Healthcare Administration Careers and Programs
Listed below are colleges and universities that offer online degrees, certificates, and diplomas in the major of Health Care Administration and a detailed list of the programs offered. Tuition, financial aid, course offerings, online classes, adult education, and distance learning options are available by request.
The Healthcare Administration Field Offers In Demand, High Paying Jobs
When you think about jobs in the health care industry you probably first think about doctors and nurses saving lives, but the enormous healthcare industry needs talented healthcare administration workers to make sure healthcare facilities run smoothly and don't grind to a halt.
In the fast-paced world of healthcare, administrators oversee the work of physicians, nurses, technicians and clerical staff. The specific role you'll play as a healthcare administrator depends on the type and size of the facility. You might manage a specific department, such as finance or patient care services or you may end up managing an entire facility.
If You have the Skills You'll be in Demand
Job opportunities are good, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects above average employment growth for healthcare administrators. You can get an entry-level job in healthcare administration with a bachelor's degree but in a tight job market an MBA is the preferred choice. A master's degree, such as a Master of Health Administration (MHA) really helps in landing a job and is especially helpful when it comes time to compete for a higher management position. A MHA or an MBA also helps you grab a bigger salary. The average healthcare administrator earns more than $90,000 per year. Some senior healthcare executives make $250,000 a year!
The Type of People Attracted to the Job
The job is a good fit for people who have strong leadership, analytical and motivational skills and have a flair for diplomacy. You'll also need good written and oral communication skills. Attention to details is also vital. Your success in the job depends a lot on your ability to get along with people.
In this job, you may have to work long hours. You may, at times, have an unusual work schedule because many healthcare facilities operate around the clock. Occasionally, you may have to stop surfing the Internet at home and go back to the facility to deal with problems.
Listed below are online Health Care Administration colleges and online Health Care Administration universities complete with the programs offered. Information about tuition, financial aid, online classes, and other options are available by submitting a form request to the appropriate online school.
Use the following link if you are interested in help with locating a college or university with an online degree in Health Care Administration.
Health Care Administration Career Outlook
A Healthy Job Market
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 16 percent employment growth from 2008 to 2018 for medical and health services managers, which is faster than average for all occupations. The BLS expects hospitals to continue to have the most medical and health services manager positions through 2018 because of the huge size of the hospital sector. The BLS expects employment to grow fast in the offices of health practitioners. Home healthcare is another fast growing field.
Having a good grasp of finance and information systems is a big plus. Also, if you gain specialized expertise in one type of healthcare facility you'll likely have an easier time finding a job in the industry.
Employers are seeking people who know how to improve the quality and efficiency of a healthcare facility's operation and reduce costs. If you're knowledgeable about healthcare information systems you'll be in demand. If you know how to implement new technology and help healthcare facilities follow new regulations you'll increase your chances of getting a good job.
If you're interested in earning a degree in healthcare administration, click here to request more information or click here to learn about more opportunities in the healthcare administration field.
Health Care Administration Salary Information
Earn a Great Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2009 managers and administrators in the health care industry received an average yearly salary of $90,970. Salaries vary based on responsibilities, experience and the type and size of the facility. According to a report by the Medical Group Management Association, the more doctors working at a facility, the higher the salary for health services managers.
Here's a list of the highest salaries in the sectors employing the largest number of health care administrators:
- 1. General and medical surgical hospitals
- 2. Outpatient care centers
- 3. Offices of physicians
- 4. Home health care services
- 5. Nursing care facilities
The American Health Information Management Association provides a Registered Health Information Administrator credential. The American Hospital Association (AHA) also has certification programs. These certifications indicate you have strong knowledge in a specific area and may lead to an increase in salary.
PayScale.com reports the average salary of people with an MHA depends on the job title:
Health Care Administration Required Job Skills and Knowledge
A master's degree is the standard in the field. Many administrators have a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree; you have more than 70 schools to choose from.
To enroll in some graduate programs you'll need an undergraduate degree in health administration or business, but some graduate programs accept you if you have a liberal arts background. Also, if you have experience in healthcare it's easier to get admitted in a master's degree program. You can complete the program in about two to three years.
With a bachelor's degree you may be able to grab an entry-level position in a small facility or a department level job in some health care organizations or even in health information management. Some doctors' offices and other facilities actually hire people who don't have a degree but have plenty of on-the-job experience.
To land a great job in the field it's best to get a master's degree. It's difficult to get a top-level job in a small facility or a middle-management job in a large facility with only a bachelor's degree.
The popular master's degrees in healthcare administration:
- • Health services administration
- • Long-term care administration
- • Public health
- • Hospital administration
- • Nursing administration
- • Health sciences
- • Public administration
- • Business administration
Accredited Colleges and Universities
Online Schools with Health Care Administration programs
University of Phoenix
-
AA - Health Care Administration
The Associate of Arts in Health Care Administration focuses on health care organizations, the roles of health care workers, public policy, information technology, financial management, and regulatory and ethical issues of health care. In this degree program, students will examine current strengths, weaknesses and challenges of the U.S. health care system.
-
B.S. in Health Administration/Health Management
The Bachelor of Science in Health Administration program integrates a foundation of general education and applied sciences with the skills needed in today's health-related settings. The curriculum addresses the basic body of knowledge, understanding and skills identified as relevant to health care services.
The Health Management concentration is designed to expand the students' health care management focus. Courses will include content in leadership theory, the legal and regulatory aspects in health care, facility planning, community health as well as an introduction to health care policy. In addition to the required course of study, students must satisfy General Education and Elective requirements to meet the 120-credit minimums (124 for Kansas) required for completion of the degree.
-
AA - Health Care Administration/Medical Records
The Health Care Administration concentration with an emphasis on Medical Records lays a foundation for further study in health care at the bachelor's degree level at University of Phoenix. Topics focus on medical terminology related to disease diagnosis and treatment, patient information management and medical claims processing. Software instruction synthesizes a variety of records processes common in medical facilities.
-
B.S. in Health Administration/Emergency Management
The Bachelor of Science in Health Administration program integrates a foundation of general education and applied sciences with the skills needed in today's health-related settings. The curriculum addresses the basic body of knowledge, understanding and skills identified as relevant to health care services.
The Emergency Management concentration is designed for EMTs, First Responders, Firefighters, or any other emergency personnel who want to expand their knowledge and skills related to emergency management. Focus will be on principles of emergency management, managing emergency response operations and planning and preparedness of emergency situations. In addition to the required course of study, students must satisfy General Education and Elective requirements to meet the 120-credit minimums (124 for Kansas) required for completion of the degree.
Ashford University
-
BA/Health Care Administration
Earn your Bachelor of Arts in Health Care Administration degree online from Ashford University, and benefit from an interdisciplinary and integrated learning approach, reflecting the realities of the health care system. Build a solid foundation for career mobility among health care professionals. Explore administration, regulation and financing, planning, and policy. Delve into the social, political, ethical, legal and economic factors contributing to the complexity of the US health care system. You'll find the program integrates the learning needs of health care professionals and others to gain knowledge in health related topics, operations, and applications.
-
MA/Health Care Administration
Foster your health care career goals by earning your Master of Arts in Health Care Administration online from Ashford University. Deepen the value of your services with the expertise that derives from an advanced degree. This graduate degree empowers you to assume leadership positions in health care organizations. You will study such areas as finance, biostatistics, and strategic planning. The program incorporates applied health care theories across the domains of organized health care. With your Master of Arts in Health Care Administration, you demonstrate your expertise in directing health care organizations, leading health professionals, and delivering invaluable services to people in need.
-
BA/Health Care Studies - Psychology
Make a difference in peoples' health! With your Bachelor of Arts in Health Care Studies earned online from Ashford University, you demonstrate your knowledge and skills to provide quality service in the health care industry. The health care industry is one of the largest in the United States and will continue to grow. In this curriculum, you will learn about the US health care system, as well as medical ethics and law. Your courses cover subjects from community health to special populations. Use previous education or work experience to enhance and personalize your Bachelor of Arts in Health Care Studies degree when you pair it with a transfer concentration.
-
BA/Organizational Management - Health Care Administration
Earn your Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management degree online from Ashford University, and examine the human side of managing organizations. Learn to facilitate better communication, group behavior, decision-making, and human resources management while observing a code of ethics. Improve your understanding of how organizations function and develop effective skills in management and leadership. Define and understand strategic planning, financial management, law and marketing and other areas in which an organizational leader must be knowledgeable in order to be effective. Use previous education or work experience to enhance and personalize your Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management degree when you pair it with a transfer concentration.
Strayer University
-
Bachelor of Business Administration: Health Services Administration Concentration
The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) prepares graduates for a wide range of managerial positions in business, government, and non-profit organizations. Business administration students acquire fundamental as well as practical and professional skills in all phases of business, including decision-making and problem-solving. The BBA program offers area concentrations that enable students to tailor their degrees to their career and educational goals.
-
Master of Business Administration: Health Services Administration Concentration
The MBA program offers a broad set of business management tools while also allowing students a choice of concentration in order to tailor their degrees to fit their careers and learning goals. The program curriculum prepares working professionals to become effective decision makers and managers in a world increasingly affected by globalization, technology, and ethical challenges. It is designed for working professionals from a wide range of backgrounds who wish to advance or enhance their business careers.
-
Master of Health Services Administration
The Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA) program is designed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals and others in health services support industries that wish to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to assume mid-level and executive level managerial positions in health services organizations. Health Services Administration degrees prepare students by training them to manage and direct the business aspects of healthcare. Specific careers, as identified by the Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration (ACEHSA), include working as hospital administrators, healthcare managers, managed healthcare plan coordinators, and administrators of short and long-term residential facilities.
Walden University
-
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Healthcare Management
Gain the knowledge and expertise you need to advance your career and meet the increasing demand for highly skilled managers in the healthcare industry. This program focuses on issues like patterns of disease and injury, assessment of global health issues, and application of healthcare management concepts and theories. You can position yourself for a career in hospitals, clinics, retirement communities, ambulatory care centers, rehabilitation and long-term-care facilities, and home healthcare settings.
-
Master of Healthcare Administration - General
This practice-oriented online degree program features a relevant, current curriculum that addresses the core competencies and best practices of the profession. It emphasizes understanding clinical service delivery through the analysis of the day-to-day operations in clinical support service activities and includes a practicum to give you hands-on experience in the field. The cutting-edge curriculum will help you develop the skills, knowledge, and expertise in health care management needed for leadership positions across the spectrum of health care delivery organizations.
-
Post-Master's Certificates in Nursing - Nursing Leadership & Management
The demand for nurse leaders in education, technology, clinical settings, and at the upper levels of management is increasing. As a professional nurse seeking to meet this growing demand, you must have access to the most current thinking and best practices. Earning a Post-Master's Certificate in Nursing can help you bolster your skills so you can help meet rapidly growing demands for better patient care, achieve greater professional recognition, create new career opportunities or improve long-term career prospects, and improve your position with regard to compensation.
Certificates:
- Nursing Education
- Nursing Leadership & Management
- Nursing Informatics
Walden University's M.S. in Nursing (MSN) is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate education programs in preparing effective nurses. For students, accreditation signifies program innovation and continuous self-assessment. Graduates recognize that, as they seek new positions or entry into doctoral programs, accreditation is valued and may be required.
-
Ph.D. in Health Services - Self-Directed - Health Care Administration
Meeting the demand for high-quality, accessible healthcare is one of society's most critical challenges. Walden's Ph.D. in Health Services can help prepare you for decision-making roles at a range of healthcare organizations in the private and public sectors. This degree program offers three ways to learn. Depending on your specialization, you can choose from the course-based, self-directed, or mixed-model format.
Specializations
- Community Health Education and Advocacy
- Health Care Administration
- Health Management and Policy
- Leadership
- Public Health Policy
- Self-Designed
Health Care AdministrationLearn to apply best practices in leadership, ethics, and strategic planning as you prepare to administer healthcare programs and services in a range of economic and political settings.
Grand Canyon University
-
B.S. in Health Care Administration
This professional degree program equips students for entry-level supervisory roles in health care organizations. Ideal candidates for this program are students looking for career entry in health care administration and those looking to advance from clinical or technical roles to supervisory roles.
The program emphasizes both the conceptual and analytical skills required to manage in contemporary health care organizations. The program also prepares students who wish to eventually seek their master's degree in order to obtain senior health care executive positions.
The curriculum features investigative and experimental opportunities in project management, teamwork, and leadership. Students of this program will have the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the health care organization, strategic management and decision-making, finance, human resources, marketing, information management, and quality improvement. In addition, the impact of various dynamics, including regulatory, legal, ethical and public policy, are explored.
Graduates of this program are prepared for administrative positions in hospitals, long-term care, outpatient facilities, physician offices, mental health organizations, insurance companies, public health agencies, and other types of health organizations.
Prospective students should have some previous college experience.
-
M.B.A.: Health Systems Management
The Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Health Systems Management prepares students to compete for critical leadership roles in current and future organizations. The coursework addresses leadership theory, problem solving, organizational leadership, self-leadership, and highly effective teams. The program prepares students for advanced management or senior administration positions in the health care industry through coursework that addresses the legal and ethical concerns in health care.
Prospective students must have completed a bachelor's degree program prior to enrolling.
-
B.S. in Health Sciences: Professional Development and Advanced Patient Care
The nursing practice continues to change and become more complex. As a result there is an increasing demand for nursing professionals with training in areas such as communication, leadership and critical thinking, and a bachelor's degree or higher is often required for greater effectiveness and promotion to management and leadership positions.
This very current and relevant curriculum is a degree completion program designed for health care professionals who graduated from accredited certificate and/or associate degree program and who wish to acquire baccalaureate level competencies in health sciences theory and in health care professional issues. Courses include advanced patient care, health care systems and trends, risk management, health care regulations, pharmacology, statistics, transcultural health care, and spirituality in health care In addition, a capstone course is designed to aid in the development of inquiry and research skills.
Graduates of this course are equipped with the knowledge, skills and academic credentials to taken on greater responsibility and be more effective nursing professionals.
-
M.S. in Health Care Administration
The health care industry will continue to expand and diversify, requiring qualified managers to improve quality and efficiency of health care, while controlling costs, as insurance companies and Medicare demand higher levels of accountability.
This comprehensive and current degree program provides the skills and experience necessary to perform as middle- and upper-level managers in a variety of health care organizations, and to serve as innovative change agents and leaders of organizational improvement and adaptation within the health care industry. The program emphasizes the conceptual, analytical, and application skills required to manage in contemporary health care organizations. Courses include an in-depth examination of health sciences, contemporary health care, research, leadership, organizational structure, human resources, marketing, and business and project planning.
Graduates prepare themselves to excel in administrative positions in hospitals, long-term care facilities, outpatient facilities, physician offices, mental health agencies, insurance companies, public health agencies, and other types of health organizations.
Prospective students must have completed a bachelor's degree program prior to enrolling.
South University Online
-
Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management
The Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management at South University can prepare you to find your place in one of today's fastest-growing professions. Designed for working adults, students can gain a real-world understanding of the skills and capabilities needed to succeed in a healthcare management setting.
-
Master of Business Administration Healthcare Administration Specialization
The South University Master of Healthcare Administration online program is designed for those individuals who want to excel at every level of decision-making. This MBA program provides a sound foundation in business analysis and a rigorous specialization in healthcare administration.
Northcentral University
-
DBA/Health Care Administration
Earning a Doctor of Business Administration degree in Health Care Administration provides training for students to bring managerial expertise to the health care industry. Health care administrators are in demand at entry and advanced managerial positions in hospitals, in health insurance companies, and in governmental and public health agencies. Prospective students must meet certain prerequisite requirements such as a bachelor's or master's degree or relevant work experience prior to enrolling. These requirements can be discussed with the career counselor when they call.
-
Ph.D.BA/Health Care Administration
Our Ph.D. in Business Administration/Health Care Administration degree program provides training for learners to bring managerial expertise to the health care industry. Health care administrators are in demand at entry and advanced managerial positions in hospitals, in health insurance companies, and in governmental and public health agencies.
Prospective students must meet certain prerequisite requirements such as a bachelor's or master's degree or relevant work experience prior to enrolling. These requirements can be discussed with the career counselor when they call.
Virginia College
-
Master of Business Administration - Healthcare
This program is designed for those already working in the healthcare field who seek advancement as well as for those who desire a career in the business side of healthcare. A master's degree in such areas as health services administration, long-term care administration, health sciences, public health, public administration, or business administration is the standard credential for most generalist positions in this field. The program offers business management skills needed within today's health care systems, emphasizing core management, strategy and analytics. The concentration includes courses in marketing for health care organizations, health care accounting, and health care law.
Colorado Technical University
-
Associate of Science in Health Administration Services
-
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Health Care Management
Earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Health Care Management can help students develop specific skills and knowledge relating to managing health care settings. Courses will cover current legal, ethical, and regulatory issues in health care and managing techniques unique to this industry. Within the program at no additional cost or coursework graduates can earn Academic Certificates in Basics of Accounting and Finance, Business Fundamentals, Business in the Global Environment, Management Essentials, Organizational Systems Improvement, and Project Planning to enhance their education credentials.
-
Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration
The Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration (BSHSA) degree program is designed for students with an Associate degree* in a health services field and/or those with an unrelated Associate degree who are currently working in a health services field. This program is designed to help prepare you to become an administrative leader in a health services organization.
The BSHSA degree program includes a comprehensive overview of healthcare systems that can help provide you with knowledge regarding the complexity and interrelatedness of the delivery of healthcare services. This program also includes a unique opportunity to spend two quarters in a healthcare organization exploring the intricacies of health services administration. At the completion of the externship, you will be expected to make a professional presentation to the host organization and your peers.
*Degree must be from an institution holding a regional accreditation recognized by CTU.
