Key takeaways
- A healthcare administration degree provides the skills and knowledge needed to obtain job roles in the business side of healthcare.
- You can pursue a degree in the field at an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral level but a bachelor’s degree is the ideal entry point for aspiring professionals.
- Through the program, you will develop competencies in healthcare policy drafting and implementation, budgeting, financing, and managing healthcare services and facilities.
- Colleges offering an on-campus bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration include Monroe University, University of Texas at San Antonio, and Purdue Global.
- You can pursue an online degree in healthcare administration from Grand Canyon University, University of Arizona, University of Phoenix, and others listed below.
- With a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, you qualify for job roles such as facilities manager, administrative services manager, health services manager, and more.
- The average annual pay for health and medical services managers surpasses the average annual wage for all occupations in the US by a huge margin.
When we think about healthcare, our minds immediately go to doctors and nurses. Truth is, that while doctors and nurses are at the forefront, the healthcare industry is a vast field including an array of professionals in administrative and managerial roles. Through a healthcare administration degree, you get the chance to become part of the mechanism that runs the healthcare system.
This guide aims to equip you with in-depth knowledge about healthcare administration degrees, including program details, career opportunities, industry overview, and hiring trends.
What is healthcare administration?
Healthcare administration is a broad field encompassing the complete range of roles and responsibilities in the healthcare industry. Professionals within the administrative side of healthcare design the system, policies, procedures, and framework upon which the healthcare system runs.
These professionals create healthcare delivery guidelines, ensure their implementation, focus on optimizing the quality of care, and oversee healthcare facilities. Additionally, qualified individuals can also work in the pharmaceutical industry specifically in sales and manufacturing, management, waste disposal, and other operations.
Healthcare Administration Vs Healthcare Management
Healthcare administration and healthcare management appear to be one and the same thing upon first look. However, there are some core differences between the two, enough for colleges to offer individual degrees in both fields.
Healthcare administration focuses on policy creation, service administration, quality of care, and patient experience. Healthcare administrators’ job responsibilities include managing information systems, overseeing staff, including hiring and performance evaluations, and managing IT systems.
In comparison, healthcare management primarily focuses on organizational management and operational efficiency. This includes ensuring optimal financial health, creating strategic plans, project management, and setting an organization’s goals and vision. Professionals employed on the managerial side are responsible for overseeing budgets, creating financial plans, overseeing equipment maintenance, and so on.
Healthcare management graduates can pursue career paths such as hospital manager, finance manager, facilities manager, and so on. Those with a healthcare administration degree can pursue job opportunities such as quality assurance specialist, medical records and informatics director, health administrator, and more.
Healthcare administration degrees you can pursue
The career opportunities within the healthcare administration sector are diverse. The best way to prepare for professional roles within the field is through a formal education. You can pursue healthcare administration degrees at varying levels from an associate to a PhD.
Associate’s degree in healthcare administration
An associate degree is a 24-month program preparing students for entry-level roles in healthcare administration. Through the program, students build foundational knowledge and skills in the field enabling them to become eligible for roles such as medical transcriptionist, medical coders and billers, medical assistant, and so on.
Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration
A bachelor’s degree lasts 4 years and offers a comprehensive learning experience. It is the highest level of education a student can pursue at the undergraduate level and enables them to pursue a variety of job opportunities. These include roles such as medical director, nursing home administrator, medical records manager, and more.
Master’s degree in healthcare administration
At the advanced level, you can start with a master’s degree in healthcare administration. The program lasts between 1 to 3 years, depending on several factors including a student’s learning pace, and program type. With a master’s degree in healthcare administration, you develop specialized skills and gain advanced knowledge which can make you eligible for several upper-managerial positions.
Doctorate in healthcare administration
A doctorate is the highest level of education you can pursue in healthcare administration. The qualification will enable you to actively seek job roles in research, academia, and top-tier managerial roles. Some opportunities you can pursue are hospital administrator, hospital CEO, tenured professor of public health, and more.
Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration – Program details
Aspiring healthcare professionals interested in pursuing roles in an administrative capacity should explore a bachelor’s degree in the field. It offers the most value opening the complete range of job opportunities within the field. Professionals with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration also become eligible for promotions to senior-level positions as they gain work experience, showcase excellent performance, and make professional achievements.
Healthcare administration is an interdisciplinary program featuring courses from business principles, policy making, policy compliance, healthcare planning, healthcare marketing, and more. However, the exact program curriculum varies depending on the college and program type.
In healthcare administration, most colleges offer a Bachelor of Science (BS), but some also offer a Bachelor of Arts (BA) program. A BA program features humanities and arts courses and focuses on building skills such as problem-solving and communication. In comparison, a BS degree features science and mathematics courses building technical skills such as analytical, and critical thinking. You can also pursue a healthcare administration specialization in a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
Program Curriculum
A bachelor’s degree typically features 120 to 135 credit hours distributed between general education, major-specific courses, and electives. Through the program curriculum in a healthcare administration degree, you will build competencies in health administration, financing and regulation, healthcare policy drafting, and healthcare planning. The program features courses in business, management, healthcare administration, general education, and electives.
While the general education courses vary depending on the program type, major-specific courses will feature some similarities, especially in the fields and topics they cover.
Here are some courses you may come across in a bachelor’s program:
- Healthcare Laws and Regulations / Healthcare Policy and Governance
- Ethical Leadership
- Impacts of Use of Electronic Health Records
- Evidence-Based Healthcare Administration
- Social Implications of Medical Issues
- Human Resource Management
- Introduction to Health Informatics
- Accounting Concepts for Healthcare Professionals
- Community and Public Health
- Healthcare Finance
Additionally, the program may include courses in business administration and management such as:
- Project Management
- Operations and Supply Chain Management
- Business Communications
- Principles of Management
- Innovative and Strategic Thinking
- Concepts in Marketing, Sales, and Customer Contact
Concentrations in a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration
After completing the general education and major or core-specific requirements, students can choose a relevant concentration area within a healthcare administration bachelor. By pursuing a specialization, you can build niche-specific skills that enhance your eligibility as being a master of one trade is better than being a jack of all trades.
It is important to note that not all colleges offer the complete range of available specializations. If you aspire to pursue a specific career track, you must check the college’s program curriculum and available specializations beforehand.
Healthcare Informatics
Healthcare professionals deal with a ton of information on a daily basis. From patient records to inventory management, the amount of data to be received, recorded, and stored for the future is massive. Through the healthcare informatics specialization, students learn how to store and manage information in the health industry.
The specialization features a blend of courses from computer science, information management, data analytics, and the like. Courses in the specialization can include:
- Clinical Data Analytics and Data Support
- Social and Technical Context of Health Informatics
- Leading Change in Health Informatics
- Information Management for Quality and Safety
- Application of Technology for Population Health
Healthcare Management
Through the healthcare management specialization, you will develop expertise in healthcare facility management. In this specialization, you can expect to take a variety of courses covering every aspect of business management. These include typical business core courses such as marketing, human resource management, finance, leadership, strategic planning, and more.
Additionally, you will cover healthcare management-specific topics such as health insurance, healthcare laws and regulations, policy planning and implementation, and more. If you want to go into the business side of healthcare, this is the specialization for you. Through it, you will learn what it takes to run a healthcare facility, its financing, budgeting, and more.
Examples of courses in the specialization include:
- Healthcare Finance and Accounting
- Economics of Healthcare Delivery
- Healthcare Innovation
- Healthcare Management Fundamentals
- Decision-Making in Managed Care
Healthcare Financial Management
With a financial management specialization in a healthcare administration degree, you will learn how to manage finances in a healthcare organization. Treatments, tests, medicines, and medical procedures all come at a cost. The right decision at the right time can make a massive difference to the final billing amount. Financial management specialization will teach you efficient planning, organizing, and utilization of finance as it is a limited resource.
Additionally, students learn how to interpret financial information, make informed decisions, budgeting, financing, and accounting. Courses you can expect to take in the specialization include:
- Financial Management for Healthcare Organizations
- Financial Management and Budgeting
- Capital Financing and Advanced Issues
- Healthcare Reimbursement Strategies
- Principles of Health Economics
Healthcare Law and Policy
By specializing in healthcare law and policy, you develop a comprehensive understanding of regulations and governance in the healthcare industry. Whether you want to be a part of the team that leads reforms in the healthcare industry or aspire to build improved relations between healthcare providers and patients, this is the specialization to pursue.
Here, you can expect to take courses such as:
- US Health Law Fundamentals
- Intellectual Property in the Healthcare Industry
- Privacy Law and HIPAA
- Comparative Health Systems
- Public Regulation of Institutional Providers
Patient Safety and Quality
Patient Safety and Quality is an important concentration within the hospital administration field. Through the specialization, you will learn the core concepts of patient safety, analyze the safety guidelines, assess patient care quality, identify areas for improvement, and recommend changes. Additionally, students learn how to create patient safety plans and develop strategic plans for quality improvement.
Some courses you can expect to take in the specialization include:
- Developing an Eye for Safety and Culture
- Project Planning – Patient Safety and Quality
- Designing for Sustainment
- Implementing a Patient Safety and Quality Project
- Project Performance Monitoring and Evaluation
Admission requirements
The admission requirements for a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration vary depending on whether you are applying after high school graduation or after an associate degree. Additionally, each college lists specific admission requirements that you must meet to secure admission to the program.
For high school graduates the admission requirements can be as follows:
- High school diploma with a minimum GPA requirement
- Standardized Test Scores (SAT/ACT) – colleges may list additional requirements such as minimum scores in specific subjects.
- Recommendation letters – 2 to 3
- Personal Essay
- Language testing scores for international students
Those applying for a bachelor’s degree after completing an associate degree will have to fulfill the following admission requirements:
- Associate degree transcripts
- Specific course fulfillment – may include compulsory foundational and core courses.
- Transferable credits – out of the 65 earned credits in an associate’s degree, a minimum of 60 must be transferable.
- Recommendation letters 2-3
- Personal essay
Graduation requirements
College graduation requirements are what students need to complete in order to earn their degree. These are generally the same across all institutions except for slight variations in the specific requirements. These include:
- Fulfillment of required credits – 120 to 135 depending on the college
- Minimum CGPA – 2 to 2.5 (varies by college)
- Completion of required coursework such as general education and major-specific course requirements.
- Completion of capstone project
- Internship – experience letter must be provided
Colleges offering a bachelor’s healthcare administration degree
College planning is a lengthy and stressful process, specifically a college hunt. You can either use the college search tool by All Bachelor Degree or browse healthcare administration degrees from the list of colleges mentioned below.
| College | Acceptance % | Graduation % | Tuition |
| Monroe University | 59.8% | 55.8% | $17,922 |
| University of Texas at San Antonio | 87% | 42% | $8,991 in-state
$21,965 out-of-state |
| University of Houston Clear Lake | 69% | 62% | $7,746 in-state
$21,330 out-of-state |
| Texas Woman’s University | 94% | 70% | $8,648 in-state
$18,720 out-of-state |
| Coastal Carolina University | 79% | 47% | $11,640 in-state
$29,628 out-of-state |
| Purdue Global University | 100% | 20% | $13,356 |
Colleges offering a healthcare administration degree online
If you are looking for a more flexible alternative to a traditional on-campus degree, consider an online health administration degree instead. Here is a list of colleges from where you can pursue the program online.
| College | Acceptance % | Graduation % | Tuition |
| City University of New York | 66.6% | 57% | $7,340 in-state
$19,010 out-of-state |
| The University of Arizona | 87% | 64% | $13,626 in-state
$41,095 out-of-state |
| University of Phoenix | 100% | 27% | $9,552 |
| Columbia Southern University | 100% | 54% | $5,808 |
| Capella University | 100% | 26% | $14,436 |
| Grand Canyon University | 77.9% | 47.2% | $17,450 |
Is pursuing an online degree in healthcare administration worth it?
Online programs became a need of the hour amid COVID-19, but they stayed even after the pandemic for a number of reasons. The rising demand for virtual learning programs is owed to the number of advantages they bring to students. However, before deciding whether an online program is worth it or not, make sure you carefully consider the pros and cons of the program.
Advantages of online programs
There are significant advantages to distance learning. While not every advantage may feel like an advantage for all, most are beneficial for everyone.
- Removes geographical barriers – anyone from anywhere in the world can enroll in the program without worrying about visas or traveling.
- Lower cost of attendance – when you take traveling and accommodation expenses out of the equation, tuition remains the only cost of attendance, making online programs a cheaper alternative.
- No commute – Students don’t have to take out time to travel to campus to attend classes leaving a lot of free time on their hands.
- Free to work – Those enrolled in an asynchronous program can pursue full-time jobs while those in a synchronous program can pursue part-time jobs
Disadvantages of online programs
However, where there are pros there are also cons.
- Real-time feedback is not available for asynchronous programs
- Students can’t rely on technical support or on-campus resources.
- Time and schedule management can prove to be a challenge without a campus schedule.
- Students may feel isolated as they won’t interact with peers and fellow students.
What jobs can you get with a healthcare administration degree?
With a degree featuring coursework as diverse as a healthcare administration bachelor, you can pursue a variety of career opportunities. Moreover, the program is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed for roles in healthcare administration. Since the field is vast, so are the job opportunities you can pursue.
| Job title | Average salary |
| Medical and Health Services Manager | $110,680 |
| Administrative Services Manager | $106,470 |
| Facilities Manager | $102,340 |
| Health Information Technologists | $62,990 |
| Medical Records Specialist | $48,780 |
| Human Resources Managers | $136,350 |
| Healthcare Consultant | $103,562 |
| Assisted Living Administrator | $55,716 |
| Clinic Administrator | $73,775 |
| Medical Registrar | $62,990 |
| Medical Director | $239,154 |
| Administrative Specialist | $57,592 |
Healthcare administration industry overview
The United States spends more on healthcare on average than any other country. In 2022, the country spent USD 4.4 trillion on healthcare, of which hospital care and physician services accounted for the highest share of the overall expenditure.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a projected 29% increase in job opportunities for Health and Medical Services Managers from 2023 to 2033. Just 3 years prior, the projected job growth rate was 26%, indicating the field and employment opportunities in the field are growing at an incredibly fast rate.
Job growth for other job opportunities such as Facilities Manager and Administrative Services Manager is 6%, which is also significantly faster than the average for all other occupations. For Medical Records Specialists, the job growth rate is 9% and 16% for Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars.
Hiring trends in healthcare administration
Employers in the healthcare administration industry seek job applicants with at least a bachelor’s degree for most roles in the field. These include all the high-paying roles in particular such as Facilities Manager, Administrative Services Manager, Medical and Health Services Manager, Human Resources Manager, and so on.
However, it is possible to obtain roles such as Health Information Technologist, and Medical Registrar with an associate degree or minimal training post-high-school graduation. Additionally, senior or top-executive level positions such as Medical Services Director require possession of a master’s or higher degree holder.
Additional requirements job applicants may need to fulfill for such roles include professional work experience and skills. These include project management, strategic planning, financial management and planning, policy analysis, guidelines implementation, and more.
Some job roles such as those in health insurance companies, require specialized knowledge of healthcare policies and regulations. If you want to work in the finance department in healthcare facilities, a financial management specialization or a finance degree is a must.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about healthcare administration degrees.
College planning isn’t easy and requires substantial research. When considering college degrees, make sure you seek the answers to all your queries before enrolling in one. Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about healthcare administration degrees.
What can you do with a healthcare administration degree?
A healthcare administration degree leads to a variety of job opportunities in the business and operational side of healthcare. With a bachelor’s degree in the field, you develop comprehensive expertise in operations, healthcare policy making and implementation, creation and implementation of safety guidelines, and other roles focused on providing quality patient care.
These include roles in healthcare policy and governance, nursing home administrator, health informatics, medical information management, and more.
Is a healthcare administration degree worth it?
A healthcare administration degree focuses on building interdisciplinary skills that make students eligible for a variety of job roles. With the knowledge gained, skills developed, and qualifications earned, students can pursue career opportunities in several areas of the healthcare system, most of which are very well-paid roles.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, you become eligible for roles such as health and medical services manager, facilities manager, and more. The pay for these surpasses the average annual wage for all occupations in the United States by a significant margin as per findings published by BLS.
| Health and Medical Services Manager | Facilities Manager | All occupations |
| $110,680 | $102,340 | $65,470 |
Additionally, the job growth rate for occupations in the health and medical sector is growing at a rate higher than the national average. If you aspire to work in roles in the healthcare industry, a healthcare administration degree is a great program to pursue.
Is healthcare administration a good degree?
A healthcare administration degree features a comprehensive curriculum building technical and professional skills. These skills and competencies are transferable making it a desirable field of study. With the degree, you qualify for a wide range of high-paying job opportunities in the healthcare industry, the majority of which are high-paying and have bright career outlooks. Thus, the program has merit and scope, making it a good degree to pursue.
What does a healthcare administrator do?
The job responsibilities of a healthcare administrator are vast. They include but are not limited to:
- Managing a facility’s finances
- Hiring and training staff members
- Ensuring implementation of rules, regulations, and guidelines.
- Monitor budgets
- Aid in financial planning
- Handling patient billing and medical records.
Become a part of the health system with a healthcare administration degree!
If you are passionate about ensuring the provision of excellent patient care and would like to lead healthcare reforms and improve management, this is the right program for you. A significant number of colleges and universities in the US offer a healthcare administration degree online, enhancing the program’s feasibility. Students from anywhere in the world can obtain the professional skills and competencies needed to run healthcare facilities and systems.
If you want to work in the business side of healthcare, enroll in a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration. All Bachelor Degrees offers plenty of resources, including educational and career guides and AI Tools that you can use to make college planning easier.