs to the U.S. Department of Education, puts the two degrees under different codes.

• Health/Health Care Administration/Management (CIP 51.0701) prepares people "to develop, plan, and manage health care operations and services within health care facilities and across health care systems." Instruction includes business and financial management, human resources, health care systems operation, and health law and regulations.
• Public Health, General (CIP 51.2201) prepares people "to plan, manage, and evaluate public health care services" and to work "as public health professionals in public agencies, the private sector, and other settings." Instruction includes "epidemiology, biostatistics, public health principles, preventive medicine," as well as health policy and economics.

Both definitions mention management. The difference is the unit of focus: the organization for health administration, and the population for public health.

The same school, two degrees

Schools that offer both degrees describe them in ways that make the contrast clear.

University of Minnesota. The MHA "is designed for students with minimal healthcare management experience who want to pursue management and leadership positions in healthcare settings." The Public Health Administration & Policy MPH "provides core knowledge about managing organizations and influencing policy to improve population health." The MPH program says its graduates work "in government agencies, nonprofits, health care systems, and for-profit organizations that seek to improve the health of populations."

Columbia University's Department of Health Policy and Management offers both degrees. Its full-time MHA covers "management, organizational leadership, healthcare policy, and health systems," and prepares graduates "for entry and mid-level managerial roles in healthcare." Its MPH in Health Policy and Management gives students "a common foundation in the development, implementation, and evaluation of health policies and health systems." It prepares leaders for sectors "including government, nonprofits, hospitals, and the insurance industry."

Columbia's Executive Healthcare Management Program shows the difference in a single program. Students declare a degree track during the second semester. The MHA track "provides additional coursework in healthcare management and business strategy and operations." The MPH track "offers a deeper dive into public health frameworks and their intersection with healthcare delivery."

What the coursework looks like

An MPH has a public health core that every student takes, whatever the concentration. At East Carolina University, the MPH core "is 18 semester hours, 8 courses, completed by all students." It includes Principles of Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Health Professionals alongside Public Health Organization and Administration. ECU's Health Policy, Administration & Leadership concentration then "prepares students for careers in management and leadership in the healthcare sector."

An MHA spends its credits on the management topics listed in its CIP definition, applied to health organizations: business and financial management, human resources, health care systems operation, resource allocation and policy, and health law. The University of Minnesota MHA, for example, is a 60-credit, 21-month cohort program with a required summer residency between the first and second years.

In short:

Practical training varies a lot within each column, so check each program's requirements.

Accreditation differs

Accreditation is one of the clearest practical differences.

• CAHME accredits graduate programs in healthcare management, program by program. Its accreditation page lists the "MBA, MHA, MHSA, MPH, MS, and others" among the degrees accredited programs award. So an MPH can hold CAHME accreditation when its healthcare management program has been reviewed. Columbia states that its Executive Healthcare Management Program curriculum is accredited by both CAHME and CEPH.
• CEPH (the Council on Education for Public Health) accredits public health schools and programs. UNLV, for example, states that its School of Public Health "is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)." ECU states that its Department of Public Health Program is nationally accredited by CEPH "through July 1, 2027."

A CEPH-accredited MPH is not automatically CAHME-accredited, and a CAHME-accredited MHA does not carry CEPH accreditation. Check each accreditor's own listing for the exact program. See our CAHME accreditation page for how to read CAHME's list.

Licensure and regulated roles

Neither degree is a clinical license. Some management roles are licensed separately. BLS notes that "all states require licensure for nursing home administrators" and that requirements vary by state. A few programs build toward this. ECU's MPH concentration, for example, offers a sub-specialty in Long-Term Care Administration. Confirm the requirements with the licensing board in the state where you plan to work. No degree guarantees licensure.

Dual MHA/MPH degrees

If your goals cover both organizations and populations, some universities let you earn both degrees in a coordinated program. These take longer than either degree alone.

• Indiana University Indianapolis combines "public health core courses, MHA and MPH Health Policy & Management concentration courses" with "practical experience courses that together total 63 credits."
• UAB's coordinated MSHA–MPH, offered through its School of Health Professions and School of Public Health, lists 89 hours. Note that UAB's degree is a Master of Science in Health Administration, not an MHA.

How to decide

• Choose an MHA if you see yourself managing departments, service lines or whole organizations such as hospitals, physician groups or long-term care facilities. Start with our master's programs and online master's programs.
• Choose an MPH with a management concentration if you want to lead in health departments, nonprofits or population-health roles where epidemiology and program evaluation sit at the center of the work.
• Consider a dual degree if you can name a role that needs both.

For the business-school alternative, read MHA vs. MBA in Healthcare Management. For a broader overview, see What Is a Healthcare Administration Degree?.