Health Management Degrees Available from Columbia University
Columbia University appears in our ranking of the Top 35 Schools for a Graduate Degree in Public Health.
Though Columbia University does not offer any health management programs for undergrads, it offers several of these programs for graduate students. Those programs are all available from its Mailman School of Public Health. Its Master of Health Administration is one of the more popular options for students because they can complete their studies in three ways. They can choose between full-time and part-time programs and sign up for an option designed for executives. Part-time students take four semesters of classes, executives take six semesters of courses and full-time students do four semesters of work and a practicum in a fifth semester.
While the programs differ in terms of length, each one includes the same classes. Students will take 45.5 credits that include both core courses and specialized classes. Columbia offers courses such as Cases in Hospital Management, Human Resources Management, Health Economics and Issues and Approaches in HPM. Students who do a practicum have the option of working for hospitals within the Columbia University system or in other types of facilities.
The university’s Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) is available as a part-time, full-time or executive program. Students will take an orientation course before the program starts and do at least one practicum. They will also take courses that include Professional Development, Advanced Healthcare Finance, Critical Issues in Hospital Management and Health Information Marketing. There is an Executive Master’s in Health Management degree program open to those with relevant experience too.
Students should know which program they want to study before applying because this will determine how many classes they take each semester and when they take those classes. The part-time program allows students to take a maximum of two classes each semester and features classes that meet two to three times at night each week. Students in the full-time program can take up to five classes each semester through a combination of evening and daytime courses. Columbia expects executives to spend one weekend each month on the campus as they take up to three classes each semester.
Columbia also offers a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy and Management. This program focuses more on the policies that healthcare facilities use and how managers implement and use those policies. Students in the MPH and any other program can earn a certificate in one of 16 different fields too. Those fields include sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, environmental health policy, climate and health, and injury prevention and control.
About Columbia University
Columbia University is one of just a few colleges known as Ivy League schools for the opportunities they offer students. It is the second most selective of those colleges and has an acceptance rate of below 6% for undergrads. Some of its graduate programs have an even lower acceptance rate. Established in 1754 as King’s College, it also ranks as one of the nation’s oldest university campuses. It used this name until becoming Columbia College in 1784 and then Columbia University in 1896. Some of the top names in the business, entertainment, and political worlds graduated from the university.
This private university has a campus in Manhattan that features a combination of historic structures and modern buildings. That campus served as a shooting location for many different films and television shows. ARWU, Times and U.S. News and World Report all rank Columbia as one of the top 10 colleges in the US and within the top 15 of all colleges in the world. Columbia University has an enrollment of just over 28,000 students seeking full degrees.
Columbia University Accreditation Details
The most important accreditation that Columbia University has is the one that comes from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). This is what allows the university to design its own degree programs and grant degrees to its students. As MSCHE offers regional accreditation, the university can also design and hand out financial aid packages and accept students transferring from another school. Columbia also has accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
Columbia University Application Requirements
Some of the health management and administration programs offered by Columbia will only accept students who have some experience. Those applying to the part-time health administration program must have at least one year of relevant experience, while those applying to the executive version of this program should have at least seven years of healthcare experience. The university encourages prospective students to look at all the programs available and to select which degrees and certificates they want to earn once they enroll.
The university has a preferred deadline of December 1 for graduate students hoping to start in the fall. It will continue accepting applications up through January 1 if there is space left in the program. Students must create accounts and submit their applications through either the Health Administration, Management and Policy CAS or the Schools of Public Health Application Service website. They will then have three references submit online recommendation letters for them, which must come from professional email accounts. Columbia requires a resume, writing sample, transcripts, and a GRE score, though it will occasionally waive this requirement. Students will also write and submit a statement of purpose of up to 500 words.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Any student enrolled in a graduate program at Columbia University will pay $48,432 each year. The university uses a points system that assigns each course or credit a certain number of points and charges a price based on the number of points taken in a semester. Students will also pay fees and are responsible for purchasing health insurance coverage from the university if they do not have coverage. The total cost of attending the university can reach more than $80,000 a year.
Columbia University offers financial aid for these students though that includes institutional aid in the form of scholarships and fellowships. Most scholarships have requirements such as being from a specific state or majoring in a certain area, but they can provide students with $1,000 or more every year. The university’s fellowships have similar requirements. Students can submit applications for any of these programs and view the requirements online. Those who use the FAFSA can borrow federal student loans. Columbia University also allows health administration and management majors to use alternative student loans.