Master’s degrees: Key differences between the MHLP and the MHA

If the time is right to pursue a master’s degree in the health care management, you have a lot of options to choose from, and it can be hard to determine which degree is best for you.

You may be wondering what the difference is between a Master of Health Administration (MHA) and the UBC Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP).

As described below, the main differences between an MHA and the MHLP have to do with duration, content and prerequisites. Let’s look at each degree on its own.

Master of Health Administration (MHA)

Duration

MHAs can vary in length. The program offered at UBC is a two-year full-time program with a September intake and with a weekend modular format. Other universities in Canada offer 16-month full-time programs.

Content

An MHA generally covers the theoretical and practical skills associated with managing or leading a team in health care. At UBC, courses are taught by professors from the School of Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and professors from the Sauder School of Business. 

The program supports students to develop competencies across the domains of transformation, execution and people.

Courses cover a wide range of topics, including accounting, finance, economics, policy, organizational behaviour, priority setting, operations and logistics, statistics, information technology, program planning and evaluation, social determinants of health, quality of care, leadership, strategic management, law, ethics, Indigenous health and epidemiology.

Prerequisites

Many MHA programs involve considerable quantitative analysis and therefore require you to complete the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or have completed a university-level statistics course.

Research project

At UBC, MHA students complete an in-depth supervised research project to investigate a specific area of practice, working one-on-one with a faculty member. Other MHA programs in Canada require students to complete a residency or practicum where they are paired with a health executive to work on a defined project.

Fees

Fees vary depending on the institution, whether you are a domestic or international student, and the type of program you pursue. View UBC’s fees for the MHA.

Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP)

Duration

The MHLP is a one-year full-time program that starts in January and ends in December. Classes are held in person, usually over two full days each week, enabling some flexibility for those who wish to work on a casual basis while doing the full-time program.

Content

The MHLP is an interdisciplinary degree. This means that 60 per cent of your coursework will focus on topics specific to clinical education within health care. You’ll be taught by professors from the School of Nursing in the Faculty of Applied Science, and the curriculum is grounded in specific health-care industry challenges. Health-care focused courses include foundations of clinical education, curriculum development, research and evidence-based practice, clinical nursing education, leadership and policy.

The remaining 40 per cent of your courses are taught by professors from the Robert H. Lee Graduate School in the Sauder School of Business. These courses provide an overview of some of the business concepts covered in an MBA, including leadership, project management, sustainability, data visualization, accounting, human resources, information technology and more.

Prerequisites

The MHLP does not require you to complete the GRE or a statistics course for admission.

Practicum

MHLP students complete a four-month practicum, where they work in a clinical education setting with an industry partner on a specific project or deliverable.

Fees

Fees vary depending on the institution, whether you are a domestic or international student, and the type of program you pursue. View UBC’s fees for the MHLP.

Making the choice that’s best for you

A graduate degree can be a great choice if you’re looking to gain new skills to advance into a leadership position or take your career in a new direction. For some students, an MHA is a path to a rewarding job. For others, the MHLP is a strategic choice for moving into leadership positions in health care.

“Deciding to shift gears by going back to school is a significant undertaking,” says Justin Bull, Academic Director of the UBC Master of Health Leadership and Policy and professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business. 

“The students that join us to pursue the MHLP know deep down that they can do more for themselves, their communities and the world – and that this specific degree from UBC can be an accelerator for that process to happen.”