Top Online Masters in Healthcare Administration Degrees

An MBA in Healthcare Administration is a master’s degree focused on the fundamentals of business and management in the health industry. These degree programs will cover general business studies to give you a foundation of business knowledge, with courses such as managerial economics, laws and ethics for managers, organizational behavior, and human resource management. However, the majority of the courses will focus on topics, issues, and areas of study that are specific to the health industry, such as healthcare economics, health policy, public health organization and management, and the structure of healthcare organizations.

Most use this degree to help them launch a career as a healthcare administrator. While patient care is usually the occupation that comes to mind when it comes to healthcare facilities, administrators are essential as well because they focus on the business side of health care. These professionals are responsible for keeping healthcare facilities such as hospitals, physicians’ offices, and outpatient surgery centers up and running at maximum efficiency.

Depending on the size of the facility, healthcare administrators may manage the entire facility or just a specific department or group of departments. They’re also typically responsible for hiring and managing the staff, overseeing training, maintaining the inventory of supplies, developing and overseeing the budget, and ensuring the facility meets all state and federal codes and regulations. In addition, because the health and lives of the patients depend on the staff, practices and procedures, medical equipment, and the condition of the facility, an MBA in Healthcare Administration is often the first thing that employers look for when considering a candidate for an administrator position. Earning an MBA in this discipline lets employers know that you’re knowledgeable and capable of successfully performing vital administration duties in a healthcare setting.

According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual income for healthcare administrators is $93,670. However, keep in mind that this figure can change, depending on the type of facility you work in, your employers, the amount of responsibility you have, and your level of experience. The BLS also shows that employment for healthcare administrators is expected to increase by 16% through to the year 2018, so now is a good time to earn your MBA in Healthcare Administration and launch your career in this prosperous field.