Online Healthcare Administration Degree Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration

According to Dr. Toni Clayton, executive director of healthcare professions at Southern New Hampshire University, a bachelor's in healthcare administration, whether online or on campus, can help you develop your managerial skills, so you can lead processes and staff for various units, floors, departments or an entire facility within a healthcare setting.

A Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration ultimately may help you improve patient care and the patient experience at your organization.

“Healthcare administrators support policies and processes for the delivery of care and services that impact our patient populations,” Clayton said. “It requires leaders to apply healthcare principles and methodologies as they manage people and processes.”

With your bachelor's in healthcare administration, you position yourself for leadership roles in facilities, clinical departments and medical practices.

"Since enrolling at SNHU, my career aspirations have significantly increased, because I’ve come to understand my own potential," said Suejaan Alicia Torres '21.

Dr. Toni Clayton, executive director of healthcare professions at Southern New Hampshire University, noted those with a healthcare administration degree could work in places like:

• Ambulatory care and nursing homes
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Department of Health (DOH)
• Federally qualified health centers
• Hospice services
• Hospitals
• Mental health organizations
• Physician practices
• Rehabilitation centers
• State and local agencies
• Universities and research institutions

Today, professionals in healthcare management often combine their credentials with work experience in a healthcare facility, according to the BLS.¹ Yet there are a myriad healthcare settings – government, independent, nonprofit and commercial – that could benefit from the expertise of an employee with a degree in healthcare management. For that reason, healthcare manager, administrator, director and executive jobs and positions are regularly found at:

• Healthcare entities and providers: These include aforementioned settings such as hospitals, physicians' groups or practitioners' offices, nursing and residential care facilities, hospices, outpatient care centers, clinics and similar organizations, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB).² Recently, however, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase and Apple entered this space and are disrupting traditional healthcare provider models by forming independent healthcare companies for their employees.
• Healthcare suppliers and vendors: The people, agencies or companies – other than providers – that furnish goods, supplies, equipment and services used in patient care and treatment, also as defined by NPDB.²
• Pharmaceutical, biotech, biomedical and related industries: These are the companies that research, develop, design and manufacture new treatments, medicines and cures, as well as the medical and surgical devices, equipment, software and applications used in healthcare.
• Health insurance companies: Commercial or private market health insurance coverage can be confusing "both to policymakers and to employers and enrollees," noted the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).³ Some of the complexity stems from the multiple health plans and systems involved, including health maintenance organizations (HMO), preferred provider organizations (PPO), exclusive provider organizations (EPOs) and point-of-service (POS).
• Education: College and universities, some of which are affiliated with teaching hospitals and other health facilities, are educating and training the next generation of healthcare managers. Working for post-secondary education programs usually requires an advanced degree.
• Government agencies: Numerous health and human services, social services and public health services are administered and managed at the local, state and federal level. Agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), also help create laws and regulations governing healthcare and public policy.⁴

In most of the above-mentioned settings, a professional with a healthcare management degree can expect to work with some or all of the key stakeholders, defined as the 4 Ps by the Joint Learning Network: patients, providers, payers and policy-makers.⁵

Read more about why healthcare administration may make sense for you.

Yes. As baby boomers (the largest generation) continue to reach retirement age and require more services, the need for more qualified health professionals will continue to grow.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for medical and health services managers could grow 28% through 2032 – much faster than the increase in jobs across all industries.¹ That's an additional 144,700 positions that could be created in that time.¹

In 2022, nearly 1/3 of medical and health services managers worked in hospitals. Other large employers include physicians' offices, nursing and residential care facilities, government and outpatient care centers.¹

What's right for your goals and life may not be what works for other students. The "best" online school is the one that meets your needs.

You'll want to initiate a discussion with your admission counselor about whether we offer everything you want in an online college. Some things that are specific to our health administration degree include:

• Curriculum: Review the courses in your major to determine if they can help you take your career in the direction you want to go.
• Experiential learning opportunities: Hands-on experience can help prepare you for your career and increase your confidence. It can also add depth to your resume. Take advantage of opportunities that come your way, like the HEaRT Challenge.
• Value: You're likely to see a return on your investment when you enroll in our online health administration degree program, which has some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation. In addition, you can lower your costs further by transferring up to 90 credits toward your bachelor's degree.
• Specializations: What's best for you also might mean earning a more focused health administration degree. We offer 2 concentrations for our program: health information management and patient safety and quality. A specialized degree could help you stand out in the job market.

We know online schooling may not be comfortable for everyone. That's why we do everything we can to support you every step of the way.

“I've had a lot of support throughout my time at SNHU, from the very beginning with my advisor, who has just been phenomenal,” said Ali Lamoureux '22. “She's helped me pick classes, figure out the best career path and has helped answer all my questions.”

Mary Shannon Brady '21 had a similarly positive experience. "The way the program is set up allows for constant interaction with classmates through discussion board activities, so students are never without classroom interaction, even if it is virtual," she said.

In the end, only you can make the decision on which factors can help you make your decision.

The classes you'll take in our healthcare administration degree program can help you develop the skills needed to succeed in a variety of healthcare settings.

At Southern New Hampshire University, you can have confidence that what you're learning in your classes is what the healthcare industry wants today. In fact, the entire program's curriculum was designed to align with the curriculum principles developed by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA).

It's important to note our program's alignment with the AUPHA competencies (which the organization has deemed as crucial) because these outcomes are also considered critical by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance (HLA). The HLA is made up of 6 leading professional organizations:

• American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
• American College of Physician Executives (ACPE)
• American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE)
• Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA)
• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
• Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)

Our online health administration degree program can position you for the training and expertise needed to become a leader in the industry. Topics you'll cover throughout your BS in Healthcare Administration program may include:

• Economics
• Epidemiology
• Ethical and legal issues
• Human resources
• Marketing
• Reimbursement
• Organizational behavior

You'll also have the ability to choose 3 free elective courses, so you can focus on the areas of healthcare administration you're most interested in. Or you could choose to 1 of 2 concentrations offered with this major:

• Health Information Management, which gives you insight into better integration of technology in healthcare organizations.
• Patient Safety and Quality, which helps you develop more awareness about the relationships between the 2 and creating techniques to improve them.

This online health administration degree prepares you to become a decision-maker regarding the planning, directing and coordination of health services.

How long it takes to earn your bachelor's in health administration depends on several factors.

If you've attended other colleges in the past, you'll want to transfer in your previously earned credits. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) offers students a generous transfer policy, accepting up to 90 credits toward your program here. Our admission team requests all your past transcripts and provides you with a free transfer credit evaluation, so you can see just how many classes you'd need to take at SNHU to finish your program.

You'll also need to think about whether you want to enroll in your program part time or full time. At SNHU, your enrollment status is defined as:

• Part-time enrollment: 1 class per 8-week term
• Full-time enrollment: 2 classes per 8-week term

With 6 undergraduate terms a year, you decide exactly when you earn your degree – because it's on your schedule. Your academic advisor can help you map out your courses, so you have a plan in place to reach your goals.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the 2023 median annual wage for medical and health services manager roles was $110,680. The highest 10% of workers earned more than $216,750.¹

Within popular industries, the BLS reports median annual salaries in 2023 as:¹

• Hospitals: $128,740
• Government: $125,590
• Outpatient care centers: $104,710
• Physicians' offices: $102,360
• Nursing and residential care facilities: $97,490