Degree Options
Degree Options
Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)
The Simmons M.H.A. is designed for working professionals in health care. Classes are scheduled in the evening year round -- and some courses are available online. The program may be completed in as few as five semesters of full-time study, though most students enroll part-time and complete their degrees in eight or nine semesters.
Based on standards established by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education and the Pew Health Professions Commission, the curriculum emphasizes scholarship, as well as advanced business and management skills. All M.H.A. students are required to do fieldwork at the end of the program. This may take the form of a health care research paper of publishable quality; strategic analysis and recommendations for a health care institution; a community health improvement project; or a short-term residency that includes a project demonstrating quantitative and/or financial analytic competency.
Waiving the GRE/GMAT Requirement
Students may waive the GRE/GMAT requirement by enrolling in two back to back courses, as non-degree students. This option also allows students to evaluate whether the program is a good fit for them. Individuals who earn a minimum grade of B+ in both courses may then apply for degree status without submitting standardized tests. Due to visa restrictions, this alternative is available for U.S. students and permanent resident aliens only.
HCA Fieldwork Sites
Fieldwork projects are highly focused and directed. M.H.A. students enhance their professional portfolios while also providing value for the organizations where their projects take place.
Sample Fieldwork Projects
- Dana Farber's FACT Accreditation: A Firsthand Look at Quality Improvement
- Transforming Taiba Clinic
- Physician Database Project at Newton Wellesley Hospital
- Resolving the Dissatisfaction of Cardiac Surgery Physician Assistants at Miriam Hospital
- Training for Critical Thinking on a Nursing Floor at Children's Hospital
- Clinical Investigations, Clinical Monitoring Reports: Finding a Better Process to Review and Collect Trials Data
- Cost Per Visit Analysis-Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston-Brookline Office
- Analyzing the Root Cause of Acute Discharges at Youville Hospital
- Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System Internship
- Future Prospects for Solo Family Practice in Maine
- Evaluating the Egyptian Ministry of Health HIV/AIDS Program
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.)
The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Health Care is an educational and career development program that prepares individuals who have graduate degrees in another discipline to be health care administrators and leaders. This 15-credit program is individually designed to build on the strengths each student possesses and to cover new material. Required and elective courses are chosen from the M.H.A. curriculum and may include fieldwork or independent research. Two concentrations are available: Finance and Analytical Thinking and Organizational Leadership.
Management and leadership are important skills for persons seeking career advancement in health care organizations. For example, senior clinicians with advanced degrees in the health professions (medicine, nursing, social work and physical therapy) often are challenged by the "business side" of health care. Individuals who aspire to senior management or the C-Suite need special training in finance, organizational dynamics and leadership to be successful. Alternatively, business executives wishing to transition into health care often are challenged by the unique requirements of the industry. Students with a CAGS in Health Care Administration from Simmons College hold prominent positions in consulting, management and leadership in the Greater Boston health care market.