Executive Doctorate of Health Administration
Academic Director: Jeffrey Helton
Operations Director: Roger Japp
E-mail: emba-health@ucdenver.edu
Telephone: 303-315-8015
Website: https://business.ucdenver.edu/mba/executive-mba-health-administration
Introduction
The Executive Doctorate in Health Administration is the only Doctoral degree in Health Administration offered in the Rocky Mountain Region. The program includes a fast-paced curriculum with flexibility that matches today's business world. Our program teaches healthcare leaders the business of healthcare, through a dynamic 100% healthcare focused curriculum. Classes are delivered in a hybrid format, which provides valuable interactions with faculty and classmates when in person, but still allows for the flexibility needed for professionals working full-time with an asynchronous online component.
The program consists of didactic courses offered in eight-week terms, a dissertation time period and a 7-10 night international course abroad. Depending on the term, you should expect approximately 15 hours a week as an estimate for homework, studying, and group projects when working in the online environment. These numbers are estimates only and may vary for each student.
The program is designed so your entire core curriculum will be taken with your cohort. This structure allows you to build lasting relationships with your peers through teamwork and group projects and presentations. Once you then pass your qualifying examination you will be assigned a faculty advisor for your dissertation work. Your dissertation should take approximately 12-18 months in order to propose, defend, research and present. The entirety of our program should be complete in approximately 36 months.
Admission and Application Process
The admissions committee considers each candidate's entire record of achievement demonstrated through academic transcripts, essays, required letters of recommendation, work experience and/or extracurricular and community activities. Admission interviews are by invitation only and are conducted via Zoom with the faculty admissions committee.
Previous Education
Applicants' complete academic records, including GPAs and previous course work, are considered. Undergraduate degrees do not have to be in business, but they must be from regionally accredited colleges or universities. Students are required to hold a masters degree and it should be in healthcare business.
Testing
International applicants whose first language is not English must take the TOEFL or IELTS exam and earn a minimum score 90 (IBT) or 575 (PBT) TOEFL or 6.5 IELTS to be considered for admission to the Executive MBA in Health Administration Program. Information on taking the TOEFL or IELTS can be obtained by visiting www.ets.org and www.ielts.org.
Work Experience
The admissions committee requires a minimum of 5 years of work experience to apply. Most all of our students have experience working in the healthcare sector, but your work experience can be varied.
Applications
The following are required for consideration of admission to the program.
- Online application for graduate admission
- Two (2) letters of recommendation from professional or academic acquaintances who are familiar with the applicant's academic/professional competence
- Official transcripts from each school, college or university previously attended past high school, sent directly to the Business School admissions office. A minimum baccalaureate degree is required
- A personal statement reflecting on why you desire to get your DHA, how you see your DHA assisting your career goals, and how you see yourself moving up in your career progression. This personal statement should be 2-3 pages, typed.
- A resumé or CV outlining work experience
- For international students, a minimum official score of 90 (IBT) or 575 (PBT) TOEFL (TOEFL school code: 4875) or 6.5 IELTS is required to apply - test scores are valid for two years after test date
- If invited, a personal interview (via Zoom)
The Executive Doctorate in Health Administration uses a rolling admission system. The committee reviews applications when they are complete in all respects, including transcripts, personal statements and letters of recommendation.
Space in each cohort is limited, so we urge you to apply as early as possible. Applications open in September for the following fall start. The admission rounds provide timing guidance for you, but the program operates on rolling admissions, meaning completed applications are reviewed as they are received.
- Early Bird: February 15
- Priority Deadline: April 15
- Final International Student Deadline: May 15
- Final Domestic Student Deadline: June 15
All of the required admission materials should be sent to:
University of Colorado Denver
The Business School
Graduate Admissions
Campus Box 165, P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80127-3364
For further information, contact the Executive DHA in Health Administration Program at: emba-health@ucdenver.edu.
Financial Aid/Scholarships
General financial aid is available for qualified domestic students. Students should apply directly through the CU Denver Office of Financial Aid.
CU Denver also has an online portal for internal and external scholarships available to admitted CU Denver students. If admitted to the program, you will be able to access this database of scholarships.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| XDHA 8010 | Healthcare Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| XDHA 8020 | Advanced Financial Management of Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| XDHA 8040 | Healthcare Law, Regulations and Ethics | 3 |
| XDHA 8050 | Economic Evaluation of Healthcare Systems | 3 |
| XDHA 8098 | Topics in Health Administration | 3 |
| XDHA 8099 | Advanced Topics in Health Administration | 3 |
| XDHA 8110 | Fundamentals of Applied Research | 3 |
| XDHA 8120 | Applied Healthcare Management Research | 3 |
| XDHA 8130 | Managing Healthcare Data and Information | 3 |
| XDHA 8210 | Managerial Epidemiology | 3 |
| XDHA 8220 | Population Health Management | 3 |
| XDHA 8230 | Quality Process in Health Administration | 3 |
| XDHA 8310 | Advanced Healthcare Leadership Skills Pt I | 3 |
| XDHA 8320 | Advanced Health Care Leadership Skills Pt II | 3 |
| XDHA 8410 | Advanced Global Healthcare Systems | 3 |
| XDHA 8910 | Doctoral Project Proposal | 9 |
| XDHA 8920 | Doctoral Dissertation Research | 9 |
| Total Hours | 63 | |
Upon successful completion of their studies, students of the Doctor of Health Administration Program will have demonstrated mastery of healthcare management from a strategic, governance, and policy perspective. These outcomes are broadly defined in the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (“NCHL”) competency model at the highest level in each competency domain. Graduates will further be able to achieve the following specific competencies:
- Create, guide, and lead diverse multidisciplinary healthcare teams
- Summarize broad strategic challenges into concise talking points usable to influence governing boards, staff, community leaders, and regulators
- Understand basic disease processes and community health strategies to improve community health to craft effective and financially sustainable population health strategies
- Demonstrates advanced knowledge of healthcare business principles including:
- Financing of healthcare systems
- Analysis of economic markets from macro and micro perspectives
- Data-driven design of health care delivery systems that provide care efficiently to address documented community needs
- Evaluate ethical dilemmas of healthcare management
- Demonstrate the ability to produce professional research of peer-reviewed quality that informs and leads the practice of health care management.