As the University of New Haven grows, its programs have to follow suit and, as of Nov. 16, one graduate program did just that. The university’s master’s degree in healthcare administration is now accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), which makes it  the only one of its kind in the state.

“It is one of just four programs in New England and the only program between New York City, Boston, and Syracuse,” said Summer McGee, dean of the school of health sciences. “We are the only place where students can be assured that they will receive a competency-based education with the tools to succeed in the rapidly changing healthcare industry.”

CAHME is the “gold standard” for healthcare management programs, said McGee, and accreditation can be a big draw for students looking for opportunities after graduation. Students in CAHME-accredited programs have access to fellowships, internships, scholarships, case competitions and job opportunities, according to their website.

The mission of CAHME is “to serve the public interest by advancing the quality of healthcare management education,” said their website. They do this by supporting, advising and ensuring that university programs’ meets or exceeds their criteria.

The accreditation took four years and checks the curriculum, the qualifications of the faculty, that the program is constantly changing in order to improve, and requires collecting data about students, alumni, and faculty, said McGee.

“We compiled that data over a 2-year period and submitted a self-study report in summer 2017,” she said. “We then had a site visit in March 2018 with a team of reviewers from the top 10 healthcare administration programs in the U.S.,” said McGee. “These reviewers provided us with feedback on our program and wrote recommendations for the future.”

CAHME officials who visited campus in March recommended the program for accreditation, and in November, the school was voted in by the CAHME Board of Directors, accrediting the program for the next three years, said McGee.

“This was a tremendous team effort,” said McGee. “The support of our administration, faculty, staff, and students has been vital to achieving this goal. It truly does take a village to achieve an accreditation like this one.”

From a nursing leadership training in 1994 to a nationally-accredited MSHA, McGee said the next step is to become one of the top 70 healthcare management graduate programs by U.S. News and World Report.