We bring together the best of our healthcare and business graduate schools to prepare you for today’s dynamic healthcare landscape.
Build industry expertise from the healthcare practicum and your integrated capstone project–with full support from your faculty advisor.
Benefit from our professional healthcare industry network, including access to 100+ healthcare organizations in various settings.
Ranked among the Top 5% Best Overall Health Professions Schools in the Nation by College Factual.1
Tuition is $44,720 ($1,040 per credit hour).
Please see the Tuition and Financial Aid page for more information.
The MHA degree program at Fairfield University is open to students with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, provided you have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and a strong personal statement. No GMAT or GRE required. No prior healthcare experience or education is required.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and need to be completed at least 3 weeks before the start of a new term. For any questions about application deadlines, please request more information.
Please note that Fairfield University cannot supply F-1 Visa I-20 documentation for international students enrolling in online or low-residency programs, like the MS in Healthcare Administration.
It’s easy to apply. Here are the steps:
Dr. Karen Burrows is an Assistant Professor of the Practice at the Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, teaches Undergraduate and Graduates students, and serves as the Veterans Administration Nursing Academic Partnership Program Director. She brings over 30 years of healthcare experience in clinical, education, and management.
Dr. Lisa Sundean is an assistant professor and director of the Master of Healthcare Administration program at the Egan School. Her research and scholarship focus includes nursing leadership, specifically in board leadership roles, health policy, and nursing workforce development.
Adjunct Professor Dan Pumerantz joined the faculty in 2020 and brings his 12+ years of Healthcare experience from Yale New Haven Health (YNHH) as he teaches Healthcare Reimbursement in the MHA program in Egan School of Nursing. At YNHH he is a Director of Revenue responsible for reporting, valuing, and analyzing revenue a cross the System. Prior to YNHH, he spent 6 years in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Insurance industry. Dan obtained his BS and MS in Accounting from UCONN and also serves on the Board of Directors for Medical Center Pharmacy (MCP), a specialty pharmacy under Yale New Haven Hospital.
Earning an online MHA from Fairfield University gives students the knowledge and experience to pursue a wide range of healthcare-related careers.
Credits – 3
This course examines the basic concepts necessary to understand the information provided by financial and managerial accounting systems. The focus is on interpretation of basic information, as students learn about internal and external financial reporting. Topics include: accrual accounting; revenue and expense recognition; accounting for assets, liabilities, and equities; accumulation and assignment of costs to products and services; and budgeting. Previously AC 0400.
Credits – 3
This course provides an overview of the evolving structure of the US healthcare delivery system. Since the US healthcare system has been periodically changed in diverse aspects over the decades, its dynamic mechanism should be understood. Particularly the healthcare system encompasses organizations, management, finance, policy, and technology. This course introduces students to the complexity of healthcare, challenges of leadership, the key stakeholders, and the current state of healthcare in the US. As the introductory course for the MHA program, this hybrid course will allow student to acclimate to the program through multiple learning modalities and activities. Collaboration and team building, critical success factors in healthcare, will be a focus of the on-site portion of the course. The cohort will be introduced to many key aspects of healthcare administration as well as acclimating to the rich learning environment of Fairfield University.
Credits – 3
The focus of this course is on contemporary health policy, its development and implementation, and ways that public health and healthcare system leaders, can influence it. Students will evaluate the impact of health policy on health professionals, consumers, communities, and healthcare delivery systems. Resource allocation, along with the socioeconomic, political, legal, and ethical factors that influence health policy will be examined.
Credits – 3
This course examines the fundamental principles of modern finance that are helpful in understanding corporate finance, investments, and financial markets. More specifically, the course examines the time value of money; the functioning of capital markets; valuation of stocks, bonds, and corporate investments; risk measurement; and risk management. Students learn to use sources of financial data and spreadsheets to solve financial problems. Previously FI 0400.Credits – 3
This course helps students be more responsible and effective managers of the gray areas of business conduct that call for normative judgment and action. The course is designed to develop skills in logical reasoning, argument, and the incorporation of legal, social, and ethical considerations into decision-making. The course teaches the importance of legal and ethical business issues and enables students to make a difference in their organizations by engaging in reasoned consideration of the normative aspects of the firm. Using the case method, the course provides an overview of current topics, including the legal process, corporate governance, employee rights and responsibilities, intellectual property and technology, and the social responsibility of business to its various stakeholders. Previously MG 0503.Credits – 3
This course explores leadership within the public sector. It focuses on leadership theories, leadership skills and how to develop them within an ethical framework. What can, or should, we expect from our leaders in the public sector? What can, or should, our public leaders expect from us? What is the nature of the relationship between the two? How do we ensure ethical behavior as public administrative leaders? Previously MPA 0420.Credits – 3
This course focuses on effectively managing people in organizations by emphasizing the critical links between strategy, leadership, organizational change, and human resource management. Topics include the strategic importance of people, leading organizational change, corporate social responsibility, implementing successful mergers and acquisitions, and fundamentals of human resource practices. Discussions interweave management theory with real-world practice. Class sessions are a combination of case discussions, experiential exercises, and lectures. Previously MG 0504.
Credits – 3
This course builds on the foundational evaluations and reward concepts covered in “Managing People for Competitive Advantage.” Students explore in some depth the employee performance management, compensation, and reward systems in organizations. Topics may include 360 degree feedback programs, ESOPs, profit sharing, gain sharing, and the strategic use of employee benefits. The course focuses on how employee performance management, compensation, and reward systems can lead to a competitive advantage for firms. Previously MG 0525.
Credits – 3
This course is focused on the complex topic of healthcare reimbursement as the primary income sources for healthcare organizations. Additionally, the course will explore the dynamic concepts of payer sources with the emphasis on reimbursement through government, commercial and private payers. Healthcare administrators and leaders in must possess a firm grasp of sources of revenue and the rapidly changing environment. Decision-making related to organizational goals will be explored in the context of revenue. The course supports students to understand how to apply financial decision-making, strategic, and operational decisions.Credits – 3
In the MHA Practicum, the student will identify a healthcare environment for a 150-hour immersion learning opportunity. Paired with community partners, students will observe and participate in learning how the theoretical concepts and skills of healthcare leadership are implemented in practice. The student will focus on the competencies of the program such as organizational behavior, management, human resources, project management, systems improvement, financial strategies, information technology and performance management as appropriate to the clinical site. Students will identify one practice partner or divide time in multiple areas to achieve the objectives of the practicum. The student will incorporate reflections about social justice, diversity and inclusion, and caring for communities and individuals into their overall reflections on the Practicum experience. Students with current or recent experience in healthcare leadership may apply to have this course waived in consultation with the Program Director and approval of the Associate Dean. Pre-Requisite: HCAD 6100.
Credits – 3
This course provides evidence-based knowledge and skills to maximize the development of one’s leadership role in evolving and challenging health care systems. Healthcare leadership roles will be explored from the perspectives of the interprofessional team members. Discussion and clinical application will focus on supporting students to develop their ability to be collaborative, knowledge-based decision makers and facilitators in the context of systems analysis and improvement. The intent of this course is to explore the many facets of leadership and health care improvement, and to examine strategies that will develop future leaders to promote health, improve outcomes and facilitate the design of high-performing systems that better serve patients, families, staff, and the organization. Students will develop proficiency in reflective practice, and evaluating and communicating data as a means to support systems improvement. 42 theory hours. Previously NS 0521.
Credits – 3
The purpose of this course is to provide the student with the skills needed to develop either a research study proposal or a healthcare improvement proposal. This course prepares the student to identify practice problems and critique current research for relevance and application to practice. An overview of theory is presented as a vehicle for understanding public health or healthcare research. Basic concepts of qualitative and quantitative research methods will be examined in order to plan and evaluate a practice change or answer a research question. Using an evidence-based and/or research approach, students identify a clinical or public health problem within a specific population or setting, considering ethical issues. Students will develop a research study proposal or healthcare improvement proposal for implementation. Students use reflection in the evaluation of public health or healthcare system research.Credits – 4
The Healthcare Administration Capstone is an integrative learning experience drawing on all the disciplines and subject matter presented in the MHA Program that results in a comprehensive and relevant plan to address a current health care problem impacting a specific health care organization, institution, provider group and directed toward an at-risk community or population. The Capstone Project is a representation of the student’s theoretical and applied skills developed during their course of study in the program. The capstone will be customized to the student’s experiences, goals and expertise. The course will consist of 200 hours of time dedicated to the various components of project development for a healthcare organization as well as clinical conference sessions with a faculty advisor. Pre-Requisite: HCAD 6100 or Program Director Approval.
Credits – 3
This course begins by applying microeconomic theory to the health sector of the U.S. economy with a focus on financial incentives throughout the healthcare system. Topics include the demand for healthcare and health insurance, quality improvement, managed care and the role of government. The U.S. experience is compared to healthcare systems in other countries. Evidence-based skills include cost analysis and business plan and budget development. 42 theory hours. Previously NS 0602.
Credits – 3
This course focuses on the evaluation and utilization of information systems and technology in order to support and improve patient care and health care systems, provide leadership within health care systems and/or academic settings and impact quality improvement initiatives with emphasis on the macro and meso system levels. Discussion focuses on the design, selection and utilization of information systems as a means to evaluate programs of care, outcomes of care and care systems. In addition, students will evaluate the use of information systems and technology resources to implement quality improvement initiatives, support practice and administrative decision-making, and apply budgetary and productivity tools to support and improve patient outcomes. Discussion of the legal, ethical and cultural issues as they relate to the use of information technology for improvement of health care will be woven throughout the course. 42 theory hours. Previously NS 0614.
Visionary by nature.
Jesuit Catholic by origin.
The driving force of Fairfield is our mission — to impact the world. It prompts us to ask important questions, to embrace our social responsibilities, and to lead by example. And it’s what has made us a premier institution in the Northeast. Let the mission be part of your journey.
