A&M-Texarkana Launches New Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Degree – M.H.A. Professor Recognized for Implementing AI throughout the M.H.A. Curriculum

TEXARKANA, Texas - Texas A&M University-Texarkana Assistant Professor of Health Administration and Interim Chair - Health Professions Division Dr. Chris Pratt recently won second place for his presentation titled "Building AI-Ready Healthcare Leaders: A Systems-Based Framework for Integrating AI Competencies into M.H.A. Curricula" at the annual conference of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration in San Diego, CA.

Dr. Pratt's project focused on a curriculum redesign for a Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) program that systematically embeds foundational and applied artificial intelligence (AI) competencies throughout all core courses. The innovation responds to the rapid integration of AI across healthcare operations, finance, quality, patient safety, workforce management, and strategic leadership. Rather than teaching AI as a standalone topic within the curriculum, Dr. Pratt's framework interweaves AI literacy, ethical decision-making, data analytics, game-based learning (GBL), and systems thinking into real-world cases and experiential learning activities across a broad range of classes.

These same concepts are embedded throughout the curriculum of A&M-Texarkana's new Master of Healthcare Administration degree, which launches in the upcoming Fall 2026 semester. The University's M.H.A. program prepares graduates for leadership roles in healthcare no matter their background, supporting both experienced healthcare professionals and those entering the field for the first time. With 100% online (eight-week) classes, career-ready coursework, and featuring faculty with real-world healthcare experience, the M.H.A. program at A&M-Texarkana will strengthen leadership, problem-solving, and business skills while preparing students for careers in health centers and departments, hospitals, educational institutions, and nursing and rehabilitation centers.

For additional information about the Master of Healthcare Administration program at A&M-Texarkana, please contact Dr. Chris Pratt at [email protected].