Selecting a master’s program within the realm of healthcare entails many factors that you need to consider. It is crucial to pick a value-added degree that will teach you the skills needed to move in the direction of greater career opportunity within the healthcare industry.
Master’s programs differ in academics, but also in training philosophies and emphases. For those who decide to take a career path in healthcare administration, the most closely aligned master’s degrees are a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Master of Science in Health Services Administration (MSHSA). There are a few reasons to consider when focusing on the benefits of a MSHSA vs. the MBA: your previous education, your professional experience and your career goals. We often get asked why a student should consider the MSHSA over the MBA. Here are a few of our thoughts:
1. The MSHSA is focused on healthcare.
The curriculum within our MSHSA is specifically tailored to the healthcare sector. You must ask yourself what your intentions are with your career. Are you looking to advance yourself into a healthcare leadership position? This degree is necessary if your goal is to make healthcare administration your career path. Learning the nuances of the business and leadership aspect of healthcare administration will help you prepare to handle the numerous challenges of this continuously growing and progressive industry.
2. Everyone has an MBA…be different.
If your career is in pharmaceuticals, nursing, kinesiology, dentistry, chiropractic, the Veteran’s Administration, or truly any other healthcare field, a MSHSA will position you for management opportunities at a higher level. Due to your previous studies and likely experience, you already possess critical knowledge about the healthcare field. When you expand upon that education with the leadership, management and healthcare-related business skills you gain from a MSHSA program, you have increased your opportunity to become a well-rounded leader with a complete understanding of healthcare administration from multiple perspectives. Plus, this is a fairly young program within the industry overall, with it, you will stand out among your peers. Be different!
3. Although more specific than the MBA, our 5-semester online MSHSA is quite diverse in career fields, allowing optimal networking within the healthcare industry.
Networking within any field of healthcare is exceptionally important to the success of your career. When done properly, networking will not only help you land a job faster, but it will give you a competitive edge throughout every stage of your career. As you go through our online 5-semester program, you develop beneficial relationships with those that may or may not be in your same field. With that, there is potential for career changes, potential mentors, or other professional development opportunities that may not be advertised in your area. With each cohort, we have students from all over the country, representing multiple healthcare professions. This diversity provides such rich conversation and superior learning opportunities throughout the semesters, which allows each graduating class to have their own culture. Most students that we have had from our graduating classes do stay in touch. We also have a Facebook group you can join, if you are accepted into our program.
While some of the curriculum in both degrees are comparable, our MSHSA degree offers you advanced business knowledge and leadership skills as it applies directly to health administration.