
AHU and聽 are partnering to offer an innovative, dual-degree, online program leading students to both Master of Healthcare Administration in Strategy and Innovation (MHA-SI) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees. This program is designed to be completed in as little as two years with a total of 54 credit hours, split between the two universities, with AHU conferring the MHA-SI, while Stetson confers the MBA.
The dual degree combines the best of business and healthcare administration skillsets, giving graduates an advantage over their peers in both sectors. Students with this degree can expect a wide range of job opportunities upon graduation.
Daryl Tol, CEO of AdventHealth鈥檚 Central Florida Division, said, 鈥淭he preferred degree for healthcare leadership is usually a graduate degree like the MHA or an MBA. Students at AHU can now earn both in less time and for lower cost than taking them separately. AHU and Stetson crafted the new MHA/MBA dual degree to provide the best-in-class business education for aspiring healthcare leaders.鈥
鈥淚 am thrilled with the ways AHU and Stetson faculty worked together, to bring the strengths of both institutions into an original program specifically designed with busy, working professionals in mind,鈥 said Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., Stetson University President.
The coursework is 100% online for both institutions, removing barriers to access for candidates across the nation. Additionally, the online format will allow students to maintain employment and their daily life schedule while advancing their education.
鈥淓ngaging in our Healthcare Administration education online marries the interdisciplinary strength of this degree with the opportunity for students to network and develop professional relationships from a distance 鈥 a skill needed in today鈥檚 digital age,鈥 said Dr. Benita David, Healthcare Administration Department Chair at AHU.
鈥淭his program represents a high level of pedagogical collaboration between two outstanding institutions,鈥 said Noel Painter, Ph.D., EVP and Provost at Stetson University. 鈥淚t brings together a shared understanding of the needs of today鈥檚 students in a competitive environment with the distinctive points of academic excellence within both AHU and Stetson.鈥
In December 2018, the two institutions signed an agreement to provide 鈥減athways鈥 for Stetson University health and science students into the AHU Master of Occupational Therapy and Doctor of Physical Therapy programs beginning this fall.
鈥満诹仙缜 has been an invaluable partner as we have worked through the question of 鈥減athways鈥 for students in both institutions,鈥 said Painter. 鈥淲e continue to discuss ways to provide paths for AHU students into our graduate programs and Stetson students into AHU鈥檚 undergraduate health science degrees.鈥