Healthcare Administration Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Healthcare Administration major teaches you to manage the business side of hospitals, clinics and health systems. Healthcare administration combines business courses with health policy, law and ethics.

A Healthcare Administration major includes coursework in healthcare systems and policy, health law and ethics, healthcare finance, human resources in healthcare, and quality and patient safety and more. You build skills such as budgeting and financial analysis, regulatory compliance, staff scheduling and supervision, and data and quality reporting. Typical degrees: bachelor's degree, with a master's (MHA or MBA) common for senior management.

Typical courses include healthcare systems and policy, health law and ethics, healthcare finance, human resources in healthcare, quality and patient safety, and health information systems. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Healthcare Administration is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s, and a doctoral or professional degree takes several more years beyond that. Part-time study takes longer.

Bachelor's degree, with a master's (MHA or MBA) common for senior management. In the latest federal data, 235 colleges reported certificate awards, 171 colleges reported associate awards, 428 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, 355 colleges reported master’s awards, and 28 colleges reported doctoral awards.

Career paths connected to healthcare administration include medical and health services manager, medical administrative assistant, medical billing and coding specialist, health information technologist, office manager, and compliance officer. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include medical and health services manager (typical training: 4–6 years plus experience), medical administrative assistant (typical training: 3–12 months), medical billing and coding specialist (typical training: 4–12 months), health information technologist (typical training: 2 years), office manager (typical training: 3–5 years of administrative experience), and compliance officer (typical training: Moderate on-the-job training).

Healthcare Administration majors build skills such as budgeting and financial analysis, regulatory compliance, staff scheduling and supervision, data and quality reporting, and communication with clinicians and patients.

Good pairings include Business (strengthens general management, finance and operations skills), Accounting (helps with budgets, reimbursement and the financial reports administrators review), Public Health (connects administration to population health and community programs), and Data Analytics (prepares you to measure quality, costs and patient outcomes).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as medical and health services manager, medical administrative assistant, and medical billing and coding specialist, and enjoy subjects like healthcare systems and policy and health law and ethics. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes healthcare systems and policy, health law and ethics, and healthcare finance; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

806 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

North Carolina (73), New York (58), Pennsylvania (54), Florida (53), and Texas (52), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

759 of the colleges that offer healthcare administration also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Healthcare Administration teaches you to manage the business side of hospitals, clinics and health systems. Nursing prepares you to assess, treat and educate patients as part of a healthcare team. Healthcare Administration leads to careers such as medical and health services manager and medical administrative assistant, while Nursing leads to careers such as registered nurse and licensed practical nurse.

Healthcare Administration teaches you to manage the business side of hospitals, clinics and health systems. Public Health studies how to prevent disease and improve the health of whole communities. Healthcare Administration leads to careers such as medical and health services manager and medical administrative assistant, while Public Health leads to careers such as health educator and community health worker.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to healthcare administration, such as Medical and Health Services Manager Training.