Advanced Administration Degrees

Online MHA – Public Health

Specialize your Master of Health Administration education with a focus in public health so you can work to positively impact the health of entire communities.

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You must be a licensed registered nurse or have completed an associate degree of nursing to apply for the program.

You must be a licensed registered nurse and have completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree or a bachelor's degree in a closely related field to apply for this program.

You must be a licensed registered nurse and have completed a Master of Science in Nursing degree to apply for this program.

You must be a licensed registered nurse and have completed a Master of Science in Nursing degree or a master's degree in a healthcare related field.

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Overview: Online MHA - Public Health Track

Advantages
Curriculum
Tuition & Financial Aid
Admissions
Career Services
Placement Opportunities
LinkedIn Learning
Faculty

The MHA - Public Health Track Experience

Throughout this specialized track, you will:

Learn the fundamentals of healthcare management and leadership with preparation on how to face modern-day challenges of the healthcare industry
Fine-tune the focus of your MHA education with specialized courses in public health
Learn from highly experienced faculty members who are attentive, easily accessible, and invested in your success
Get all-around support with a Student Success advisor, a faculty mentor, no-cost tutors, a Career Services team, and more
Enjoy the flexibility of a 100% online curriculum with mobile-friendly content that can be easily accessed on the go
Access LinkedIn Learning at no cost, allowing you to learn new professional skills and earn certificates for your LinkedIn profile

Academic Calendar

New academic terms begin, on average, every eight weeks. Please speak with your advisor for any questions concerning the expected length of your program. You can review our Academic Calendar to see when each term begins and ends.

Hands-on Support from Our Career Services Team

As a WCU student or graduate, you will receive ongoing assistance with your career planning and job search efforts from our Career Services department.¹

Our career advisors will sit down with you to help plan your next steps for looking for and obtaining the right job, and they’ll provide valuable resources such as professional development workshops, access to career fairs, help lining up meetings with industry recruiters, and more. They’ll even send you job listings you are likely to be interested in.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to WCU Career Services if you need assistance.

Public Health Job Placement Opportunities

There are various types of roles that may be available to MHA – Public Health graduates, including roles such as health education specialist, community health worker, and health service managers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, work environments for these types of jobs may include:

Government facilities
Individual and family services
Hospitals (state, local, and private)
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations
Outpatient care centers
Offices of physicians
Nursing and residential care facilities², ³

No-Cost LinkedIn Learning Account for MHA Students

At WCU, we leverage LinkedIn Learning to help better equip our MHA students for the job market. In addition to the high-quality education, you will receive through your Master of Health Administration curriculum, you will also gain access to LinkedIn Learning’s extensive library of educational video content, which is created by industry professionals across various disciplines.

For every MHA core course you take, you will also sign up for a LinkedIn Learning module, which you will complete by the end of the term. The module will align with what you are learning in the MHA program, and you will earn a certificate of completion once you’re done.

You can upload that certificate to your LinkedIn profile, which can help you better appeal to prospective employers when you’re searching for a job.

Featured Faculty

Alexandra Auslander, PhD, MPH, MS

Assistant Professor, Master of Public Health Program

Dr. Alex Auslander

Dr. Alexandra Auslander is an Associate Professor for West Coast University’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program. Prior to joining WCU, Dr. Auslander was a lecturer for the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, as well as an adjunct professor for the Department of Physical Education at Fullerton College and Cypress College.

In addition to teaching public health courses at WCU, Dr. Auslander is working for a research team in community public health as a physical activity subject matter expert. Her team’s focus is on reducing the risk of chronic disease in underserved and vulnerable populations in Southern California. The project, which focuses on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, is being funded by a grant from the Surgeon General of California.

Dr. Auslander earned her PhD in health promotion with a concentration in public health from Claremont Graduate University, which is where she also earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) in with a focus on biostatistics and epidemiology. She additionally has a master’s degree in kinesiology from California Polytechnic University, Pomona and a bachelor’s degree in biology from San Francisco State University.

From 2015 to 2019, Dr. Auslander completed a Community and Global Health Fellowship at Claremont Graduate University. Her academic and professional honors include the 2015-2016 Cal Poly Pomona Intercollegiate Athletics Recognition of Appreciation, the 2016 Travel Award from Claremont Graduate University, and acceptance into the 2016 Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program from the California University Chancellor’s Office. Dr. Auslander has also been awarded grants, fellowships, contracts, and research opportunities from the 2016 Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.

With a passion for public health research, Dr. Auslander has had her work published in various health journals, and she has presented her research papers at the conventions of regional and national industry associations.

Dr. Auslander is married with two young children and a lab dog. She loves to cook, exercise, travel, and eat great food. One of her favorite sayings is “Cook with Love and Eat with Passion.”

FAQs

What can I expect to learn in the Master of Health Administration – Public Health track?

In the MHA - Public Health track, you will have the opportunity to complete all the core Master of Health Administration courses while also taking complementary courses designed to give you a strong foundation in public health. This track is ideal for students who have an interest in public health or who would like to work in this field.

Can I transfer past coursework and work experience into the MHA program?

WCU considers credit transfers for the MHA program, both for previous coursework and for things like professional certifications, licenses, trainings, and skills acquired through past work experience. View more information about prior learning assessment (PLA) credits and experiential credits in our WCU catalog.

You can work directly with your advisor to see which credits may be applied to your new degree, and to get more information on the transfer credit process.

Will I be able to complete my degree if I’m working?

Our online MHA program is perfect for working students as it gives them the flexibility to study when and where they want. While you will have weekly deadlines, you can watch lectures and complete their assignments on the days and times that work for you, which is ideal if you have a busy work schedule. As an online student, you can access everything you need remotely (your coursework, WCU library, no-cost tutoring, Student Success advisor, etc.).

How long does it take to complete the MHA-Public Health degree?

We offer three program paces for MHA students. You can complete your MHA degree in as little as 8 months at the Accelerated Plus pace,12 months at the Accelerated pace, or 20 months at the Working Professional pace. You may also be eligible to cut down the length of time in your program if you completed the Bachelor of Science in Health Administration (BSHA) bridge program at WCU, which means you have already completed some of your required graduate-level courses.

What’s the difference between WCU’s MHA – Public Health, MBA – Public Health, and MPH (Master of Public Health) programs?

Each of these graduate programs prepares students for careers in public health, but they differ in their curriculum.

The Master of Health Administration primarily teaches students how to become administrators in healthcare settings whereas the Master of Business Administration teaches students how to become leaders and administrators across various types of business settings. Both the MHA and MBA programs have a Public Health track that allows students to take courses focused on this this specialized field. Meanwhile, the curriculum for the Master of Public Health program is fully focused on public health education.

The MHA – Public Health track and MBA - Public Health track are ideal for students who want to broaden the scope of their knowledge to include business and administration practices.

Is financial aid available?

Financial aid and scholarships are available for those who qualify. A financial aid advisor from WCU can help you review the various types of aid that may be available to you, such as student loans, scholarships, grants, employer tuition reimbursement, and/or military tuition reductions.

A few of our online division scholarships and grants include the Alumni Pathway Grant (covering up to 20% of tuition), the WCU Health Services Grant (covering up to 10% of tuition), and the WCU Performance Scholarship (covering up to 15% of tuition). For more information about your options, visit our Tuition & Financial Aid page.