The University of New Mexico

Graduate Program

Degrees Offered

  • Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)
  • Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)

The Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) fills an important labor market and educational need in New Mexico and the Southwest by providing professional education for leadership careers in healthcare administration. Healthcare organizations state-wide worked with the School of Public Administration to develop the M.H.A. program. The shared aim is to develop effective executives and informed health policy advisors. 

The M.H.A. curriculum responds to the particular needs of our region. Issues and concerns related to Hispanics, Native Americans, and rural health care are built into the curriculum. A diverse student body is recruited for the M.H.A. program in order to meet the needs articulated by our stakeholders. Many M.H.A. students will already have mid-level experience in hospitals, clinics, healthcare agencies, or health-related organizations.

The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) prepares men and women interested in public service and third sector careers for professional and management policy positions. Persons already employed or preparing to enter public service are encouraged to apply for admission. The interdisciplinary nature of the program is designed to utilize faculty resources in departments and colleges across the University, and to offer students a wide choice in their professional preparation.

Dual Degree Programs

Master of Public Administration and Juris Doctor: The School of Public Administration and the School of Law offer a Dual Degree Program leading to the M.P.A. and the Juris Doctor (J.D.). See the Graduate and Professional Dual Degree Programs section of this Catalog. 

Master of Public Administration and Master of Community and Regional Planning: The School of Public Administration and the Community and Regional Planning department at the School of Architecture and Planning offer a Dual Degree Program leading to the M.P.A. and the Master of Community and Regional Planning (M.C.R.P.). See the Graduate and Professional Dual Degree Programs section of this Catalog. 

Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Programs

Undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Economics and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sociology programs in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Liberal Arts program in University College may seek admission to the M.P.A. under the Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program. Refer to the Economics: Undergraduate Program, Sociology: Undergraduate Program, and University College: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts sections of this Catalog for specific admission information and requirements.

Application Deadlines

Domestic Students
Fall semester: April 1st
Spring semester: October 1st

International Students
Fall semester: February 15th
Spring semester: August 1st

Master of Health Administration

Admission Requirements

Admission is competitive, and only applicants with strong academic and professional records are admitted to the program. Applicants must have:

  • A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with an undergraduate grade point average for the last 60 credit hours, or overall major grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent.

Applicants to the School of Public Administration's M.H.A. program must submit their application and necessary documentation online.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) is offered under Plan III (coursework only) according to the general requirements specified in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog. All students must complete a minimum of 48 credit hours in five components:

Program Core Curriculum (33 credit hours): The core curriculum includes required foundational courses to meet the specialized needs of M.H.A. students.

Practicum (3 credit hours): The M.H.A. Practicum is typically offered mid-program, offering opportunities to apply program learning during the practicum experience and to bring practicum experience into the classroom.

Electives (9 credit hours): Courses other than those listed may be used to fulfill requirements. Course substitutions require justification relevant to the program of study for the M.H.A. degree. Students may apply to substitute courses using the same process that is currently in place for M.P.A. students seeking course substitutions. See the Course Substitution Approval Form on the School of Public Administration Web site.

Culminating Experience (3 credit hours): The culminating experience provides an opportunity for practical professional experience and analytic reflection.

Credit
Hours
Program Core Curriculum
PADM 521 Institutional Development and Behavior 3
PADM 525 Human Resources Management in the Public Sector 3
PADM 561 Health Policy and Management 3
PADM 563 Healthcare Finance 3
PADM 566 Health Economics 3
PADM 567 Healthcare Ethics 3
PADM 596 Research Methods II: Data Analysis 3
PADM 597 Program Evaluation 3
PADM 600 Introduction to Health Policy and Management 3
PADM 610 Cultural Competence and Healthcare Administration 3
PADM 611 Healthcare Information Technology 3
Subtotal 33
Practicum
PADM 655 Practicum 3
Subtotal 3
Electives 
9 credit hours chosen from:
PADM 562 Health Governance in Global Perspective 3
PADM 590 Topical Seminars (e.g. Ethics in Public Administration) 3
PADM 612 Healthcare Payment Systems 3
PADM 640 Hospital and Clinic Administration 3
LAW 531 Health Law 3
PH 502 Epidemiologic Methods I 3
PH 524 Social Epidemiology 3
PH 554 Health Policy, Politics, and Social Equity 3
PH 560 ST: Public Health (e,g, Reproductive Health Policy, Women's Health Policy) 3
PH 579 New Mexico Border Health: US - Mexico Border Migration and Latino Health 3
POLS 512 T: Government and Politics (e.g., Health Policy and Politics) 3
SOCI 540 Medical Sociology and Health Policy 3
Other courses may be used to fulfill elective requirements with approval. Substitutions may be requested via the SPA Electives Substitution Approval Form. Requests require justification of the course's relevance to the M.H.A. program of study.
Subtotal 9
Culminating Experience
PADM 689 Capstone 3
Subtotal 3
Degree Total 48

Master of Public Administration

Admission Requirements

Admission is competitive, and only applicants with strong academic and professional records are admitted to the program. Applicants must have:

  • A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with an undergraduate grade point average for the last 60 credit hours, or overall major grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent.

Applicants to the School of Public Administration's M.P.A. program must submit their application and necessary documentation online.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) is offered under Plan I (thesis), Plan II (non-thesis), and Plan III (coursework only) according to the general requirements specified in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog. The M.P.A. program requires successful completion of a minimum of 42 credit hours of acceptable graduate-level coursework and culminating experience consistent with the M.P.A. Study Plan Worksheet developed with the M.P.A. Coordinator. The 42 credit hours must be completed within a seven-year period. At least 30 of the 42 credit hours must be completed at UNM. Students must maintain a 3.0 ("B") grade point average for all M.P.A. coursework. Arrangements for completing a culminating experience should be coordinated with the M.P.A. Coordinator.

Students under Plan I must complete 36 credit hours coursework plus 6 credit hours of PADM 599 Thesis. Students under Plan II complete 39 credit hours coursework plus 3 credit hours PADM 553 Professional Paper. Students under Plan III must complete 39 credit hours coursework plus 3 credit hours PADM 689 Capstone. The required credit hours for the M.P.A. are categorized as follows:

  1. Program core curriculum (12 credit hours)
  2. Research Methods Sequence (9 credit hours)
  3. Elective (15-18 credit hours)
  4. Culminating Experience (3-6 credit hours)

Program Core Curriculum (12 credit hours)

Credit
Hours
PADM 500 Public Management and Policy 3
PADM 521 Institutional Development and Behavior 3
PADM 525 Human Resources Management in the Public Sector 3
PADM 544 Public Budgeting 3


Research Methods Sequence (9 credit hours)

Credit
Hours
PADM 595 Research Methods I: Data Collection 3
PADM 596 Research Methods II: Data Analysis 3
PADM 597 Program Evaluation 3


Note: Students must meet the statistics prerequisite for PADM 595 before enrolling for the course. A special fee of $15.00 per course is charged to students registering for PADM courses.

Minor Study

Students admitted to a graduate degree in another program may pursue a graduate minor in Public Administration. The minor requires completion of the following eight courses (24 credit hours): PADM 500, 521, 525, 527, 544, 546, 596, 597. Please contact the Academic Advisor at spadvise@unm.edu; or call (505) 277-1092 for further information.

Non-Degree and Post-Degree Status

Students who take Public Administration courses in non-degree and post-degree status fall into three categories:

1.  Applicants who are denied admission may be advised by the admissions committee to take two core courses (PADM 500, 521, or 525) in non-degree status before reapplying for admission. As non-degree students, they must achieve at least a 3.5 GPA in Public Administration core courses to be reconsidered for admission to the program. Upon completion of coursework, non-degree students must reapply for admission.

2.  Individuals who seek to enroll in a course after the admission deadline, but prior to the start of classes. These persons may register for only two core courses (PADM 500, 521, or 525) in non-degree status, and must obtain approval from the Director of the School of Public Administration. A maximum of 6 non-degree credit hours may be transferred to the M.P.A. degree.

3.  Students who have already completed a Master's degree may enroll in post-degree status with the approval of the Director of the School of Public Administration. Students in this category enroll in a specialized course of study to enhance their professional degree.

Courses

PADM 500. Public Management and Policy. (3)


PADM 520. Managing Human Behavior in Public Organizations. (3)


PADM 521. Institutional Development and Behavior. (3)


PADM 523. Administration of State and Local Government. (3)


PADM 524. Intergovernmental Administrative Problems. (3)


PADM 525. Human Resources Management in the Public Sector. (3)


PADM 526. Diversity in the Public Sector. (3)


PADM 527. Employment Relations in the Public Sector. (3)


PADM 528. Employment Dispute Resolution. (3)


PADM 529. Administrative Law. (3)


PADM 530. Ethics in Public Administration. (3)


PADM 535. Comparative Public Administration. (3)


PADM 537. Seminar in Public Management. (3)


PADM 538. Non-Profit Management. (3)


PADM 544. Public Budgeting. (3)


PADM 545. Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations. (3)


PADM 546. Public Financial Administration. (3)


PADM 551. Problems. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)


PADM 552. Designing Applied Research. (3)


PADM 553. Professional Paper. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)


PADM 555. Workshop for Interns. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)


PADM 561. Health Policy and Management. (3)


PADM 562. Health Governance in Global Perspective. (3)


PADM 563. Healthcare Finance. (3)


PADM 564. Healthcare Policy and Program Evaluation. (3)


PADM 565. Health Care Quality Management. (3)


PADM 566. Health Economics. (3)


PADM 567. Health Care Ethics. (3)


PADM 568. Disability, Public Health and Public Policy. (3)


PADM 570. Pro-seminar in Public Policy. (3)


PADM 574. Seminar on Environmental Policy and Administration. (3)


PADM 575. Network Governance for Public and Health Services Administration. (3)


PADM 577. Practice of Policy Development. (3)


PADM 588. Practice of Negotiation and Public Dispute Resolution. (3)


PADM 590. Topical Seminars. (3, no limit Δ)


PADM 595. Research Methods I: Data Collection. (3)


PADM 596. Research Methods II: Data Analysis. (3)


PADM 597. Program Evaluation. (3)


PADM 599. Master's Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)


PADM 600. Introduction to Healthcare Administration. (3)


PADM 610. Cultural Competence and Healthcare Administration. (3)


PADM 611. Healthcare Information Technology. (3)


PADM 612. Healthcare Payment Systems. (3)


PADM 640. Hospital and Clinic Administration. (3)


PADM 655. Practicum. (3)


PADM 688. Reflection on Practice. (3)


PADM 689. Capstone. (3)


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Office of the Registrar

MSC11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Phone: (505) 277-8900
 Fax: (505) 277-6809