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Key takeaway: Online healthcare administration degrees are offered at the certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level by accredited schools nationwide, and the degree is the business path into hospital, clinic, and long-term care leadership. Graduate earnings rise with credential level – from a median $35,976 four years after a certificate to $88,996 after a master’s (College Scorecard)1 – and related occupations pay a median $45,930 to $123,860 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025)2. Compare accredited programs below.
An online healthcare administration degree prepares you to run the non-clinical side of hospitals, medical groups, insurers, long-term care facilities, and public health agencies, with coursework spanning healthcare management, healthcare finance, health law and compliance, health information systems, and health policy. Accredited online programs deliver the same curriculum and degree titles as campus programs. Graduate healthcare management programs may hold CAHME accreditation, while undergraduate programs may be certified by AUPHA (Association of University Programs in Health Administration).
These accredited schools offer online programs, report healthcare administration completions, and are ordered by our independent BOC Score. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Can You Get A Healthcare Administration Degree Online? explains how accredited online healthcare administration programs work, including specializations, cost, and salary outcomes.
Browse healthcare administration programs by state
An online healthcare administration degree teaches the management, finance, legal, and information-systems skills used to operate healthcare organizations. It is a business degree applied to the healthcare industry – you study budgeting, staffing, compliance, and operations rather than patient care.
Healthcare administration is offered at the certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. College Scorecard data shows median earnings climbing with each credential: $35,976 four years after a certificate, $40,575 after an associate degree, $58,982 after a bachelor’s, and $88,996 after a master’s1.
Most healthcare administration roles do not require a license. The major exception is nursing home administration: every state licenses nursing home administrators, typically requiring a bachelor’s degree, an internship or administrator-in-training program approved by the state’s nursing home administrator licensing board, and a passing score on the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) exam. See the long-term care administration concentration for details.
An MHA (Master of Health Administration) is purpose-built for healthcare leadership and may carry CAHME accreditation; an MBA with a healthcare concentration offers broader business mobility. The right choice depends on whether you want to stay in healthcare (MHA) or keep cross-industry options open (MBA).
Yes. College Scorecard reports that 61.9% of certificate programs, 53.9% of associate programs, 45.3% of bachelor’s programs, and 33.0% of master’s programs in healthcare administration are available via distance education1.
Each step up in credential level corresponds to higher median earnings, and at every level median 4-year earnings exceed median federal debt.
| Degree level | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Certificate | $35,976 |
| Associate | $40,575 |
| Bachelor's | $58,982 |
| Master's | $88,996 |
| Degree Level | Median Earnings (1 yr) | Median Earnings (4 yrs) | Median Debt | Schools Offering | % Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | $27,871 | $35,976 | $9,105 | 1,327 | 61.9% |
| Associate | $31,782 | $40,575 | $18,273 | 823 | 53.9% |
| Bachelor’s | $44,526 | $58,982 | $26,036 | 605 | 45.3% |
| Master’s | $69,043 | $88,996 | $40,423 | 485 | 33.0% |
| Doctoral | $105,804 | $127,213 | $94,463 | 40 | 37.5% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, healthcare administration (CIP 51.07) field-of-study data.1
For lower-cost options and the full value discussion, see Affordable Healthcare Administration Programs and Is a Healthcare Administration Degree Worth It.
The curriculum is a business core rebuilt for healthcare: healthcare organization and management, healthcare finance and reimbursement, health law and compliance (HIPAA, Stark Law, fraud and abuse prevention), health information systems, health policy and economics, and human resources and quality improvement. Most programs let you focus through a concentration – health information management, long-term care administration, healthcare finance, or health policy – aligned to a distinct occupation.
See the full breakdown on the Healthcare Administration Curriculum and Healthcare Administration Concentrations pages.
Healthcare administration graduates qualify for six core occupations across hospitals, physician practices, insurers, and government. Many graduates start as medical secretaries or medical records specialists with a certificate or associate degree, move into health information or practice management roles with a bachelor’s, and reach department director or administrator positions with a master’s.
| Occupation | Projected job growth (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Manager | 23.2% |
| Health Information Technologist and Medical Registrar | 14.7% |
| Medical Records Specialist | 7.1% |
| Administrative Services Manager | 4.6% |
| Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant | 4.2% |
| Compliance Officer | 3.0% |
| Career | Median Salary (May 2025) | Job Growth (2024–2034) | Annual Openings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Manager | $123,860 | 23.2% | 62,100 |
| Administrative Services Manager | $114,130 | 4.6% | 23,200 |
| Compliance Officer | $80,730 | 3.0% | 33,300 |
| Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar | $68,020 | 14.7% | 3,200 |
| Medical Records Specialist | $51,140 | 7.1% | 14,200 |
| Medical Secretary or Administrative Assistant | $45,930 | 4.2% | 85,900 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).2
Most healthcare administration careers require no license – with one major exception. Nursing home administrators are licensed in all 50 states, typically requiring a bachelor’s degree, an administrator-in-training (AIT) internship approved by the state’s nursing home administrator licensing board, and a passing score on the NAB national exam. Some states also license assisted living administrators through NAB’s RC/AL exam. If long-term care leadership interests you, the long-term care administration concentration covers the licensure pathway in detail.
Healthcare administration or general healthcare? Choose healthcare administration for the management discipline with a defined leadership ladder; choose the broader healthcare degree guide or business administration for wider field coverage before specializing.
Compare programs by level or specialty:
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, healthcare administration (CIP 51.07), latest cohorts. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034. ↩︎ ↩︎
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