SLU’s M.H.A. Program Ranked No. 19 by U.S. News & World Report
04/17/2025
The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice’s Master of Health Administration program is now ranked No. 19 in the country, according the 2025 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School Rankings.
The program broke into the top 20 as it moved up five spots from its previous ranking in an even larger pool than before. The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education increased the number of CAHME-accredited graduate programs available for consideration. Previously, US News & World Report announced the health care management rankings on a three-year cycle. The publication will now announce the new rankings yearly for health care management programs and schools.
“We are honored to be recognized among the leading programs in graduate health administration education in the latest U.S. News rankings. We are grateful to our peers in the field for collaborating to create a learning community that supports continuous quality improvement and best practices across programs,” said Kimberly R. Enard, Ph.D., associate professor in the College for Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University
The Saint Louis University M.H.A. program’s mission is to form motivated, early careerists into resilient and ethical leaders who are highly competent to engage in interdisciplinary practice across health care and related industries. We do this by providing competency-based education and integrative training in a diverse and inclusive learning environment.
A proven standout among its peers, the SLU M.H.A. lives its mission as one of the nation’s oldest and largest graduate programs in health administration, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023. It is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), and highly regarded by its competitors.
“As a college whose mission is to pursue health, well-being, and social justice, our faculty, students, alumni, and community have benefited from, and continue to benefit from, a program with such a long-standing footprint on our campus and the health administration world,” said College for Public Health and Social Justice Dean Leslie McClure, Ph.D.
The program's rise up the rankings ladder is credited to its program innovation, dedicated faculty, student achievements, peer collaboration and engaged alumni.
The students in the program have recently achieved significant success in national case competitions, which draw teams of students from top programs to compete against one another in consultant-style presentations. In February 2025, a team of Saint Louis University M.H.A. students advanced to the finals in the 19th annual UAB Health Administration Case Competition. The SLU team consisted of second-year M.H.A. students Arianna Goss, Kathryn Laird and Spencer Shreve, alongside first-year student observer Lana Cristiani and faculty advisor Michael Rozier, S.J., Ph.D.
In April 2025, a team of students placed third in the Ohio State University Case Competition. The SLU team consisted of first-year M.H.A. students Molly Griffin, Keenan Al-Hosni and Jake Reed, and coach and faculty advisor Tom Burroughs, Ph.D.
"The top universities in the country are represented at this competition, and the judges are high-ranking executives at multibillion-dollar health systems,“ said Rozier, who is chair of the Department of Health Management. “Our students put in a tremendous effort and showed that they are among the very top health administration students in the country. Even more, I think they had fun doing it."
Just last year, Enard made history when she received the 2024 John D. Thompson Prize by the Association of University Programs for Health Administration for her excellence in health education and administration, becoming the first African-American and the first SLU faculty member to receive this award. AUPHA began awarding the Thompson Prize in 1991.
“When you consider the legacy of the past winners, their institutions, and the indelible body of scholarship they have amassed over decades of work, to be recognized as their peer is an incredible honor,” Enard said. Enard is also the M.H.A. program director and a member of the AUPHA Board of Directors.
The American College of Healthcare Executives recognized Rozier as one of two professors to receive the Teaching Excellence Award in Healthcare Management and Leadership during AUPHA’s annual meeting in 2023.
Beyond the work being done by faculty and staff on a daily basis, our decorated alumni occupy senior management positions in a variety of health care settings.
"We’re not just preparing students for jobs — we’re developing leaders. Through intentional professional development, immersive experiences, and strong alumni support, our students grow into confident, capable professionals ready to lead with purpose," said Marcea Walter, assistant professor and director of admissions and accreditation for the M.H.A. program.
Our alumni work in health and hospital systems, insurance companies, academic medical centers, physician practices, consulting firms and benefit-management organizations.
Outside of the classroom and in the community, research continues to be a common thread for faculty and staff with SLU’s recent achievement of earning prestigious R1 Status.
College for Public Health and Social Justice
The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the college offers nationally recognized programs in public health and health administration.