Overview
Programs of Study
The Department of Public and Healthcare Administration (DPHA) offers the Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) graduate degree program. The program is delivered in both on-campus or online formats. Each program requires 42 credits and both are tailored to the working adult student. On-campus M.H.A classes are offered in the late afternoons and evenings, on Saturday mornings, and in four-day compressed courses available over two weekends. The online M.H.A. program requires three on-campus residencies with the remaining courses being taught online. Courses are offered year-round, including during three separate summer sessions. While the curriculum is the same for the on-campus and online M.H.A., students must choose which program they wish to attend at the time of application. Upon completion of the M.H.A. degree, students accept positions in a variety of health-care institutions, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and other health-care-related organizations.
The M.H.A. curriculum is unique to the health-care field and requires in-depth courses on a wide range of topics--from health-care finance and management to emergency management and preparation. Generally, health-care students who are committed to working for health-care providers (hospitals, long-term-care facilities, physician practices, and ambulatory-care facilities) enroll in the M.H.A. degree program. The M.H.A. program has been recognized as one of the twenty largest in the country and is pursuing accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
The Department also offers the 39-credit Master of Public Administration degree program with concentrations in health policy and management, nonprofit organization management, and public service leadership, as well as 15-credit certificate programs in health-care administration and nonprofit management. Students completing any of the certificate programs may elect to apply the credits toward either the M.P.A. or M.H.A. degrees if they wish to continue their education. More details are available at http://www.shu.edu/academics/artsci/public-healthcare-administration/index.cfm.
Research Facilities
The Seton Center for Community Health provides opportunities for M.H.A. students to experience real-word situations through community engagement. Students are given opportunities to participate in research projects and gain hands-on management experience through a number of academic and technical assistance programs.
The Walsh Library, a state-of-the-art 155,000-square-foot building, houses 500,000 titles, 1,875 current periodicals, and an extensive collection of microform and other nonprint items that include videotapes, CD-ROM music, and other electronic media. Fahy Hall has twenty-eight classrooms, two TV studios, a Macintosh and IBM graphics lab, two classroom amphitheaters, and language and statistics labs. The recently renovated McNulty Hall has well-equipped science labs. Completed in 1997, Jubilee Hall, a six-story facility with 126,000 square feet of academic space, features high-tech classrooms with computer and multimedia capabilities and the Center for Securities Trading and Analysis, commonly referred to as the Trading Room.
Financial Aid
A limited number of competitive graduate assistantships are available within the DPHA and throughout the University. These positions cover tuition costs and provide a modest stipend in exchange for half-time work (20 hours per week) during the academic year. Students interested in a graduate assistant position should complete an online application at http://www.shu.edu/applying/graduate/grad-finaid.cfm or contact the DPHA for additional information. Students interested in other financial aid options should visit the University's financial aid Web site, also at http://www.shu.edu/applying/graduate/grad-finaid.cfm.
In addition, through an arrangement with the VA New Jersey Health Care system, the Department offers the Healthcare Administration Residency Program, a two-year residency that provides students whose interests or career objectives are in health-care administration the opportunity for study supplemented by work experiences in health-care administration. Interested applicants accepted into the M.H.A. program are referred to the VA for an interview. Those who are selected by the Department and the VA work 20 hours per week for the VA Hospital, two blocks from campus, and receive support in the form of a stipend plus tuition reimbursement.
Cost of Study
In 2009-10, tuition is $901 per credit. Full-time students pay $305 per semester in University and technology fees; part-time students pay $185.
Living and Housing Costs
Housing and living costs in South Orange and surrounding towns are comparable to most suburban cities, with studio and one-bedroom apartments renting for $750 to $1000 per month.
Student Group
Typical M.H.A. students have some work experience, although the program does accept students straight from undergraduate programs.
The DPHA also sponsors a student chapter of Upsilon Phi Delta, the honor society for health-care administrators and a student chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
Location
Seton Hall is located on 58 acres in the village of South Orange, New Jersey, a suburban residential area 14 miles southwest of New York City. The town center is a 10-minute walk from the campus and features bookstores, coffee shops, and restaurants. The heart of midtown Manhattan is about 30 minutes away by train; students can take advantage of everything this exciting city has to offer while still living in a suburban area.
The University and The Department
Founded in 1856, Seton Hall is a private coeducational Catholic institution--the nation's oldest diocesan institution of higher education in the United States. With a total enrollment of about 10,000, including approximately 4,500 graduate students, the University comprises nine colleges and schools. Seton Hall is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The University has offered the M.P.A. degree since 1980, six years before the establishment of the Center for Public Service and thirteen years before the Department of Public Administration came into existence. The Center for Public Service was established in 1986 to house the M.P.A. program, conduct applied public policy research, and initiate training programs for the public and nonprofit sectors. In 1993, the Department of Public Administration was formed, and, five years later, the Center for Public Service and Department of Public Administration began offering the M.H.A. degree. To show the added emphasis on health care, the Department later changed its name to the Department of Public and Healthcare Administration.
Applying
Applicants must submit a completed application (available online at http://www.shu.edu/academics/artsci/apply-graduate.cfm), the $50 application fee, official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, a current resume, three letters of recommendation, and a personal essay. Standardized test scores are not required. Applications are accepted throughout the year, and admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis. Additional application information is available on the right-hand side of the M.P.A. Web site at http://www.shu.edu/academics/artsci/mpa/index.cfm. Applications are available directly at https://www.applyweb.com/aw?setonv.
The DPHA, at its discretion, may accept up to 6 graduate degree credits from another accredited university. The credits must be in courses consistent with both the content and standards of the M.H.A. degree and must not be toward a completed graduate degree. Students wishing to transfer credits should speak directly to the Department chair.
The Faculty and Their Research
Full-time Faculty
Paul Cavanagh, Assistant Professor; M.S.W., Ph.D., Columbia. Professional social worker with extensive experience working with children and adults with developmental disabilities. Has worked as an advocacy caseworker, Director of a Medicaid Day Treatment program, and Executive Director of an AmeriCorps affiliate program for five years. Dissertation examined the labor choices of mothers with a child with a severe developmental disability. Currently studies child care for children with severe developmental disabilities.
Philip S. DiSalvio, Associate Professor; Ed.D., Harvard. Management, finance, strategic planning, ethics. Former Robert Wood Johnson Faculty Fellow in Healthcare Finance. Consultant and advisor to the health-care industry in management development, leadership, and strategic planning. Speaker, seminar leader, and facilitator for numerous health-care organizations, and Faculty Associate for the American College of Health Care Executives. Author of Managing Computers in Health Care and Managing Computers in Healthcare: A Self-Directed Series for Healthcare Executives.
Matthew Hale, Associate Professor; Ph.D., USC. Political communication and media. Research examines how the media covers the public and nonprofit sectors, with a particular focus on election campaigns and Spanish-language media. Published journal articles have appeared in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly,Stanford Law and Policy Review,Mass Communication & Society, and Electronic News.
Anne M. Hewitt, Associate Professor and Director, Seton Center for Community Health; Ph.D., Temple. Community health development and assessment, health literacy, worksite health. Former American Lung Association Principal Investigator. Author of articles in Health Promotion Practice,American Journal of Health Studies, and Journal of Occupational Medicine. Provides program evaluation assistance to various state and local organizations as well as nonprofit agencies and health-care institutions.
Hengameh Hosseini, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Marywood. Ethics of health care, health-care policy, economics and finance. Author of articles in Hospital Topics, Journal of International Diversity, and The Journal of Health Administration Education.
Naomi Bailin Wish, Professor and Director, Center for Public Service; Ph.D., Rutgers. Nonprofit organization management, program evaluation, quantitative methods. Author of articles in Public Administration Review, International Journal of Public Administration, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, and the Municipal Yearbook.
Part-time Faculty
Leslie Breitner, D.B.A., Adjunct Professor of Public and Healthcare Administration.
Susan Spencer, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Public and Healthcare Administration.
Stephen Wagner, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Public and Healthcare Administration.
Correspondence and Information
Seton Hall University
Dr. Matthew Hale, Chair
Department of Public and Healthcare Administration
Jubilee Hall, 5th Floor
400 South Orange Avenue
South Orange, New Jersey 07079
Telephone: 973-761-9510
Fax: 973-275-2463
Email: dpha@shu.edu
