Health Care Administration Degree Programs

A health care administration degree provides the skills and knowledge that you require to help ensure that your organization has strong medical, operational, and financial administration. This page gives you more information about what is involved in studying health care administration, where you can study it online, and the job and salary prospects after completion.
As health care responds to the political directives, changing demographics and health needs of the population it serves, there is an even greater need for effective administration. An online degree in health care administration can provide the training you require to position yourself to meet the challenge.

This page includes programs suitable for a variety of positions in the health care industry, and you can find further details of these on the relevant pages, such as: Health Unit Coordinator, Medical Billing, and Medical Coding.

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What are the education requirements for jobs in health care administration?

Short online certificate programs in health care administration are usually designed for health care professionals who have (or soon will have) supervisory or management responsibilities. The minimum requirement for participation is usually an associate degree, or equivalent experience.

A Bachelors degree is enough for some entry-level positions as administrative assistants, a few senior-level positions (department heads) in smaller operations, and for some middle management jobs in larger organizations.

A Masters degree is required for almost every position in the health care management field. Graduates with a Master’s degree can apply for jobs in the industry as associate administrator, supervisor or manager of a department. Some schools/colleges offer a joint degree, e.g., an online Masters degree in Business Administration and Public Health.

What is studied in health care administration degree programs?

Health care administration professionals are those responsible for ensuring that their organizations have strong medical, operational, and financial administration. They need to liaise with many departments, so a broad education is required in an online health care administration program.

Associate degree programs are designed to enable you to learn about the healthcare delivery system, and also to develop knowledge and skills in management. Topics might include: healthcare administration, healthcare finance, healthcare records, human resources, reimbursement systems, regulations and legal issues affecting healthcare organizations.

An online bachelors degree in health care administration will provide a foundation of general education and applied sciences, plus more specialized content, including: foundations of managed care; regulation and compliance; financial management; human resources management; medical law and ethics; quality improvement.

An online master of health care administration program is designed for students to learn to critically examine and evaluate issues. The same is true for an online PhD in health care administration but it also typically includes advanced research and course work in the health care field.

What are the salary and job prospects?

Due to an an aging population and changes in government policies, the demand for healthcare services in a variety of settings will continue to expand. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical and health services managers is expected to grow 16 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than the average for all occupations.

With a health care administration associate degree, you can look for positions in health administration areas such as: medical records, medical claims, medical billing, release of information, patient financial representation.

With a bachelors degree, your studies prepare you to work as a healthcare manager in many areas of the industry, e,g., in clinics, hospitals, medical practice organizations, pharmaceutical companies.

The US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that healthcare will generate 3.2 million new jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry.

And what would the typical health administration salary be? Obviously earnings for health care administration jobs will vary depending on the size of the facility, experience, level of qualification and level of responsibility. In 2012, the median income for a licensed nursing home administrator was $84,980 and for a hospital administrator was $100,000 (PayScale.com).