A rewarding career in healthcare administration awaits
You don’t need to be a doctor or a nurse to make a significant difference in healthcare. The allied health field offers many opportunities for healthcare administrators and managers to become behind-the-scenes heroes helping patients outside of direct patient care.
Herzing University offers multiple degree options in healthcare administration, both undergraduate and graduate:
- Associate degree. Earn the education you need to qualify for entry-level positions in an administrative role—in less than 2 years.
- Bachelor’s degree. Transfer up to 90 approved prior college credits into a bachelor’s degree program and take your career to the next level. You may earn dual credit towards an MBA in Healthcare Management – or another concentration of your choosing.
- Master's degree. Advance to upper-level roles in health administration and management by earning a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration.
Our goal is to help you follow your unique educational path towards the healthcare career you’ve always wanted. Take your next step by teaming up with a lifelong partner in learning.
Classes Start June 6th
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Follow your career pathway with Herzing
- Program length: 16 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Credential earned: Associate of Science in Healthcare Administration
- Program length: 32 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Credential earned: Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration
- Program length: 16 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Credential earned: Master of Science in Healthcare Administration
- Program length: 14 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Credential earned: Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management
- Program length: 8 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Credential earned: Post Master's Certificate in Healthcare Management
Possibilities
What can I do with a degree in healthcare administration?
The field of healthcare administration and management covers many different potential job titles—from entry-level administrative roles to positions at the managerial level.
Career opportunities in healthcare administration include:
- Medical Secretary
- Administrative Support Specialist
- Administrative Coordinator
- Healthcare Administrator
- Clinical Manager
- Practice Manager
Medical and Health Services Manager Ranked #4 in 100 Best Jobs of 2022 by U.S. News & World Report
How can I advance my career? While there can be multiple factors considered in a promotion, one of the best ways to start climbing the ladder is to further your education. We offer multiple undergraduate degree options in healthcare with eligibility to build towards an MS in Healthcare Administration, or an MBA with several options for concentration, including healthcare management.
Job outlook
According to 2020 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of healthcare administration professionals is projected to rise from 2020-2030:*
- Medical secretaries: 11% increase
- Medical and health services managers: 32% increase
Now is a great time to earn an undergraduate degree in healthcare administration and join a rapidly growing field.
Frequently Asked Questions
Healthcare administrative work settings include hospitals, physician offices, nursing and residential care facilities, outpatient care centers, insurance companies and government agencies. Administrators typically work alongside medical personal in an office environment.
No, you will need more than an associate degree in healthcare administration to apply for certification.
To become eligible for certifications you will need to earn a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration. After obtaining your bachelor’s degree, these certifications include:
- Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt (LSSYB) from GoLeanSixSigma
- Certified Specialist in Managed Care (CSMC) through Healthcare Financial Mgmt Associations (HFMA)
Health administration covers a wide variety of different positions, from entry level roles to management-oriented roles, titles including “Hospital Administrator” or “Practice Administrator.” Because of this, pay can vary widely.
According to 2020 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical secretaries/administrative assistants earn an average salary of $39,000 per year ($18.75 per hour). This estimate does not represent entry-level/starting pay. Average pay varies based on level of experience, education and state of employment.*
The benefits of working in health administration include:
- You can work in many different settings, including hospitals, healthcare clinic, long-term care facility, doctor’s offices, insurance companies and government agencies.
- Career mobility is high, as your versatile skillset is applicable in many different environments and gives you more choice in pursuing your career path.
- The field is growing, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating a 15% increase in employment in healthcare from 2019-2029.*
- You can help people get better, but you don’t necessarily need to be directly involved in patient care and treatment.
Yes, and it’s projected to rise. The BLS projects employment of medical secretaries/administrative assistants to rise 11% from 2020-2030.*
Now is a good time to get the education you need to start a career in healthcare administration & management.
There is a lot of overlap in terminology between roles in healthcare management vs. healthcare administration. However, they are unique career paths requiring distinct sets of skills:
- Healthcare management. Healthcare managers deal in the overall operation of an organization. Their primary role is in leadership and the business side of healthcare. Healthcare managers interact with stakeholders and other board members for organizational direction and planning, usually involves managing more than one department—or an entire clinic.
- Healthcare administration. Healthcare administrators are more concerned with day-to-day operations. An administrator’s focus is on daily staff management and administrative procedures within a department. Healthcare administrators usually report to healthcare managers, and work within individual departments as supervisors or manager support. They may be found in smaller, rural areas as office managers or other similar job titles depending on area, experience and availability.
Smaller healthcare institutions may merge the roles into single positions and use each term interchangeably, but bigger facilities will often specialize into unique roles and differentiate them more clearly in terms of management or administration.
As a healthcare administrator, your day-to-day tasks may vary. They could include meetings, communications (either written or verbal), and working with medical personnel from your own or different departments.
Your role may also involve day-to-day operations that keep things running smoothly. This may include staffing, patient relations, scheduling and inventory control.
Program Finder
Healthcare Administration Degree Programs
Showing 3 programs for the Online campus
To learn more about this program, click the Request Info button to the right.
To learn more about this program, click the Request Info button to the right.
This program provides students with a solid foundational understanding of the health care environment and knowledge necessary for entry-level administrative positions in healthcare. Many students enter into this associate degree program after having completed a certificate or diploma program in a healthcare discipline. Students who have not completed all the requirements of a healthcare program may complete coursework by taking individual healthcare courses drawn from Herzing University's healthcare programs.
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Accreditations & Disclosures
Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
View Herzing University Accreditation and Approvals
Eligible states for enrollment: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District Of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
* Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2020. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.