MHA Degree for Career Advancement in Public Health

Key Takeaways:

Public health has become more important due to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic.
Rising healthcare costs in the U.S., with a 4.1% increase in spending in 2022, put more pressure on public health systems.
Chronic diseases are reducing life expectancy in the U.S. and are a bigger threat than opioids and gun violence.
Earning an MHA degree prepares you for leadership roles in public health, helping you address complex health challenges.

The field of public health has been growing in importance in recent years. We have identified three major reasons for its increasing importance in American society.

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The public health crises continue to make their presence felt. Think COVID-19 pandemic, opioid epidemic, and measles outbreaks.
The rising costs of healthcare are putting pressure on the public health system. In the U.S., health spending increased by 4.1% in 2022 or $13,493 per capita.
The rise of chronic diseases resulted in reduced life expectancy among Americans. Indeed, chronic diseases are a far greater threat to life than opioids and gun violence.

If you want to be part of the solution to these public health crises, earn a Master of Healthcare Administration or MHA degree. You’ll have a competitive credential for leadership positions in public health. Your knowledge, skills, and competencies are valuable in creating positive and profound changes.

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Overview of Public Health Careers

Public health primarily protects and promotes community health. Professionals in public health strive for a safe place for everybody to live, work, learn, and play.

Every public health professional has unique roles and responsibilities depending on their job. But their common duties include:

Create, advocate for, and implement public health policies and programs.
Examine the causes and effects of health issues.
Track, manage, and prevent outbreaks of infectious and non-infectious diseases.
Educate communities about nutrition, exercise, and vaccinations, as well as encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Work with local community organizations in addressing health issues.
Manage public health programs and healthcare organizations.
Ensure communities get safe air, food, and water.

With an MHA degree, you can choose from among these public health careers in various healthcare delivery and financing organization settings, essentially taking on leadership roles in the planning, directing, and coordinating services in this field,

Epidemiologist
Health education program manager
Public health administrator
Policy advisor
Health promotion and education specialist
Occupational health and safety specialist
Biostatistician
Social and community health manager

Indeed, an MHA degree opens opportunities for career advancement in public health.

The Role of an MHA in Public Health

The best Master of Health Administration programs enable candidates to develop hard and soft skills. Intensive healthcare administration-centric courses that develop technical skills for healthcare administrators include:

Data analytics
Finance and financial management
Policy development and analysis
Strategic management
Operations management
Human resources management

You will also develop soft skills vital to your success as a public health leader. While hard skills can impress, soft skills can persuade. In public health, your powers of persuasion on people can turn the tide in your favor.

These soft skills will boost your powers of persuasion.

Leadership and teamwork skills
Communication and interpersonal skills
Critical and analytical thinking skills
Problem-solving and decision-making skills
Professional ethics and social responsibility

Indeed, an MHA degree isn’t only a credential that boosts your resume. Think of it as a competitive advantage that highlights your capacity for leadership in public health settings.

Benefits of Combining Public Health and an MHA Degree

If you’re already in the public health sector, you can enjoy these benefits with an MHA degree.

Gain more access to leadership positions.

A bachelor’s degree is the acceptable minimum requirement for entry-level public health jobs. But why stop there? Earn an MHA degree and become more competitive for leadership positions. Being a manager or director has its benefits, particularly higher income.

Enjoy increased influence.

Higher earnings aren’t the only benefits. You also have abundant opportunities to influence public health policies and practices. Being a public health leader means creating initiatives that address persistent issues. Indeed, public health policy and MHA complement each other.

Make a broader impact.

Why stop at the community level? As a public health leader, you can level up your advocacies at the state and national levels. An MHA degree gives you this competitive edge, as your coursework in this master’s program explores the deeper public health challenges across the country. Featuring rigorous coursework, hands-on learning experience, and excellent networking prospects, MHA programs produce highly capable graduates who are equipped to address the many issues hounding public health.

Top 5 MHA Programs with a Focus on Public Health

An MHA is characterized by extensive training and academic rigor that produce effective leaders in the healthcare industry. MHA students can expect coursework that underscores institutional knowledge in healthcare delivery, population health management, financing, and business literacy. Students should have access to a robust network of healthcare administration professionals.

MHA programs typically accept professionals who have had healthcare management experience or have worked in healthcare administration settings in some capacity.

These are the best MHA for public health professionals programs in our opinion.

Johns Hopkins University

This is a full-time, two-year program that enables candidates to gain real-world experiences in public health settings. Candidates tackle an intensive curriculum for one year, followed by an 11-month paid administrative residency. No wonder it’s among the top MHA programs for public health professionals.

University of Michigan

The 60-credit, two-year program features a rigorous curriculum with a public health focus. Candidates also complete an intensive internship lasting between 10 and 12 weeks.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Candidates in UNC’s MHA degree program gain an excellent education in the ins and outs of public health administration. The program emphasizes mastery of several domains, including public health principles and practices.

Harvard University

This is a two-year, low-residency Master in Healthcare Management program that leverages public health experience and expertise. Candidates learn through peer collaborations and case-based courses.

University of California Berkeley

The Health Policy and Management MPH program prepares candidates for the challenges of public health leadership.

Steps to Leverage an MHA for Public Health Career Advancement

Build a strong professional network among public health management professionals. Your network is an excellent source of innovative ideas, job referrals and recommendations, and collaborative projects.
Engage in internships and fellowships in your MHA degree program. These are the best ways to hit the ground running and learn more from others.
Earn a professional certification and engage in continuing education. Being certified means not only in-depth knowledge but also a strong commitment to lifelong learning. Public health is in constant flux so it pays to be updated, too.

Overcoming Challenges in Public Health with an MHA

Address complex health issues with your team. A public health career means working with others, be it individuals or groups.
Use your hard and soft skills in shaping public health policies and implementing best practices.
Always be willing to learn from others, especially from the communities that you serve. More often than not, they know better.

Conclusion

Earning an MHA degree is only the beginning of a successful public health career in leadership positions. MHA programs emphasize theoretical knowledge and practical skills to equip students with the foundations for advancing to healthcare management and leadership positions. Students also become critical thinkers who understand the importance of collaboration, strategy, teamwork, and innovation.

Keep in mind that an MHA is a tool – but a competitive edge but only a tool, nonetheless. You must leverage its value, from applying for leadership positions to making an impact on communities.

Leveraging an MHA Degree for Career Advancement in Public Health