Admissions

Review admissions requirements for the MHA program.

MHA students in class

The Master of Health Administration (MHA) program accepts students each year for course commencement in the fall. Applications will be accepted until July 1 of each year or until the incoming class is full (25 students per cohort). Check with the Program Director regarding openings if applying past the deadline.

As you prepare your application package, please keep the following in mind. The application process for this graduate program is competitive. Increasingly, the number of qualified applications received exceeds the number of students able to be accepted into the program because of the significant amount of time faculty members spend on the education and development of each graduate student. As such, we must make difficult admissions decisions each year that result in qualified applicants not being accepted into the program.

During the application process, applicants will declare whether they want to pursue the entire program in our hybrid online synchronous program or our residential on-campus program. The format you choose does not affect the admission decision. The hybrid program is only open to students residing in the United States since there is an in-person, on-campus requirement for which students must travel to San Antonio, Texas, three times throughout the 21-month program.

Admission to the MHA program (Tier I) will be based on the following criteria:

  1. Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5.
  2. A complete application package, including all required items listed below, submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
    • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work
    • A statement of purpose explaining why the applicant desires to pursue an MHA and why at UIW*
    • One letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation should be from an individual who knows the applicant quite well, preferably from a workplace supervisor.*
  3. Interview. Once the completed application package is received from the Office of Graduate Admissions, it will be evaluated by the program's Admissions Committee. Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in an interview and evaluation conducted by at least two members of the MHA admissions committee. Please note, while an interview is required for admission, it does not guarantee admission into the program.
  4. Applicants who are accepted into the MHA program will be required to complete a background check prior to the start of classes. Additional information will be provided in the acceptance letter.
  5. International students must obtain Certification of English proficiency in order to be accepted into the program. Click here to see the latest proficiency testing guidelines for graduate students.

*Applicants may also submit the letter(s) of recommendation and the statement of purpose directly to MHA Program Director, Dr. Chris Nesser, via email at decima.nesser@uiwtx.edu.

Alternate admission to the MHA program (Tier II) will be based on the following criteria:

  1. Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.8 but less than 3.5.
  2. A complete application package, including all required items listed below, submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
    • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work
    • A statement of purpose explaining why the applicant desires to pursue an MHA and why at UIW*
    • One letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation should be from an individual who knows the applicant quite well, preferably from a workplace supervisor.*
  3. Interview. Once the completed application package is received from the Office of Graduate Admissions it will be evaluated by the program’s Admissions Committee. Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in an interview and evaluation conducted by at least two members of the MHA admissions committee. Please note, while an interview is required for admission, it does not guarantee admission into the program.
  4. Applicants who are accepted into the MHA program will be required to complete a background check prior to the start of classes. Additional information will be provided in the acceptance letter.
  5. International students must obtain Certification of English proficiency in order to be accepted into the program. Click here to see the latest proficiency testing guidelines for graduate students.

Those granted Alternate Admission will be assigned to Tier II with specific core courses to be taken at the beginning of the program all of which must be completed with a grade of "B" or better.

*Applicants may submit a letter(s) of recommendation and a letter of intent directly to MHA Director Dr. Chris Nesser via email at decima.nesser@uiwtx.edu.

Probationary Admission to the MHA program (Tier III) will be based on the following criteria:

  1. Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5 but less than 2.8
  2. A complete application package, including all required items listed below, submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
    • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work
    • A statement of purpose explaining why the applicant desires to pursue an MHA and why at UIW*
    • One letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation should be from an individual who knows the applicant quite well, preferably from a workplace supervisor.*
    • Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test. A minimum verbal score of 151, a minimum quantitative score of 150, and an analytical writing score of at least 4.0. OR a 560 or higher on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT).
  3. Interview. Once the completed application package is received from the Graduate Admissions Office it will be evaluated by the program’s Admissions Committee. Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in an interview and evaluation conducted by at least two members of the MHA admissions committee. Please note, while an interview is required for admission, it does not guarantee admission into the program.
  4. Applicants who are accepted into the MHA program will be required to complete a background check prior to the start of classes. Additional information will be provided in the acceptance letter.
  5. International students must obtain Certification of English proficiency in order to be accepted into the program. Click here to see the latest proficiency testing guidelines for graduate students.

Those granted Alternate Admission will be assigned to Tier III with specific core courses to be taken at the beginning of the program all of which must be completed with a grade of "B" or better.

*Applicants may submit a letter(s) of recommendation and a letter of intent directly to MHA Director Dr. Chris Nesser via email at decima.nesser@uiwtx.edu.