A Career in Healthcare

Do you envision yourself working alongside healthcare providers at a hospital or private practice? Or maybe you want to work at a managed care or insurance company or get involved with health policy or advocacy.

Career possibilities in healthcare are endless. If you can dream it, we can help you achieve it.

Take advantage of our connections at major health organizations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Tufts Medical Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Pfizer, Public Health Commission, and Walgreens. 

Our Alumni Are Leaders in Healthcare

Suffolk alumni work as executives, administrators, managers, accountants, product development specialists, marketing and sales specialists, policy analysts, legislative aides, and more.

Check out what they say about their careers post-graduation.


Suffolk MHA alum standing on Bromfield Street

"A typical day for me can range anywhere from speaking with an upset patient and approving grant funding, to attending community meetings about violence."

Phillomin "Philly" Laptiste, MHA ’13, EMBA '23
Chief People Officer, Community Care Cooperative (C3)
Member of the Boston Public Health Commission

Tim Lynch

"While I don’t provide care to patients, I do help make that care possible. I develop strong clinical program collaborations with community hospital networks and maintain a strong focus on revenue cycle performance, facility redesign, and hospital operations."

Timothy Lynch, MBA/Health ’07
Vice President, Medicine, Critical Care, & Peri-Operative Services, South Shore Health

Karen Nelson

"The MPA/Health program provided a broad view of healthcare and policy, which complemented my clinical background. And the classroom work and assignments were relevant practice for the real world."

Karen Nelson, MPA/Health ’87
Former VP of Quality, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs, Partners Continuing Care

Other Resources for MHA Students

At Suffolk, you’re more than just a student. You’re part of a professional community.

You have access to an expansive network of healthcare leaders, and we help you build lasting connections with people who matter.

Professional Organizations

The  American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)  has more than 40,000 members worldwide, ranging from experienced healthcare executives to students who are new to the field. ACHE's established network of more than 80 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level. As an ACHE member, you’ll be automatically enrolled in the Massachusetts chapter, which has over 700 members.

You’ll have access to scholarships, fellowships, internships, career-development resources, and industry events, including the Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago. The ACHE Early Careerist Network also provides social, networking, educational, and mentoring opportunities geared specifically toward students and junior healthcare executives.

The Institute of Healthcare Improvement  is a small organization with a big mission: to improve the quality of healthcare. Our student members have attended major conferences, including the IHI Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care. The chapter has also organized guest talks from distinguished leaders, including former Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and IHI board member Vinod Sahney.

Suffolk University MHA Program Completion Rates and Employment Three Months After Graduation

Updated August 8, 2019

The MHA Program has both full-time and part-time students. Full-time students typically finish their degrees within two years (four semesters), whereas part-time students finish in three to five years, depending on how many courses they take each semester. It is important to note that students have withdrawn from the MHA Program for a variety of reasons, including deciding to pursue different career paths and being accepted into advanced dental training programs and other master’s degree programs.

Completion Rates
Fall 2012

In Fall 2012, 29 students started in the MHA Program—15 full-time and 14 part-time—and 25 students (86%) have graduated.

Spring 2013

In Spring 2013, 12 students started in the MHA Program—4 full-time and 8 part-time—and 9 students (75%) have graduated.

Fall 2013

In Fall 2013, 25 students started in the MHA Program—8 full-time and 17 part-time—and 16 students (64%) have graduated. Nine students left the MHA Program for a variety of reasons, including 2 students who left to pursue advanced dental degrees.

Spring 2014

In Spring 2014, 8 students started in the MHA Program—4 full-time and 4 part-time—and 5 students (62.5%) have graduated. Three students left the MHA Program for a variety of reasons.

Fall 2014

In Fall 2014, 32 students started in the MHA Program—16 full-time and 16 part-time—and 27 students (84%) have graduated. One student transferred from the MHA Program into the MBA/Health Program at Suffolk, and 4 students left the MHA Program for a variety of reasons.

Spring 2015

In Spring 2015, 10 students started in the MHA Program—6 full-time and 4 part-time—and 7 students (70%) have graduated. One student left to pursue an advanced dental degree, and 2 students left due to personal reasons.

Fall 2015

In Fall 2015, 24 students started in the MHA Program—10 full-time and 14 part-time—and 23 students (96%) have graduated.

Spring 2016

In Spring 2016, 11 students started in the MHA Program—3 full-time and 8 part-time—and 8 students (73%) have graduated. One student left the MHA Program for an online degree program due to the conflict between her work schedule and Suffolk’s class times, one student left to pursue an advanced dental degree, and one student left to join Suffolk’s Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) Program.

Fall 2016

In Fall 2016, 14 students started in the MHA Program—9 full-time and 5 part-time—and 9 students (64% of the total) have graduated. Three of the original 14 students are still completing their degree requirements, so it is expected that 12 of the original 14 students (86%) will graduate.

Spring 2017

In Spring 2017, 12 students started in the MHA Program—11 full-time and 1 part-time—and the 11 full-time students (92% of the total) have graduated. One student is still completing her degree requirements, so it is expected that 12 of the original 12 students (100%) will graduate.

Fall 2017

In Fall 2017, 17 students started in the MHA Program—12 full-time and 5 part-time—and the 12 full-time students (71% of the total) have graduated. Three of the original 17 students are still completing their degree requirements, so it is expected that 15 of the original 17 students (88%) will graduate.

MHA students who started in the Spring of 2018 and afterward are still completing their degrees.

Employment Rates Three Months After Graduation

In 2013-2015, 88 MHA students earned their degrees. Seventy-six (86%) were employed in healthcare when they graduated. Five others (6%) were employed in healthcare within three months of graduation. Two were returning to their home countries to seek employment in healthcare, one was applying to PhD programs, one was attending to her young child, and four did not have employment in healthcare within three months of graduation.

2013

In 2013, 34 students earned their MHA degrees, and 79% were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation. An additional 9% were employed in healthcare within three months of graduation. Total employment of the 2013 graduates in healthcare was 88% within three months of graduation.

2014

In 2014, 31 students earned their MHA degrees, and 94% were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation and an additional person, or 3%, was employed in healthcare within three months of graduation. Total employment of the 2014 graduates in healthcare was 97% within three months of graduation.

2015

In 2015, 23 students earned their MHA degrees, and 87% were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation. An additional person, representing 4%, was employed in healthcare within three months of graduation. Total employment of the 2015 graduates in healthcare was 91% within three months of graduation.

In 2016-2017, 68 MHA students earned their degrees, and 52 (76%) were employed in healthcare when they graduated. The others have pursued different paths and some were not able to secure employment in healthcare within three months after graduation.

2016

In 2016, 36 students earned their MHA degrees, and 28 (78%) of them were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation. Two graduates (5.5%) were employed outside of healthcare within three months of graduation. Two graduates (5.5%) were employed in healthcare within four months of graduation. One graduate (3%) started advanced dental training after graduation, and three graduates (8%) were not employed in healthcare for several months after graduation. Total employment of the 2016 graduates in healthcare was 83% within four months of graduation.

2017

In 2017, 32 students earned their MHA degrees, and 24 (75%) were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation. One graduate (3%) entered a second master’s degree program at Suffolk University in September 2017. One graduate (3%) continued his work as the marketing director for a consultancy and education organization that does not focus on healthcare. Six graduates were pursuing employment three months after graduation.

In 2018-2019, 62 MHA students earned their degrees, and 50 (81%) were employed in healthcare when they graduated or within three months thereafter. The others have pursued different paths and some did not secure employment in healthcare within three months after graduation.

2018

In 2018, 23 students earned their MHA degrees, and 17 (74%) were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation. Two graduates entered other graduate programs later in 2018.

January: 6 students earned their MHA degrees. Five (83%) were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation. One returned to her home country to seek employment in healthcare, which she began in October 2018.

May: 15 students earned their MHA degrees, and 12 (80%) were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation or within three months thereafter. One graduate entered the MBA Program at Suffolk University in 2018. One graduate took a position in a healthcare quality organization in December 2018, and another graduate took a position with a computer software company in December 2018.

September: 2 students earned their MHA degrees. One graduate entered law school in 2018, and another graduate did not have a position in healthcare within three months of graduation.

2019

Through May of 2019, 39 students earned their MHA degrees, and 33 (85%) were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation or within three months thereafter.

January: 19 students earned their MHA degrees, and 16 (84%) were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation or within three months thereafter. One graduate entered the MSBA Program at Suffolk University in 2019, and another graduate took a position in healthcare in mid-2019. One graduate has been relocating and not yet pursued employment in healthcare.

May: 20 students earned their MHA degrees, and 17 (85%) were employed in healthcare at the time of graduation or within three months thereafter. One graduate returned to her home country after graduation and is seeking employment there. One graduate is expecting to start an advanced dental program, and one other graduate is currently pursuing employment.

Employers
  • Accenture PLC
  • APDerm
  • Apellis Pharmaceuticals
  • athenahealth
  • Atrius Health
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Beth Israel Deaconess-Milton Hospital
  • Blackstone Valley Community Healthcare
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
  • Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
  • Boston Medical Center
  • Bowdoin Street Health Center
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital
  • Cambridge Health Alliance
  • ChenMed
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Codman Square Health Center
  • Country Club Heights
  • Coventry Health Care
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Dermatology Institute of Boston
  • Dominion Diagnostics
  • ECG Management Consultants
  • Elliot Community Human Services
  • Element Care
  • Epic
  • Essex Inpatient Physicians
  • Greater Lynn Senior Services
  • Hallmark Health Systems
  • Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
  • Healthcentric Advisors
  • International Medical Center-Jeddah
  • Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH)
  • Joslin Diabetes Center
  • Kennedy Brothers Physical Therapy
  • Keserwan Medical Center in Lebanon
  • King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Saudi Arabia
  • King Hamad University Hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain
  • Lahey Health
  • Lahey Physician Community Organization
  • Long Term Solutions
  • Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
  • Massachusetts Eye and Ear
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Massachusetts General Physicians Organization
  • Massachusetts Medical Society
  • Massachusetts Mental Health Center
  • Medical University of South Carolina
  • Meditech
  • Milford Hospital
  • Mystic Valley Elder Services
  • Mount Auburn Hospital
  • National Quality Forum
  • Neighborhood Health Plan
  • New England Baptist Hospital
  • New England OB-GYN Associates, Inc.
  • New England Quality Care Alliance
  • Newton-Wellesley Hospital
  • Partners Healthcare System, Inc.
  • Partners HealthCare at Home
  • Partners Research Management
  • Princeton (NJ) Medical Management
  • RADNET
  • Saint Mary’s Hospital
  • SEI.com
  • Santa Cruz Community Health Centers
  • Shriners Hospitals for Children
  • South Boston Community Health Center
  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Steward Health Care System
  • Sun Life Financial
  • The Dimock Center
  • The Stone Institute
  • Tufts Health Plan
  • Tufts Health Plan – Network Health
  • Tufts Medical Center
  • Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • UMass Memorial Medical Center
  • Vertex Pharmaceuticals
  • Wentworth Douglas Hospital Seacoast Cancer Center
  • Whittier Street Health Center