Health Administration, DHA

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Doctor of Health Administration

Description of Program

Under the framework of interprofessional education, the Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) program will provide a high-quality educational experience that prepares students for success in mid-career and senior level executive positions in the healthcare industry. The program will present essential competencies and learning experiences to enable and prepare graduates to lead and effect change in complex and diverse healthcare organizations.

Click here for potential career opportunities within the DHA.

**Note: Program availability may vary by state - please contact the Enrollment Office for more information**

Learning Outcomes

Assess community needs through research, collaboration, and relationship building
Recommend ethically sound policies that promote accountability and professionalism
Facilitate change by leveraging technology and human capital within the healthcare industry
Develop health related organizations by using data to inform strategy and address industry problems
Construct and cultivate financial structures to ensure organizational viability

Basis for Admissions

In order to enter in the Doctor of Health Administration applicants must have a conferred master’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited academic institution with minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. To be considered for admission to the DHA program, applications require:

Completion of the application for admission
Curriculum vitae or résumé
Demonstration of at least 3 years of work-related experience in mid-level or higher healthcare management or health-related positions

EXCEPTION: Applicants without requisite healthcare experience/education may seek conditional admission from the School Dean.

Degree Requirements

The DHA degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours at the graduate level beyond the master’s degree.

The University may accept a maximum of 12 semester credit hours in transfer toward the doctoral degree for graduate coursework completed at an accredited college or university while enrolled in a doctoral program with a grade of “B” or better.

The DHA degree program have the following graduation requirements:

A minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate instruction must be completed through NCU
Grade Point Average of 3.0 (letter grade of “B”) or higher
University approval of dissertation project and successful completion of the dissertation defense
Submission of the approved project to the University Registrar, including the original unbound dissertation manuscript and an electronic copy
Official documents on file for basis of admission: a conferred master’s degree from an accredited academic institution
Official transcripts on file for all transfer credit hours accepted by the University
All financial obligations must be met before the student will be issued their complimentary diploma and/or degree posted transcript
Students are required to own or otherwise have access to a computer/laptop equipped with a webcam, a microphone, and a high-speed Internet connection in order to complete course assignments throughout their program

Time to Completion

NCU allows 7 years to complete all doctoral programs of 60 credits or less.

The median time to completion for this program is 49 months.

Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses and the number of transfer credits accepted. As most NCU students are working adults, balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our academic and finance advisors will work with you to develop a program schedule that works best for your needs.

Students following the preferred schedule designed by the Dean for this program, and applying no transfer credits, can expect to finish in as little as 44 months.

Doctoral Student Experience (DSE): An Applied Dissertation Process

Faculty assists each NCU Doctoral student to reach this high academic goal through a systematic process leading to a high-quality, completed applied project. The applied dissertation is a scholarly documentation of the completed project, which uses current knowledge to solve a real-world problem. This process requires care in choosing a project topic, documenting its importance, planning the methodology, and connecting the importance of the project to the field. These activities lead smoothly into writing the applied dissertation and presenting the defense of the project.

A doctoral candidate must be continuously enrolled throughout the series of dissertation courses as they work on their applied project. These courses are automatically scheduled and accepted without a break in scheduling to ensure that students remain in continuous enrollment throughout the course sequence. If additional time is required to complete any of the courses, students must enroll in supplemental courses and pay the tuition for those courses. Continuous enrollment will only be permitted when students demonstrate progress toward completing the requirements of the applied doctoral project. The Project Committee determines progress.

Course Sequence

This program can be completed with a minimum of 60 credit hours, but may require additional credit hours, depending on the time required to complete the applied doctoral project. If needed, additional courses will be added to the student degree program in alignment with the SAP and Academic Maximum Time to Completion policies. Students who do not complete their program in accordance with these policies may be dismissed.

Recommended Elective Courses - 6 credit hours

The Doctor of Health Administration program allows students to select electives from a broad range of courses to fit their personal and professional goals. Electives have been agreed upon by the Deans of the Schools of Business, Education, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Technology. A complete listing of the approved electives can be located through the following resources: the DHA Program Handbook, the SHS Health Administration Forum of The Commons, or by contacting the School of Health Sciences Academic and Financial Advisor(s).

Students must complete a minimum of 6 credit hours (2 elective courses) for the program.