Choose Master of Health Administration at LaTrobe
Fast track your career in senior health management with the Master of Health Administration.
As you get started, you'll take an in-depth look at the Australian health system and get a solid grounding in the challenges of the field. You'll learn about financial management and people management, industrial relations, organizational leadership and system leadership.
In your final year, you'll integrate your skills and knowledge. A research or workplace project in health management, public health, health promotion or health policy will form a major part of your final-year studies. This project will see you gaining practical experience through applying analytical and problem-solving strategies to real-world healthcare and public health problems.For many students, this project leads to their promotion or next job.
Drawing from their expertise, our academics will impart the knowledge needed for you to become a leader in the public and private health sectors, in areas such as project management, quality management and the management of particular health professions.
The diverse range of electives allows you to further explore health economics and finance, health law and ethics, and process redesign.
The course is based at the Melbourne city campus and has a flexible subject timetable, so you can balance study with other commitments. We offer evening, block and online study modes so you can choose when and how you study.
Our teaching staff has clinical qualifications in medicine and physiotherapy. They have experience in health management and are leaders in health administration research. They've worked in senior healthcare management roles in Australia and overseas, with organizations such as the Toronto Hospital (Canada), Inner and Eastern Healthcare Network (Melbourne) and PwC (formerly Pricewaterhouse Coopers) making them the perfect people to advance your career into senior health management roles. You’ll also hear from leaders of industry in our guest speaker program.
Career opportunities
As a Masters graduate, you’ll be well placed to provide outstanding leadership in the health industry. This course has been designed by experts in the field specifically to advance your career in healthcare management. It’ll prepare you for a wide range of senior management roles in the public and private sectors.
Our graduates are succeeding in prominent healthcare organizations including:
- Cancer Council Victoria
- Northern Health
- Western Health
- Cabrini Health
- Australian Red Cross Blood Service
- Beijing Cancer Hospital.
Graduates have taken on roles such as:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Executive Director Clinical Services
- Company Director
- Manager of Quality and Safety
- Manager of Subacute Services
- Director of Nursing.
Studying health administration also opens up opportunities for work in related industries, such as health policy and research, government community development and sports and fitness.
Course description
The Master of Health Administration is an applied course which aims to produce graduates with practical expertise in the leadership and management of projects, health agencies, services, and programs.
Graduates are well equipped to succeed in general management roles, or alternatively to develop as specialists in areas such as quality management, project management or management of particular health professions. The course does not require the completion of a research thesis but assists students to develop their skills through a major action learning subject. Students design and conduct projects in the workplace and prepare an article for publication.
This approach develops both practical management and analytical skills, while also requiring knowledge of the relevant literature and important theoretical concepts, through a structured and collaborative educational process.
The course is offered on a part-time (commencing in either semester) or full-time basis (commencing the second semester only). The program timetable is designed to accommodate working students and offers a combination of evening, block, and online modes. Full-time students are required to start their study in the second semester.
Course intended learning outcomes
Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs) are brief statements defining what students are expected to demonstrate they know and can do by the end of a course.
- Apply research principles and practices to critically appraise the health management body of knowledge and apply to managerial and leadership practice.
- Synthesise information on population needs, health care delivery systems, funding and financing arrangements and government policy to create, revise, implement and evaluate evidence-based strategies that enhance population health and maximize organizational potential.
- Apply project management tools and techniques underpinned by contemporary theoretical models to cultivate change.
- Evaluate and synthesize the impact of the health system and health organisation resource allocation decisions and apply to future resource allocation decisions.
- Identify and assemble relevant data to analyse performance to improve the operations of a healthcare system or organisation to enhance patient care and population health outcomes.
- Develop and apply ethical evidence-based leadership skills directed to individuals and teams across diverse organizational environments.
- Effectively communicate ideas and information to different audiences and diverse settings. Apply critical reflective practice that adapts responsively to the needs of different contexts and stakeholder groups.