Healthcare Administration (BA)

Mary Baldwin University (MBU), Healthcare Administration (HCA) undergraduate students, may request, in writing, permission to substitute Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) graduate courses for required or elective courses in the HCA undergraduate degree program. Undergraduate HCA students may then subsequently count those same courses as fulfilling graduate requirements in the MHA or MHA/MBA graduate program that the institution offers.

A maximum of 18, MHA graduate credits may apply toward both the undergraduate HCA degree and the graduate MHA or MHA/MBA degree. Graduate courses must be taken at MBU. Graduate courses are offered only online and are 7 weeks in length.

Undergraduate HCA students requesting to take MHA graduate courses must have junior or senior standing and possess an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. The applicability of specific MHA graduate courses toward the HCA undergraduate degree requirements is determined by the HCA and MHA department chair. Grade points earned in graduate courses are included in the student's undergraduate GPA, but courses with grades below the graduate minimum (C for graduate programs) will not apply toward a graduate degree.

The written request to enter into the 4+1 HCA to MHA pathway is to be a one paragraph, writing sample about the students reason for wanting to pursue the 4+1 pathway with potential career goals/paths, explained. The written request is to be sent, via email, to the department chair. The decision to grant the student acceptance into the 4+1 pathway will be determined by the department chair and the faculty of the HCA and MHA program. Declaring the 4+1 HCA to MHA pathway and/or taking MHA courses during the students undergraduate studies does not guarantee acceptance to the MHA program.

Students must apply to the MHA program during their senior year and meet the MHA graduate program requirements before being accepted for the graduate program. Acceptance to the MHA and MHA/MBA graduate programs is solely the decision of the department chair and is not guaranteed. Graduate courses taken by undergraduates may or may not be accepted as graduate courses at other institutions. This will be determined by that institution's policies.

4+1 Option Course Substitutions:

In place of HCA 310, HC Strategic Management, the student can take MHA 501, Organizational and Systems Leadership

In place of HCA 320, Economics and Finance of HC, the student can take MHA 502, The Business of Healthcare

In place of HCA 245, or, if already taken, in place of 1 HCA elective, the student can take MHA 504, Policy, Ethics, and Legal Perspectives

In place of HCA 315, Introduction to Healthcare Information Management, students can take MHA 603, Healthcare Management and Information Systems 

In place of HCA 125, Introduction to Public Health as an elective, the student can take MHA 602, Community, Public, & Population Health

In place of BUAD 302, Managing Human Capital, the student can take MHA 509 Organizational Behavior & Management in Healthcare

Students seeking a BA in Healthcare Administration with a Public Health emphasis must fulfill all of the requirements for the BA, plus the following