A number of students have asked us to explain the differences between the MHA and MBA degree. As a result, we have compiled the following explanation to help people with their career planning.

Primary Difference
The primary difference between an MHA and an MBA program is that the MHA curriculum generally has more health policy and healthcare-related classes. For example, at UNC-Chapel Hill, the MHA curriculum includes epidemiology, environmental health, health behavior, health law and health systems in addition to classes in finance, strategic management and operations research.

In our view, this is no small matter. Healthcare in the 21st Century is a complex array of government regulations, accreditation requirements, coding and billing expectations of third-party payors, multi-disciplinary care coordination and a variety of other issues, including the political and social framework surrounding this industry. As a result, the learning curve can be steep without a solid grounding or understanding of the industry. That’s not to say a person with an MBA can’t learn the intricacies of healthcare. However, in a competitive environment for top jobs, employers often want people who can hit the job running.

Health Policy
Another component in typical MHA programs that is often lacking in the traditional MBA program is the emphasis on health policy. Because healthcare in the United States (and the world for that matter) is so intertwined in governmental policies and regulations, knowing both the historical context and the current landscape of policy is valuable knowledge for anybody in healthcare today. MHA programs are often very good at exploring healthcare from multiple perspectives, especially as it relates to policy and politics. Leaders in healthcare must know that landscape in order to successfully manage and lead their organizations.

Peer Learning
One last difference – peers in an MHA program typically already have experience in healthcare in a variety of different settings. For example, it’s not uncommon for physicians, nurses, directors, and managers of healthcare operations to be among the students within an MHA cohort (see our complete list of titles here). This “cross-fertilization” greatly enhances a student’s knowledge and perspective of healthcare as everybody learns from one another. Obviously, a typical MBA program won’t have that same student makeup.