Regents approve new distance learning Master of Healthcare Administration program
Posted by Jayme Blaschke
Office of Media Relations
February 15, 2018
SAN MARCOS – The Texas State University System Board of Regents has authorized Texas State University to offer an Executive Master of Healthcare Administration (EMHA) degree program via distance education.
The board approved the new program during its quarterly meeting February 15 at Lamar University in Beaumont. The EMHA program will begin enrolling students in the fall of 2018.
The new degree will be offered along with Texas State's existing Master of Healthcare Administration program, but the EMHA's distance learning format will benefit a previously underserved population. The EMHA program was designed with input from the Texas Hospital Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives to meet the needs of health administrators as an option to the current in-residence program.
"This program will provide the working healthcare professional the opportunity to continue to work in a healthcare position while seeking the advanced degree in health care administration," said Ruth Welborn, dean of the College of Health Professions.
EMHA offers courses designed to increase knowledge and enhance professional performance for students currently employed in health profession fields. The primary focus of the curriculum is middle- to senior-level management. Principal areas of study include health and disease; sociological, economic, legal and political forces which affect healthcare; and management organizational behaviors, including such specializations as financial management, human resource management, planning, marketing, and data generation and analysis.
"With the ever-increasing complexity in providing healthcare services, the working healthcare professional must enhance their professional knowledge and performance," Welborn said. "We are excited to launch this degree and to meet the needs of those employed healthcare professionals seeking to advance to senior management positions."
The EMHA program will admit 20 students this fall, with an additional 20 students admitted each subsequent fall. The 49-hour curriculum includes a thesis option for students pursuing a Ph.D.
The Texas State University System Board of Regents is the governing body for Texas’ oldest university system, which comprises eight institutions: Lamar University; Sam Houston State University; Texas State University; Sul Ross State University; Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College; Lamar Institute of Technology; Lamar State College-Orange; and Lamar State College-Port Arthur.
About Texas State University
Founded in 1899, Texas State University is among the largest universities in Texas with an enrollment of 38,694 students on campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock. Texas State’s 181,000-plus alumni are a powerful force in serving the economic workforce needs of Texas and throughout the world. Designated an Emerging Research University by the State of Texas, Texas State is classified under “Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity,” the second-highest designation for research institutions under the Carnegie classification system.