National University

What you'll study

The DHA requires a minimum of 60 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree and a minimum of 48 credits completed through the university. Course work emphasizes applied leadership, organizational systems, policy, research methods and a dissertation project. Sample course themes and learning emphases include:

• Scholarly practitioner preparation: doctoral‑level critical thinking, research literacy, theoretical frameworks and identifying an applied dissertation topic.
• Health economics and finance: value analysis, financial risk, pricing, insurance theory and the role of government in the U.S. health system.
• U.S. health sector structure: historical evolution, cost/quality/access tradeoffs, financing, technology and data management.
• Human resources in healthcare: employment and workplace safety law, recruitment/retention and performance management.
• Marketing and communications: mass communication, public relations, crisis and community relations, and strategic partnership development.
• Quality and performance improvement: quality assurance, measurement, indicators and continuous improvement strategies.
• Legal, ethical and policy issues: managerial responses to mandates, ethical decision making, liability, fraud/abuse and policy implementation.
• Senior management trends: evaluation of issues affecting executive leadership in healthcare organizations.
• Applied research methods: quantitative and qualitative designs, conceptual models, secondary data sources and refinement of an applied doctoral project topic.

Entry requirements

Applicants must have a conferred master’s degree from an accredited institution. The program has no GRE/GMAT, essays, or exams as application requirements and an application fee is listed as $0. The university may accept up to 12 semester credit hours of transfer from doctoral‑level coursework completed with a grade of B or better. Students must have access to a computer or laptop with webcam, microphone and high‑speed Internet.

Career prospects

The curriculum targets professionals seeking advancement to mid‑career and senior executive positions across private and public healthcare sectors. Graduates are prepared to lead organizational change, guide quality and performance initiatives, interpret policy impacts, and apply evidence‑based strategies in complex healthcare settings. Successful completion requires university approval of the dissertation, a defended project, and submission of required dissertation copies to the registrar.

Scholarships & funding angle

The course page does not list specific scholarships or funding amounts. Prospective students should consult National University’s Enrollment or Financial Aid office for information about tuition, scholarships, employer tuition assistance, federal aid eligibility and other funding options.