Skip to main content
University of North Carolina Wilmington
UNCW Logo
Search
Search
Close this search box.
Search
Search
Close this search box.

Master of Healthcare Administration Online

Expand your operational management, ethical decision-making and overall professional capacities to pursue top healthcare leadership roles with our Master of Healthcare Administration online program.

Apply by 6/7/25 Request Info
Start class 6/30/25 Apply Now
Request Info Apply Now

Home / Programs / Healthcare / Master of Healthcare Administration

Program Overview

Take a closer look at UNCW’s MHA online degree program

Gain the essential knowledge and practical expertise you need to deliver effective, ethical and innovative leadership across a wide range of healthcare organizations with the Master of Healthcare Administration online program from UNCW. This specialized degree program prepares you with the resources, best practices and theoretical insights to effect positive outcomes in the continuously evolving field of healthcare administration.

As an affiliate of the American College for Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Higher Education Network, UNCW is proud to offer the Master of Healthcare Administration online program. The MHA program provides a full understanding of efficient healthcare management techniques—everything from human capital resources, healthcare reform policies and population health management to patient experiences. Coursework topics include the changing structure of healthcare delivery systems, legal and ethical issues facing the healthcare industry, evidence-based decision-making, socioeconomic factors affecting public health and much more.

Plus, UNCW's MHA curriculum aligns with the National Center for Healthcare Leadership's Health Leadership Competency Model 3.0, ensuring that you are learning relevant, competency-based information that prepares you to be an exceptional healthcare leader for the 21st century.

Coursework in the MHA online program begins with a personalized learning approach. As a student, you will submit an initial gap analysis assessment identifying your areas of strength and improvement. As you progress through the program, you will continually track your knowledge base growth and reflect upon your learning. Students without a healthcare background can participate in faculty research, international travel, case competitions, student organizations, and practicum courses that provide applied learning experiences. No residency or full semester internships are required.

In this master’s healthcare administration online degree, you will:

  • Analyze data that encompasses leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and health disparities among local, regional and global populations to impact population health and associated healthcare organizations
  • Create evidence-based solutions aimed at improving cost, access and quality of care
  • Evaluate the internal and external environmental factors (social, cultural, economic and political) impacting the strategic management of healthcare organizations
  • Assess the impact of legal, ethical, economic and regulatory dimensions of healthcare and public health policy
  • Apply appropriate communication strategies based on communication goals and audience characteristics
  • Analyze data that encompasses leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and health disparities among local, regional and global populations to impact population health and associated healthcare organizations
  • Create evidence-based solutions aimed at improving cost, access and quality of care
  • Evaluate the internal and external environmental factors (social, cultural, economic and political) impacting the strategic management of healthcare organizations
  • Assess the impact of legal, ethical, economic and regulatory dimensions of healthcare and public health policy
  • Apply appropriate communication strategies based on communication goals and audience characteristics

Prepare for healthcare administrative and management roles such as:

  • Practice Manager
  • Health Information Manager
  • Hospital Administrator
  • Medical Records Supervisor
  • Nursing Home Administrator
  • Practice Manager
  • Health Information Manager
  • Hospital Administrator
  • Medical Records Supervisor
  • Nursing Home Administrator

Also available:

UNCW offers a variety of online degrees. View all our Online Programs.

Total Tuition ,739.68
Duration As few as 12 months
Credit Hours 48

Accreditation:

CAHME Accredited

The UNC Wilmington MHA program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). CAHME is the only organization recognized to grant accreditation to individual academic programs offering a professional master’s degree in healthcare management education and is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CAHME Accreditation is the benchmark for students and employers to ensure that integrity of healthcare management education.

UNC Wilmington is an active affiliate of the American College for Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Higher Education Network, which supports the education and mentoring of the next generation of healthcare leaders.

Request Info Apply Now

Need More Information?

Call 855-306-4734

Call 855-306-4734

Tuition

Discover the value of our low-cost tuition

Designed to be affordable and convenient, our tuition is an outstanding value and far less of a financial investment than many other North Carolina universities. We also offer pay-by-the-course tuition for our online programs. Financial aid is available for those who qualify.

Tuition and fees are subject to change each academic year pending legislative approval. View more information on your cost of attendance.


Program Fees Per Credit Hour Total Tuition & Fees
MHA (in-state residents) .12 ,739.68
MHA (out-of-state residents) .12 ,635.36

All amounts shown are estimates for full program tuition and do not include books, material costs and future tuition increases. Tuition rates are based on 2024-2025 figures, assume full-time enrollment (nine hours per semester) and are subject to change. You can review the estimated costs of attendance for information about the full cost of attendance, including expenses beyond tuition and fees.

Tuition breakdown:

Total Tuition ,739.68

Calendar

Please note these important dates

The MHA program is delivered in an online format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring rolling admissions and six start dates each year. Choose the start date that best suits your goals.

Please note that sessions frequently fill ahead of published deadlines. Application cycles are open until the sessions. Due to high demand, there is no advanced notice of application closures.

View full calendar  + 

TermProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment DueLast Class Day
Summer 1 5/12/25 4/19/25 4/19/25 5/14/25 5/15/25 6/29/25
Summer 2 6/30/25 6/7/25 6/7/25 7/2/25 7/7/25 8/17/25
Fall 1 8/25/25 8/2/25 8/2/25 8/27/25 8/28/25 10/12/25
Fall 2 10/20/25 9/27/25 9/27/25 10/22/25 10/23/25 12/7/25

Students must register for courses by 5 p.m. (EST) on the registration deadline date.
Students must remit tuition payment by 10 a.m. (EST) on the tuition deadline date.

Now enrolling:

Apply Date 6/7/25
Class Starts 6/30/25

Admissions

Are you ready to apply? Check our admission requirements first

To apply for this healthcare administration online master’s degree program, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States—or the equivalent from a foreign institution.

Admission Requirements:

  • Official transcripts
  • Undergraduate GPA 3.0
  • Bachelor's degree

MHA Online Admission Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree
  • All applicants must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • No GRE/GMAT scores are required

Official transcripts from all colleges/universities are required.

Electronic Method (Preferred):
Password protected transcripts may be sent directly from the institution to [email protected]

Paper Method – Official Transcripts (Envelope Sealed by the Institution):

UNCW Graduate School
Attn: Kimberly Goerne Harris
601 South College Rd
Wilmington, NC 28403-5955

Have a question? Call us at 855-306-4734.

Courses

Read about our online Master of Healthcare Administration courses

The MHA online curriculum is comprised of 16 courses for a total of 48 credit hours and includes 2 practicum courses (6 credit hours).

Students who have attained an undergraduate degree in a healthcare-related discipline and have one year of healthcare work experience may petition the MHA program coordinator to waive the practicum courses. If the waiver is granted, the degree audit will be updated to reflect HCA 593 and 594 as waived, and the total credit hours required for the degree will decrease to 42.

Students in the MHA online program must take the following courses.
HCA 500: Introduction to Health Care Management
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This foundational course explores the principles of management in the context of contemporary healthcare, exploring the dynamic healthcare environment and challenges of change. Focusing on leadership and management principles, this course will explore topics that include organizational behavior, corporate compliance, cultural competency and diversity, revenue cycle considerations, healthcare reform legislation, and critical management processes. This course serves as a pre- and/or co-requisite to all other courses in the MHA program.
HCA 501: Healthcare Systems
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Healthcare in the 21st century is experiencing historic evolution impacted by local, national and global factors. This course will provide an introduction to the foundations of healthcare administration and related systems. Topics explored include (but are not limited to): a historical overview, theoretical foundations, major developments and characteristics of global healthcare systems, types of healthcare providers, issues related to the cost, access and quality of care; and the future of health services delivery.
HCA 502: Managing Human Capital in Healthcare
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Strategically leveraging human capital resources in an effort to provide efficient and effective value-based services to patients and stakeholders (centered on cost, access and quality of care) is at the core of effective human resource management. Students in this course will explore human resource management theory and practice in the context of the healthcare organization through an in-depth analysis of modern human resource management issues (e.g., recruitment, compensation, motivation, performance, and talent management).
HCA 503: Operations Management & Quality Assessment in Health Organizations
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Productivity, performance, quality of service, and external and internal environmental changes have placed a renewed emphasis on efficiency and effectiveness in operational decisions within the healthcare environment. This course will address operational challenges and opportunities facing medical and health services managers. The exploration of operations management for health organizations will involve critical thinking, problem-solving skills and the application of various operations management tools.
HCA 504: Healthcare Informatics
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Healthcare informatics, an evolving field, harnesses the power of technology to collect, store, process, and disseminate data and shared knowledge related to the delivery and support of healthcare. This course examines healthcare informatics and its application in supporting decision-making recognizing its importance in the provision of effective and efficient healthcare. Topics include but are not limited to healthcare information systems infrastructure, enterprise architecture, applications, data, information security, telehealth, project management, and emerging technologies.
HCA 505: Strategic Management & Marketing for Healthcare Professionals
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
For success in the modern healthcare environment, organizations must focus on strategic planning and explore models for achieving a competitive edge. Students will explore the importance of strategic planning in healthcare, internal and external environmental assessment, marketing healthcare services, strategy formulation, implementation, evaluation and long-term control.
HCA 506: Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An examination of contemporary legal and ethical issues encountered by health professionals in the provision and delivery of healthcare products and services. Topics explored include patient-caregiver relationships, high-tech medicine, regulatory compliance, healthcare ethics, criminal aspects of healthcare, corporate structure, patient rights, medical records, and disclosure of patient information in healthcare.
HCA 507: Quantative Methods and Evidence Based Decision Making in Healthcare
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Healthcare managers are tasked daily with confronting and solving complex problems within the modern healthcare organization. Evidence-based decision-making in healthcare means making decisions based on best available evidence with special emphasis on relevant scientific findings and unbiased clinical and organizational data. It involves active use of decision practices that reduce bias and judgment errors and provide due consideration to ethical concerns. This course will guide the student in developing the skills and knowledge needed to identify, access, assess and utilize quality evidence from science and to make better healthcare decisions. Quantitative analysis provides a proven method for healthcare managers to identify, analyze, interpret and strategically plan using both internal and external data. This course also explores the need for and practice use of quantitative methods in the healthcare environment.
HCA 508: Managerial Epidemiology and Population Health
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Managing the health of a population requires an understanding of the behavioral and socioeconomic factors impacting population health. Such factors directly impact the provision of services and organizational performance of local and national healthcare systems. As changes in healthcare policy and systems lead to a shift from individualized healthcare to population health, a strategic focus toward managerial epidemiology has never been more important. Emphasis is placed on familiarizing students with the concepts, methods and techniques of managerial epidemiology, highlighting tools critical in planning, monitoring and evaluating population health (environmental factors that impact population health status). Knowledge attained in this course is critical to organizational evaluation, clinical practice improvement, economic analysis, and strategic decision-making.
HCA 509: Long Term Care Administration
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides an exploration of the changing industry of long-term care, introducing students to the opportunities and challenges of organization and management in this area of healthcare. Students will explore providers within the continuum of care and examine the health services needed for current and future populations requiring long-term care in their lifetime.
HCA 510: Healthcare Economics and Policy
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Focused on exploring economics of the healthcare industry, this course will expose students to the uniqueness and intricacies of both healthcare economics and related policy. Students will examine techniques and tools used in economic assessment and evaluation while exploring economic evaluation studies and related publications. Healthcare reform, financing of healthcare, healthcare markets, healthcare policy and regulation will be explored.
HCA 511: Financial Analysis & Decision Making in Healthcare
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Strategic healthcare decision-making is heavily reliant on financial data, related analyses, and communication skills. This course provides a broad introduction to key financial analysis concepts, issues, tools and vocabulary useful for both policymakers and administrators. Topics include healthcare financial statements, financial statement analysis, budgeting, organization and presentation of financial data.
HCA 512: Finance for Healthcare Managers
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Designed to aid students in understanding the basic concepts of strategic financial management, students will come to recognize finance as a core function of the successful healthcare organization operating in an environment heavily focused on reform and quality of care. The core focus of this course is for students to become knowledgeable of how organizations organize and report financial data and use that data to make evidence-based decisions. Students will appreciate the art of managing and controlling costs while simultaneously investing in strategic opportunities.
HCA 590: Healthcare Administration Capstone
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This capstone course, for all healthcare administration majors, integrates all healthcare administration concepts, techniques and knowledge applied throughout the program. This course is designed as a cumulative final course.
HCA 593: Healthcare Administration Practicum I
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A real-world field experience that will enable the student to demonstrate selected healthcare competencies through practice. This cumulative experience will provide an opportunity to both demonstrate and sharpen skills necessary for the student’s role as a future healthcare professional. This experience is conducted over two terms (i.e., HCA 593 and HCA 594), providing adequate time for the student to fully complete a healthcare project or to complete meaningful healthcare research.
HCA 594: Healthcare Administration Practicum II
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A real-world field experience that will enable the student to demonstrate selected healthcare competencies through practice. This cumulative experience will provide an opportunity to both demonstrate and sharpen skills necessary for the student’s role as a future healthcare professional. This experience is conducted over two terms (i.e., HCA 593 and HCA 594), providing adequate time for the student to fully complete a healthcare project or to complete meaningful healthcare research.

Pleae note: Students who have attained an undergraduate degree in a healthcare-related discipline and have one year of healthcare work experience may petition the MHA program coordinator to waive the practicum courses. If the waiver is granted, the degree audit will be updated to reflect HCA 593 and 594 as waived, and the total credit hours required for the degree will decrease to 42.

Students taking a full-time course load throughout the program can complete it in as few as 12 months. Consult with your advisor.

Request Information

Submit this form, and an Enrollment Specialist will contact you to answer your questions.

  • All fields required.

  • Program of Interest
    Program of Interest Executive MBA M.S. in Business Analytics MBA in Business Analytics MBA in Cybersecurity MBA in Entrepreneurship and Business Development MBA in Finance MBA in Healthcare Management MBA in Human Resources MBA in Information Systems MBA in International Business MBA in Marketing MBA in Supply Chain Management MBA – General M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication Master of Healthcare Administration MSN Nurse Educator RN to BSN
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email
  • Phone
  • ZIP Code
  • How did you hear about us?
    How did you hear about us? Coworker Email Employer Family/Friend Information Session Magazine/Newspaper Online Professional Organization Radio/TV
  • Email
    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Or call 855-306-4734

By submitting this form, I am providing my digital signature agreeing that the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and its agent, Risepoint, may email me or contact me regarding educational services by telephone and/or text message utilizing automated technology or a pre-recorded message at the telephone number(s) provided above. I understand this consent is not a condition to attend UNCW or to purchase any other goods or services. Privacy Policy. SMS Terms.

Take the next step

Start your application today!
Or call 855-306-4734 855-306-4734
for help with any questions you may have.

Related Articles

Finance Tips for Healthcare Administrators
Healthcare administrators of all types, including nurse managers or financial managers, need knowledge in financial management, analysis, budgeting and evidence-based decision-making. A degree in healthcare…
Read more
How Healthcare Administrators Can Help Providers Find a Work-Life Balance
A career in the healthcare field is rewarding and essential, but the work often takes a gradual toll on healthcare professionals. Given the nature of…
Read more
What Role Does Healthcare Administration Have in the Patient Experience?
Although healthcare administrators do not typically have direct patient contact, their decisions and actions significantly impact patients’ experiences. They help shape policy, make changes and…
Read more
Top Trends in Healthcare Technology for 2021
Thomas Edison is noted for saying, “there’s a way to do it better…find it.” That sentiment is the core of innovation in any industry, but…
Read more
UNCW

601 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403

© 2025 University of North Carolina Wilmington

Risepoint maintains this website on behalf of University of North Carolina Wilmington. UNCW maintains responsibility for curriculum, teaching, admissions, tuition, financial aid, accreditation, and all other academic and instruction-related functions and decisions. Learn more about Risepoint.


UNCW is an EEO/AA institution. Questions regarding UNCW’s Title IX compliance should be directed to [email protected].

Call 855-306-4734

Request Info
Apply Now

Disclaimer Popup Heading

Nullam fermentum efficitur felis sit amet tempus. Vivamus scelerisque porttitor sagittis. Integer id sodales lorem. Donec tincidunt in nibh sed ultrices.

Request Information

  • All fields required.

  • Program of Interest
    Program of Interest Executive MBA M.S. in Business Analytics MBA in Business Analytics MBA in Cybersecurity MBA in Entrepreneurship and Business Development MBA in Finance MBA in Healthcare Management MBA in Human Resources MBA in Information Systems MBA in International Business MBA in Marketing MBA in Supply Chain Management MBA – General M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication Master of Healthcare Administration MSN Nurse Educator RN to BSN
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email
  • Phone
  • ZIP Code
  • How did you hear about us?
    How did you hear about us? Coworker Email Employer Family/Friend Information Session Magazine/Newspaper Online Professional Organization Radio/TV
  • Comments
    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Or call 855-306-4734 855-306-4734

By submitting this form, I am providing my digital signature agreeing that the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and its agent, Risepoint, may email me or contact me regarding educational services by telephone and/or text message utilizing automated technology or a pre-recorded message at the telephone number(s) provided above. I understand this consent is not a condition to attend UNCW or to purchase any other goods or services. Privacy Policy. SMS Terms.

UNCW

Content parser: contentLocalUrls |
Total Parsers:1
Memory used: 707.23KB of 8MB
Render time: 1.520 sec., Version: 3.5.4