I am often asked, “What is the difference between an MS in Healthcare Administration (MHA) and an MS in Healthcare Management (MHM)?” This is an area of confusion for many people. A search of professional organizations has not yielded definitive answers on the differences. In an effort to provide answers, I want to share my experience overseeing both degrees.
The answer to the core question of differences between degrees is a bit complicated. There were significant differences between the two degrees just over a decade ago. Historically, MHA programs have emphasized the administrative aspects of leading healthcare organizations. An MHA degree would typically focus on areas like people management and oversight of clinical services. MHM programs tended to be a bit broader, encompassing a dual healthcare and business focus. MHMs incorporated elements of business acumen alongside foundational healthcare-specific knowledge and skills.
Over the past decade, the healthcare field has undergone significant transformation. Administrative and management leadership roles have coalesced in several important ways. All healthcare leaders are working to improve care quality and patient safety while focusing on building efficiencies and eliminating errors and waste. We see an increasing overlap across the MHA and MHM in expectations of the ability to lead clinical services and to understand the business side of healthcare.
Strategic management has become imperative with the rapidly changing regulatory landscape, technological advancements, workforce shortages across the industry, and financial stressors caused by a fluctuating economy. The ability to quickly analyze problems and think strategically and innovatively about solutions is highly sought after among all leaders, irrespective of degree.
Relationships across healthcare are shifting in important ways. We are seeing an increasing drive toward a patient-centric approach to healthcare delivery. Patients have more buying power in healthcare in many areas and access to more knowledge through the Internet and smart technologies. Yet, leaders also have a critical role in addressing the many disparities across the healthcare system faced by marginalized groups.
With these shifts, interdisciplinary collaboration has taken an integral role in resource sharing and finding solutions to some of the most intractable problems facing healthcare organizations. This ranges from frontline providers to the most senior leadership. The ability to move beyond one’s discipline and role to address problems, share scarce resources, and leverage opportunities is a powerful skill set. At Bay Path University, we emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration in our curriculum and in co-curricular activities.
Our increasingly complex healthcare landscape has led to a more holistic approach to leadership. Where there was once a division between administrators and managers, with administrators focusing more on people and strategic leadership and managers focusing more on operations, there is now a coalescing of these roles.
Students pursuing either degree will learn healthcare leadership, operations, finance, policy, quality assurance, and population health skills. Data analytics, project management, change management, and human resources are increasingly found in both degrees. Those who earn either degree with these important skill sets will be equipped to innovate and lead with agility, collaboration, and emotional intelligence.
Students pursuing either degree find high value in healthcare interdisciplinary conversations and collaborations, such as Bay Path’s Interdisciplinary Ponderings get-togethers that occur each semester. They also benefit from taking one or more courses in other disciplines that healthcare providers often must engage with, such as public health, cybersecurity, and business. This exposure gives them additional knowledge and skills to bring back to their healthcare discipline and to inform real-world collaborations and solution-finding.
As I have watched these changes unfold, I have found a few subtle differences that have persisted. Those who earn an MHM often have clinical backgrounds, particularly in allied health, and are looking for advancement in the field. The MHM is also attractive to students who have no background in healthcare. The MHM is deeply healthcare-focused and teaches students new to the field the foundations of the healthcare system. When I have overseen an MHA degree, I found that nurses are often attracted to that degree because of the nursing administration specialty. They use the skills gained from the MHA to pursue administrative, change-making leadership positions within their organizations.
Although the MHA and MHM are now often considered interchangeable, nuances may persist across degree programs at the institutional level. My web searches have revealed that MHM’s and MHA’s are interpreted differently across colleges and universities and may offer different options and opportunities, depending on the institution.
Here is what I tell people who ask about these differences. The type of degree is no longer as important as it once was. What matters most is the goodness of fit with the institution you choose and your career goals. Look at each institution of interest. See what they offer regarding programs, concentrations, and certificates. Talk to admissions, program directors, and alumni. Take some time to consider your career goals and interests. What is your passion in healthcare - your “why”? Keep this at the forefront as you explore degree options. Either degree will likely meet your goals if you find the right program.
