<p>I am trying to decide which degree would offer the better employment opportunity. Also, what jobs are available if you get a MHA. Has anyone ever known someone who completed a MHA in less than 2 years?</p>
<p>At my school, an MPH in health policy and management takes three semesters.</p>
<p>I am in public health and I think that an MPH in health policy in management is probably the slightly better degree. The MPH has a wider range of recognition (you’ll see lots of openings for “an MPH or a related degree,” but not an MHA, although most of those jobs would take someone with an MHA). Also, just given the course content, MHAs concentrate mainly on health administration as a business - it’s kind of like an MBA for health professionals. MPHs focusing in health policy and management are going to give you the business side (financing, economics) but also teach you the policy side AND give you a formal grounding in the tenets of public health (what causes ill health, social determinants of health, environmental health, basic epidemiology, what makes the patients of a community clinic different from those at an affluent hospital, health behavior models, etc.) I am biased because I am in public health, but I think those are important and currently in-demand skills that health care managers and administrators want to know.</p>
<p>But, I think that the difference is likely small - especially if you go to a top MHA program, they’re not going to care about the letters but what they know about the program’s content. Also consider looking at an MPA from a school that has a strong health concentration.</p>
<p>Thanks very much. It was quite confusing and your answer made it a bit clearer.</p>