Fastest & Cheapest Way to Complete ALM in Management – Health Care (Harvard Extension

[Hotdogman1]

I personally think HES has a perception issue. The only thing I know about HES is it isn't considered a part of "main" Harvard. This is based on multiple articles on HES students protesting the extension name over the years. One such example: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/...l-protest/
The hourly online tuition is $835 per credit hour, which is cheap for an Ivy, but it isn't really an Ivy. It isn't a part of "main" Harvard, but every other university in the world also aren't part of main Harvard. What is this school?

Disregarding all of that, I believe there are better options. The HES Management Master’s Degree Program base tuition is $40,080.
The Oklahoma State University has a Doctorate of Health Care Administration. You need:

• "Students should have earned a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate or graduate coursework."
  
• "GRE/GMAT scores are not required for this program."
  
• a couple essays
  

$28,146.14 = $453.97 per credit hour (Base tuition + fees) * 62 credits https://medicine.okstate.edu/hca/tuition-fees.html
https://medicine.okstate.edu/academics/p...ation.html

They also have two 32 credit hour Masters degrees with similar admission requirements to the DHA.
$14,527.04 = $453.97 per credit hour (Base tuition + fees) * 32 credits
https://medicine.okstate.edu/academics/p...on-ms.html
https://medicine.okstate.edu/hca/global-health.html
You can only apply 30 credits towards the DHA. Assuming you have to take an additional 2 credits: MS HCA + DHA = $29,054.08

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, great initial post to get the ball rolling and start searching for institutions or programs that may fit. Have you already got a shortlist created? If not, I would recommend creating one and then have a couple of backup options just in case. It's also a good idea to provide info asked for on the addendum and template, as we don't know your age, budget, commitments, location/state, study habits, etc: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

[chopliver2]

How about just going for the ENEB And then VUH DHA? I have read some here had success here.
Is this a good route to take and can it be completed easily?

No one takes healthcare administrators without clinical experience seriously.  So if you want the "crackjack box" approach, for a completely unserious degree, then sure.

I had one of those non-clinical healthcare "leaders" last week tell me about perioperative management efficiency (completely unrealistic take she had, which was expected given her lack of clinical acumen). I laughed and walked away after saying, "Yeah, not going to do that".

You are setting yourself up to fail, especially when you use the term "easily". How are you going to be a leader in healthcare with this approach?

Nothing wrong with easy and nothing wrong with checking boxes. Once you have a thorough understanding of the working of the United States it'll incentivize certain things

[Duneranger]

How about just going for the ENEB And then VUH DHA? I have read some here had success here.
Is this a good route to take and can it be completed easily?

No one takes healthcare administrators without clinical experience seriously.  So if you want the "crackjack box" approach, for a completely unserious degree, then sure.

I had one of those non-clinical healthcare "leaders" last week tell me about perioperative management efficiency (completely unrealistic take she had, which was expected given her lack of clinical acumen). I laughed and walked away after saying, "Yeah, not going to do that".

You are setting yourself up to fail, especially when you use the term "easily". How are you going to be a leader in healthcare with this approach?

Nothing wrong with easy and nothing wrong with checking boxes. Once you have a thorough understanding of the working of the United States it'll incentivize certain things

Um yeah it certainly is a problem when online MHA and leadership grads are telling me how to do my job (when they have ZERO idea how to do my job). Healthcare administration sounds good on paper, but actually doing the job well is a different story.

Its almost a running joke at most hospitals to ignore what admin says because they generally have no idea what they're doing and no one respects them (especially if they are non clinical).

Clinicians brings in the money, not admin.

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How about just going for the ENEB And then VUH DHA? I have read some here had success here.
Is this a good route to take and can it be completed easily?

No one takes healthcare administrators without clinical experience seriously.  So if you want the "crackjack box" approach, for a completely unserious degree, then sure.

I had one of those non-clinical healthcare "leaders" last week tell me about perioperative management efficiency (completely unrealistic take she had, which was expected given her lack of clinical acumen). I laughed and walked away after saying, "Yeah, not going to do that".

You are setting yourself up to fail, especially when you use the term "easily". How are you going to be a leader in healthcare with this approach?

Just wanted to clarify where I’m coming from. When I said “easily,” I didn’t mean without effort or seriousness. I simply meant a program that’s manageable alongside my current life. Like many here, I work full-time and balance a lot between work and family. So when I look into programs, I’m just trying to be realistic about what I can handle.

I also want to share that I do have healthcare experience—over seven years on the documentation and quality side in hospital systems. While I’m not clinical in the traditional sense, I work closely with clinical teams and have a deep respect for their work. I understand the clinical world, just from a different angle.

I’m looking at the ENEB-to-DHA path because it seems like a flexible and cost-effective option that won’t put me into deep debt. It’s not about skipping the hard work—I’ve never taken shortcuts. Every step in my career has been earned. I started with no degree, no traditional path, and worked my way up through determination, learning, and consistency. I’m now a director at a leading hospital system—not because I had all the credentials early on, but because I’ve worked hard to grow, adapt, and lead.

I get that this kind of path isn’t for everyone, and I respect that. I just hope people can also understand that there’s more than one way to build a meaningful career. I’ve already reached leadership without a master’s, but I want to keep growing—and yes, the “Doctor” title appeals to me, but only if I earn it with real work and dedication.

Also, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for this forum. It helped me find the TESU Bachelor’s route, the AAS, and the Pierpont BOG—all of which gave me a shot when I felt like I had none. I was one of those people who thought it was too late, that I had missed my chance to go back and finish school. But with the help of this community, I went from low pay and no degree to a six-figure leadership role in under a decade.

None of that came easily. It took humility, grit, and learning everything the hard way. I know degrees help with credibility, but character and work ethic are what truly move someone forward. That’s what I’m continuing to build on. I want to find an educational path that fits, that’s challenging but doable—and still lets me be the mom, leader, and professional I need to be every day.

Thank you again to everyone who shares their time, resources, and feedback here. It’s changed my life and I know it’s changing others’, too.

I mean that's fine, as long as you know your place. Providers make the money and make the ultimate decisions/actions that bring in revenue. Not you. They are the ones with all of the liability, responsibility, vast breadth of clinical knowledge, and put in many more hours after the admin types go home.

Sorry, I just have a strong disdain for nonclinical admin "leaders" after being at many hospitals over the years. They are generally all out of touch in nearly all aspects and try to make decisions that don't affect them,yet put a massive burden on others.

[crimsonhairless]

> The more I think about it, the more I feel drawn to the Harvard ALM in Management.

https://extension.harvard.edu/academics/...i-outcomes

Your Harvard University Degree

Upon successful completion of the required curriculum, you will receive a Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, Field: Management.

are you really going to be proud putting that on your resume ?

> I want to make sure I’m making a decision that will be respected and not misunderstood.

if I saw "Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, Field: Management." on a resume I'd ask "what the hell is that "

Personally I list it out as Harvard University, Extension School, ALM In International Relations. It would be a misrepresentation to say my degree is “extension studies” which is an archaic field of philosophy and mathematics (see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extension_(metaphysics)).

[Jonathan Whatley]

To my thinking, “in Extension Studies” is an affected way of saying “by means of extension studies.” Which is true, but doesn’t describe the subject of the degree.