Lead and innovate in health care with programs that build leadership, policy, data, and management expertise for real-world impact.
Healthcare leadership requires strategic thinking, systems expertise, and a commitment to improving quality and outcomes. The Department of Healthcare Leadership & Management offers online and hybrid degree programs that prepare professionals to lead change across healthcare organizations.
Our programs span leadership, informatics, and healthcare quality & safety, providing flexible pathways for advancing your knowledge, skills, and impact—without stepping away from your career.
Discover our available degree programs below.
Beginning Spring 2027
Build the confidence, analytical fluency, and administrative insight needed to contribute meaningfully to modern health care with this online degree completion program.
The MHA program offers an online track to provide the needed knowledge and skills for advancement in the health care industry.
Advance your health care leadership and management career with MUSC’s CAHME-accredited Master in Health Administration program.
Advance your health administration and policy career with MUSC’s DHA program through online coursework, in-person intensives and applied doctoral research.
Beginning Fall 2026
Advance your health administration and policy career with MUSC’s DHA program through a fully online version or our renowned applied doctoral program.
Explore the growing field of health informatics. Study the collection, organization, and application of information in health care and medical research.
Beginning Spring 2027
Strengthen safety, improve outcomes, and guide system-level change in today’s complex health environments.
Eric Richardson, Ph.D., MBA, MPH, PHR, SHRM-CP, CHHR, FACHDM, is the chair and professor of the Department of Healthcare Leadership and Management in the College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
Dr. Richardson is a higher education leader with more than two decades of experience teaching and developing curricula for traditional and online learning environments, with a focus on innovative and applied learning. His scholarly interests center on artificial intelligence, competency-based education, innovative online learning design, and the creation of connective and personalized learning environments. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Organization and Management with a concentration in Human Resource Management, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, as well as graduate certificates in health administration and human resource management. In addition to his academic achievements, Dr. Richardson is a Certified in Healthcare Human Resources (CHHR) professional, a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). Collectively, these academic and professional credentials provide a robust interdisciplinary foundation that bridges business, public health, and workforce leadership, informing his approach to innovative curriculum design and organizational development in healthcare education.
Dr. Richardson has been recognized nationally for excellence in teaching, service, and innovation. He received the 2023 Academy of Management Health Care Management Division Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2022 Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) Faculty Service Award, and the 2019-2020 University of North Carolina Wilmington Excellence in eLearning Award. In 2018, he became a Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) Fellow, later achieving the distinction of CAHME Certified Fellow in 2025, and was also inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Health Data Management (FACHDM) that same year.
An active contributor to the profession, Dr. Richardson has served as chair of the national Education and Learning Committee for the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) and as forum chair for the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) Distance Learning Faculty Forum. He currently serves on editorial board of the Journal of Health Administration Education (JHAE) and is a regular contributor to HR Pulse Magazine. He maintains active membership and leadership involvement in the Academy of Management and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Jean Gordon, DBA, MSN, brings a distinguished career in healthcare, business, and academia to her new role as MHA Online Division Director and associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Miami in 1974. She later returned to higher education, completing her Master of Science in Human Resource Management (1997) and Doctorate in Business Administration (1999) at Nova Southeastern University. At the doctoral level, she specialized in Human Resource Management, Marketing, and Research Methods.
Committed to lifelong learning, Dr. Gordon went on to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (2010) from Kaplan University, a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Accounting (2015), and a Post-Master's Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner (2018).
Dr. Gordon has extensive leadership experience in marketing, accounting, and human resource management, with a focus on both domestic and global settings. She is widely published in the areas of human resource management, talent strategy for retention, and knowledge management. In addition, she remains active in professional service through membership in the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the Academy of Management (AOM), and the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA).
Her career reflects a dedication to advancing healthcare leadership, integrating business acumen with clinical expertise, and mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals.
