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Master of Health Administration

Academic Experience

The UW MHA program trains early-career professionals in the business and operations side of health care. With a unique focus on leadership development, our program prepares graduates for careers in management in a variety of health care settings.

Competency-Based Curriculum

students presenting

To teach you the leadership skills you’ll need in your career, our rigorous, competency-based curriculum incorporates the leadership competency model developed by the UW MHA Education Committee, in consultation with our alumni, current students, faculty and advisory board members. The UW MHA Competency Model identifies the technical skills and behavioral characteristics health care leaders must have to be successful throughout their careers. Each course in the MHA program maps to the competencies you can expect to learn.

To give you a solid foundation in all aspects of health services administration, you’ll  study a range of topics, including health economics, strategic management, industrial systems, organizational behavior, group dynamics and health law. A mandatory capstone project and an optional summer internship will allow you to apply what you've learned in real-world health care settings.

Leadership Training

The MHA program teaches you a variety of leadership skills that can be applied to a broad range of health care roles and settings. You'll practice your leadership skills through team-based learning experiences in class, and then work on your personal leadership development through ongoing, one-on-one leadership coaching through a two-year developmental seminar led by our faculty. 

Program Format

The UW MHA is a full-time, two-year (six-quarter) program. Students do not take any courses in the summer between years one and two. This allows them the opportunity to participate in a full-time internship in the health care field, if they so choose.

Classes meet weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the main UW campus in Seattle.

Our program has a cohort learning model. At the start of the program, students are placed on teams that they will work with throughout their course of study. These teams serve as a forum for practicing leadership competencies and as a valuable source of feedback for your professional development.

Concurrent Degree Option

The UW MHA program offers students the opportunity to pursue a concurrent degree, which allows you to combine the MHA with another UW graduate degree. Four concurrent degree options are available: MHA/J.D., MHA/MBA, MHA/M.D. and MHA/MPA. For more information, see Concurrent Degrees.