Pursuing Your Master of Health Administration Degree While Working
Students in our Online Master of Health Administration (MHA) program know the value of work. Applicants are required to have one year of full-time healthcare management or healthcare-related professional experience, and be working in a US healthcare-related field. Though the online master’s degree program is rigorous, it is also carefully designed to fit into the busy lives of healthcare professionals looking to advance their careers.
Current student Terri Levine is pursuing her MHA at NYU Wagner to further her career in healthcare. She decided on the program, she says, “because of NYU's reputation and connections to the healthcare industry.” As the Senior Director of Labor Relations at Mount Sinai Hospital, working while going to graduate school has helped her both at work and in her studies. Levine says that because of the MHA courses she is taking, she is better “able to understand the multiple factors at play in a large healthcare system.”
There are myriad benefits to working while you complete your degree. Learn about them below:
Applied Learning
With NYU Wagner’s Online MHA program, your career is your case study.
As you learn, for example, about financial recording and how to make projections for the future in Accounting for Healthcare Management , you can immediately bring those skills to your office, whether you work in the finance department or just want to gain deeper insight into your team’s budget. Every class, from Managing Healthcare Organizations in your first term to Continuous Quality Improvement in your last, is practical and your hands-on experience from the classroom can be quickly applied to your real-life work.
Class sizes are small, with an average of 15 students, so discussions are customized to match the needs of the class. Virtual office hours with NYU faculty offer one-on-one time with some of the most accomplished healthcare professionals and leading researchers in the field, and all of our world-class professors are available to help you navigate professional challenges that could benefit from their experience. This, in turn, helps you feel more confident and better-prepared at work, which can lead to excellent career growth, even before you graduate.
Increased ROI with a Master’s Degree
At NYU Wagner, we understand that any master’s degree represents an investment in time and finances. Working while you complete your part-time MHA will help to increase your return on that investment, faster.
Uninterrupted Career Growth
Online MHA classes are offered in the evenings, and the on-campus portion of the degree is offered over two-and-a-half days in your second term, so the program can work in tandem with your full-time career. In this way, you get the best of both options: a cutting-edge academic experience that you can instantly apply at work to further your career.
Value for Healthcare Industry
“Employers are looking for candidates with the necessary skills to help solve some of the most challenging problems within healthcare, as people remain more active later in life and the demand for more healthcare services leaders and providers increases,” says Mary Snowden-Lorence, Director of Career Services at NYU Wagner. "Skills that this program provides, like effective financial management...and leading diverse teams, contribute to the impact that our graduates make during and after their studies." Snowden-Lorence notes that because of these skills and their knowledge of healthcare IT, graduates "will have the ability to add immediate value to employers by providing quality patient care within the complex, highly-regulated healthcare environment."
Employee Benefits: Tuition Reimbursement
Many employers offer full or partial reimbursement of tuition costs for employees looking to go back to school, especially for employees who wish to stay in the field and at their current organization. Others may make affordable graduate student loans available to their employees. If this is something your employer offers, it’s a valuable benefit that can help you increase your ROI even further. For more information on these types of benefits, we recommend talking to your human resources department or visiting our Financial Aid webpage.
Build Your Network
By working full-time while completing your MHA, you’ll be able to tap into two powerful networks: your existing network at work, and a new one of NYU students, faculty, and alumni. Having access to numerous people who are committed to your professional and personal success can be invaluable. Because you will continue to work, you’ll still be top-of-mind for new projects and promotions at your organization. However, you’ll also engage with your classmates, who will be able to offer insights into how things are done at their organizations across the country, and you can immediately apply those insights. As you grow closer with this diverse cohort of graduate students dedicated to improving healthcare, you’ll find yourself gaining exposure to a variety of roles and organizations in healthcare and building connections that will last a lifetime.
After graduation, you’ll join NYU’s alumni network of more than 500,000 graduates world-wide. This includes numerous NYU Wagner graduates who are top executives and senior leaders at healthcare organizations across the country, organizations that are likely to be seeking healthcare management professionals.
Working your way through graduate school can be an exciting new challenge for motivated professionals ready to take their career to the next level. At top-ranked NYU Wagner, you’ll find your work in healthcare feeding into your studies in the Online MHA program, and vice-versa, as you enjoy the benefits of simultaneously growing in the academic and professional arenas.
As you think about taking the next step, reach out to one of our enrollment advisors. We are here to answer your questions and guide you through the application process.