Program Overview

Introduction to the Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) Program

The Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) program is designed to facilitate mid-level and senior health care professionals’ clinical and/or administrative experiences into opportunities to teach, shape public policy, and lead complex organizations. Successful applicants must possess relevant master’s or post-baccalaureate professional degrees and significant practical experience in the field.

About the Program

The DHA program is a 66 credit-hour curriculum with new cohorts beginning each fall. Students with a Master of Health Administration (MHA) or any other relevant graduate degree may be permitted to transfer up to 24 credits towards the DHA degree. The program utilizes a hybrid format, combining online and in-person instruction. DHA students take a core curriculum focusing on advanced leadership in healthcare, professional development, finance for health administration, health systems operations, and applied quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Program Objectives

• The DHA program aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to excel in senior-level healthcare administration positions.
• The program focuses on applied research, emphasizing the solving of real-world problems or addressing issues of practical concern in healthcare administration.

Admissions

The DHA program is designed to allow ambitious mid-level and senior healthcare professionals to turn their clinical or administrative experiences into opportunities to teach, shape public policy, and lead complex organizations.

Requirements

Applicants are recommended to possess the following:

• At least three years of health care experience, utilizing a master’s or post-baccalaureate degree, is required. This may include clinical care, administration, management, or another health care-related field. Students from a wide variety of academic backgrounds may apply.
• A post-baccalaureate degree or master’s degree from an accredited institution.
• After initial screening, final candidates may be interviewed by the DHA Admissions Committee.

Application Checklist

Admission Checklist for the Doctorate in Health Administration (DHA) Program

• Application Fee
• DHA Application
• Personal Statement: Submit a personal statement (1000 words) outlining your career objectives and how the DHA degree will help you achieve them.
• Letters of Recommendation: Provide two letters of recommendation, preferably from academic or professional references familiar with your capabilities and achievements.
• Resume/Curriculum Vitae: Include a current resume or curriculum vitae detailing your work experience, educational background, and any relevant publications, presentations, or research activities.
• Official Transcripts: Provide official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended, including programs where a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or other post-baccalaureate degree was pursued or completed.
• International student applicants must provide TOEFL/IELTS/or Duolingo language test results. Test Scores, such as the GRE or GMAT are not required.

Application Process

The DHA Program has a rolling admissions process. Once all required application materials have been received, they are shared with the DHA Admissions Committee for review. Admissions decisions are generally available in 2-4 weeks after an application is complete. New cohorts begin each fall. Please, apply early to ensure space will be available in the next, incoming cohort and to allow time to properly prepare for enrollment.

Curriculum and Courses

Curriculum

The DHA requires a minimum of 66 credit hours organized as follows:

• 45 credit hours of didactic coursework
• 21 credit hours of Doctoral Project credit hours (minimum requirement)

Courses

The following courses are part of the DHA curriculum:

• 501:701 | Principles of Health Administration | 3
• 501:702 | Research Methods in Healthcare Administration | 3
• 501:703 | Finance for Health Administration | 3
• 501:704 | Health Systems Operations | 3
• 501:707 | Basic Quantitative Methods | 3
• 833:525 | Advanced Multivariate Methods | 3
• 501:705 | Leadership and Professional Development | 3
• 501:706 | Agility, Resiliency & Sustainability in Healthcare Delivery | 3
• 833:628 | Advanced Qualitative Methods | 3
• 501:708 | Advanced Scholarly Research for Health Administration | 3
• Electives Courses | 15
• Doctoral Project | 21
• Total Credit Hours | 66

Approved Elective Courses for the DHA program

• 501:510 Human Resources Policy and Practice in Health Care Management (3)
• 501:515 Financial Accounting for Managers (3)
• 501:520 Community Assessment for Healthcare Administration (3)
• 501:533 Lean 6 Sigma Green Belt (3)
• 501:554 Marketing for Health Care Organizations (3)
• 501:556 Health Care Ethics and Law (3)
• 501:565 Information Systems for Health Care (3)
• 501:512 Health Care Economics (3)
• 501:525 Artificial Intelligence Challenges in Healthcare Management (3)
• 501:530 Data Analytics in Health Care (3)
• 501:534 Lean 6 Sigma Black Belt (3)
• 501:540 Intro to Pharma, Biotech, and the Medical Technology Industry (3)
• 501:542 Long Term Care Management (3)
• 501:570 Financing Long Term Care (3)
• 501:572 Managing People and Organizations (3)
• 501:575 Understanding Health Care Payer Systems (3)
• 501:587 Seminar in Health Administration (Health Consulting) (3)
• 501:588 Corporate Compliance in Healthcare (3)

DHA Comprehensive Examination and Doctoral Project Requirements

The Comprehensive Examination is a pivotal milestone in the DHA program and integrates the student’s DHA project proposal and his/her knowledge of the core/methods coursework.

DHA Comprehensive Examination and Doctoral Project Committee

Each student is required to form a comprehensive examination and doctoral project committee consisting of at least three members.

• A minimum of three faculty members from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
• One faculty member will serve as the committee chair
• All committee members must hold a doctoral degree

Purpose of the Comprehensive Examination

The Comprehensive Exam assesses the doctoral student’s:

• Competence in health services research and administration course work
• Readiness to undertake independent research
• Integration of the DHA project proposal with core and methods coursework

Components of the Doctoral Project

The DHA project serves as a culmination of the student’s academic and professional expertise, bridging research with real-world applications in health administration.

1. DHA Project Proposal
2. Comprehensive Examination
3. Oral Examination (Proposal Defense)

Evaluation Criteria for the DHA Proposal

The DHA project should:

• Originality – Introduce new knowledge or innovative approaches in health administration.
• Quality – Demonstrate rigorous methodological planning and a strong theoretical foundation.
• Integration with Coursework – Effectively apply concepts and methods from core coursework.
• Feasibility – Ensure the research is achievable within the DHA students and program’s resources and timeframe.

Final DHA Project Defense

As students near completion of their DHA project, they must submit draft sections of their work to their doctoral project committee chair.

• Committee Review: Once approved by the committee chair, these sections should be submitted to other committee members.
• Feedback Process: Committee members will provide written comments on the drafts within a reasonable timeframe.
• Final Defense: After completing the DHA project, candidates must defend their work before the committee to demonstrate its validity, significance, and contribution to the field.

Final Approval & Graduation

Committee Approval – The doctoral project committee must approve the final DHA project before the candidate can be considered for graduation. Program Completion – Successful defense of the DHA project marks the completion of the DHA program and qualifies the candidate for their Doctor of Health Administration degree.

DHA Frequently Asked Questions

Applying to the Program

• Do I need a degree before I enter the DHA program?
  • Yes, a master’s or post-baccalaureate professional degree from a regionally accredited university is required for admission.
• Is the GRE or GMAT required for admission?
  • No, the GRE and GMAT tests are not required for admission to the DHA program.

About the Program

• How is the DHA degree different than a Ph.D.?
  • The DHA is an applied professional degree emphasizing the solving of real-world problems or addressing issues of practical concern. The Ph.D. is a research-oriented degree emphasizing the generation of new knowledge.
• Can I transfer credits?
  • Students with an MHA may be permitted to transfer up to 24 credits towards the DHA degree.
• How long is the program?
  • The program is designed to be completed in three years on a full-time basis, consisting of two years of coursework followed by a one-year doctoral project. However, some students may require additional time to complete their project. Part-time students will take longer, with the duration depending on the number of courses they enroll in each semester.

Doctoral Project

• How does a doctoral project differ from a Ph.D. dissertation?
  • Both the DHA doctoral project and Ph.D. dissertation are scholarly research endeavors designed to add to the evidence-base of a specific topic. The end goal for a Ph.D. dissertation is typically a three paper (or 5 chapter) written document, with a heavy theoretical component. The DHA doctoral project is geared towards an applied one paper (or 5 chapter) written document that examines a complex healthcare issue within the real-world healthcare setting and context.
• When do I begin the doctoral project?
  • We encourage students to begin exploring the doctoral project area at the start of the program, by choosing topics for course assignments that are related to their project interests.
• Do I get to pick my doctoral project topic?
  • Yes! We hope that students pick a topic that is relevant to their interests and career goals.
• How long does the doctoral project take?
  • A minimum of 2 semesters of doctoral project work is required for graduation. One year (2 semesters) of doctoral project work is considered on-time graduation for the DHA program.
• Who do I work with on my doctoral project?
  • Each doctoral project is led by a committee chair, who is a full-time faculty member in the Rutgers Health Administration program. In addition, you and your chair will identify 2 committee members. The committee members must have a terminal degree, and one must serve as a subject matter expert.