Differences between the MHA and the MPH degrees
MHA and MPH Comparison
Since the MHA program is located in the UW School of Public Health, MHA students take a series of core public health courses (i.e., courses introducing them to the health system, and in statistics, epidemiology, social and behavioral aspects of health, and environmental health). All of these topics are presented from a systemic/organizational management perspective, however, and connections to organizational purpose and health service delivery goals are emphasized throughout.
Beyond the common core, however, the emphasis of the MHA degree is clearly on the organization and effective and efficient management of health services organizations within dynamic policy and competitive market environments. The central focus of course material is on organization, operation and financing of the health services organization and on the development of a strong set of business management skills for application within the market-based health care environment.
On the other hand, the central foci of MPH programs are on the description of patterns of disease within populations, and on the development, operation, financing, and evaluation of population-based programs designed to improve the health of populations within the community. Thus, the development of foci on health services organizational management, health policy development, and business skills vs. the development of foci on population-based program planning, development and evaluation skills or on population-based assessment and description skills represent fundamental differences in emphasis between the knowledge and skills emphasized and developed within these two complementary degree programs.