In the world of higher education, applying for accreditation is no picnic for faculty and staff, but it’s important for students. Academic programs and institutions that have achieved accreditation by their corresponding accrediting agencies have demonstrated they’ve met very high and specific standards of educational quality.
DMU’s master of health care administration (M.H.A.) program continues to do just that. It recently received a full seven-year accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). That’s the longest possible accreditation granted by the organization. Among the program’s strengths CAHME cited is the University’s strong institutional support for the program.
“I am proud to lead this amazing group of faculty and students. Our faculty work extremely hard to ensure that students are receiving the highest quality education to prepare them to become leaders in the health care industry,” says Rachel Reimer, Ph.D., M.H.A. program director. “Moreover, I continue to be impressed by the strength, tenacity and drive of our students, all of whom are aspiring to be influential and effective leaders.”
CAHME is the only organization recognized to grant accreditation to individual academic programs offering a M.H.A. degree. Accreditation is the benchmark that ensures the integrity of graduate health care management education. That offers advantages to students, who want to get the best education for their money and for future career success. It’s also meaningful to employers who want to hire highly competent professionals. According to the CAHME website, many employers interview only those students who graduate from CAHME-accredited programs.
So rigorous are the standards for CAHME accreditation, the commission offers a “bootcamp” to help academic leaders understand how to achieve it.
DMU’s M.H.A. program was first approved for candidate status by CAHME in 2013 and then received an initial three-year accreditation in 2015. Its latest seven-year accreditation came after a CAHME team made a site visit to the University in spring 2018.
“I am extremely excited about the future of this great program, and thankful to the students, faculty, staff and external stakeholders who support our success,” Dr. Reimer says.
