Leadership Fellowship Master’s Degree Program 

The Shriver Center LEND Program has developed an innovative partnership with the Suffolk University Sawyer School of Managementand its Department of Public Management.This partnership provides our advanced leadership trainees (Fellows) with an opportunity to earn credits toward a Masters Degree in Health Administration (MHA) or a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) during their LEND fellowship year.

The primary objective of the Masters in Health Administration (MHA) Program is professional education preparing persons for leadership and management roles in public affairs/policy/hospital administration. To achieve this objective, the program is designed to develop and refine student values, knowledge, and skills to act ethically and effectively in organizational management, specifically in human resources, budgeting and financial processes, and information [computer literacy and software applications]. The program also focuses on the application of quantitative and qualitative techniques, specifically, policy and program formulation, implementation, evaluation, decision-making, and problem solving; understanding of the public policy and organizational environment, political and legal institutions and processes, economic and social institutions and processes, organizational management concepts and behavior.

The Masters in Public Administration is designed to develop similar skills, but with a focus on community organizations and their unique issues.

Shriver Center LEND Fellows who already have a Masters or Doctoral Degree are offered a specifically designed MHA program in concert with Suffolk University. The LEND/Suffolk University MHA Program for this group of Fellows is a ten-course graduate program combining LEND Fellowship studies and courses in the Master in Health Administration program at Suffolk University. The costs of this 10-course degree are covered by the LEND Fellowship stipend and Suffolk-granted scholarships.  All LEND faculty are adjunct members of the Suffolk University faculty.

For those who do not already have a Masters or Doctoral Degree, the MHA degree is also available, but requires completion of 15 courses, some of which are not covered by the LEND stipend or Suffolk scholarships.   Additional information about this can be obtained by contacting Sandy Matava at Suffolk University.

All LEND Fellows interested in pursuing a MPA (whether or not they have another terminal degree in another field) must complete a total of 15 courses to obtain a degree in Public Administration from Suffolk. Eight (8) of those courses are given at Shriver, the remaining courses are taken on Suffolk campuses. Some of these courses are not covered by the LEND stipend or Suffolk scholarships.

The curriculum offered to all LEND fellows on the Shriver campus by LEND Faculty includes the following eight (8) courses which are credited through the university towards either the MHA or the MPA:

Additional required courses and electives are taught on Suffolk campuses. A sample of these courses is listed below: