The Top Health Administration MBA
Online Programs

The online Master of Business Administration in Health Administration degree offers students a dual focus on business analysis and healthcare administration. Ideal for students who are interested in forging a health-focused career at the executive level, a health administration MBA online is designed to impart strong management skills to future leaders of hospitals, nursing homes, hospice facilities and health insurance corporations, among other institutions.

MBA health administration online students will learn fundamental business concepts traditionally offered by online MBA schools, such as economics, operations management and marketing. In addition, they will gain exposure to health policy, hospital regulations and key management strategies necessary for overseeing a health system.  Graduates of schools with top online health administration MBA rankings will be prepared for a variety of leadership positions throughout the healthcare industry.

How can I tell if an online MBA health administration degree is right for me?

An online Master of Business Administration in Health Administration is an ideal fit for students who are interested in combining business courses with courses on health policy, health ethics and hospital management.

Additional common characteristics amongst many online MBA health administration students include:

• A capability for communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates
• A propensity for establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships
• A capacity for organizing, planning, and prioritizing work
• A desire for guiding, directing, and motivating subordinates
• A skill for monitoring and controlling resources

How long does it take to earn an MBA online health administration degree?

Earning a health administration MBA degree online is comparable to earning any other online MBA. To finish this degree it generally takes 2 years of full-time study. But, some colleges offer part-time or accelerated programs that give students the flexibility to earn the MBA in a more convenient manner.

What are the prerequisites and admission requirements for MBA health administration schools online?

Accredited online MBA health administration programs normally require students to have a bachelor’s degree before enrolling in the MBA program. An undergraduate degree in areas like health services administration, business administration, administration, and allied health may be preferred by some schools that have an MBA health administration online program.

Many online MBA in health administration programs also base admission on the following criteria:

• Essays
• Personal interviews
• Academic transcripts
• Graduate Management Admission Test scores (GMAT)

What courses will I take in health administration MBA programs online?

Earning a health administration MBA online will typically require a year of general business courses, including accounting, management strategy and marketing. Health administration courses in the first year will provide an overview of the healthcare system and an introduction to healthcare ethics and health policy.

As students progress into the latter half of an online MBA in health administration program, courses typically focus on risk management, organizational behavior and legal issues in healthcare. Many of the best health administration MBA schools online require completion of an internship so that students can obtain hands-on experience in a real healthcare setting.

Students enrolled in online health administration MBA programs often participate in internships in order to enhance their education. Such an internship can be beneficial in that it not only gives students an opportunity to practically apply the business and health administration skills they are learning in an actual business setting, but it can also serve as an introduction into a particular business or company.

What are the best online MBA in health administration books I should consider reading?

Some books students wanting to pursue health administration MBA careers may find on point include:

1. Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic: Inside One of the World’s Most Admired Service Organizations (Leonard Berry) – Culled from hundreds of interviews and patient interactions, this book offers a glimpse into the management practices and hospital culture that have made Mayo Clinic a world renowned leader in healthcare.

2. Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety and Employee Engagement, Second Edition (Mark Graban) – This book details ideas for a healthcare management system that could potentially improve patient safety, care quality and patient access to care while reducing overall spending.

3. The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper and Fairer Healthcare (T.R. Reid) – Bestselling author T. R. Reid takes readers on a trip around the world to provide a glimpse of successfully functioning universal healthcare systems, and provides an explanation of how the U.S. healthcare reform bill of 2010 does or does not measure up.

4. How Doctors Think (Jerome Groopman) – This books explores the complicated relationships between doctors and their patients, and may offer valuable insight into the ways in which healthcare system administrators can support and encourage improved communication to enhance health outcomes.

5. Crisis of Abundance: Rethinking How We Pay for Healthcare (Arnold S. Kling) -This book provides an analysis of the American healthcare system and describes options for ensuring coverage for the underinsured without completely overhauling the current healthcare system.

What are my future job prospects if I pursue health administration MBA jobs?

Students who have graduated from accredited online health administration MBA schools should have little trouble starting careers in health services management, hospital administration, healthcare consulting or nonprofit management. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare field employed over 300,000 medical and health service managers in 2010, a number expected to rise substantially at least through the year 2020. The average health administration MBA salary by area of specialization is as follows:

• Hospital CEO – $199,555
• Medical/Health Services Manager – $65,277
• Healthcare Consultant – $79,783
• Healthcare Nonprofit Director – $69,169

The BLS reports that graduates of online MBA health administration programs can expect to see health management positions grow by up to 22% by the year 2020 to meet the needs of an aging population. In addition, job applicants from MBA online health administration programs will have strong management skills that can be applied to other health sectors, including nursing homes facilities and long-term rehabilitation centers.

Many employers prefer graduates who have earned their degrees from AACSB accredited health administration MBA programs. Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation typically indicates that a business school provides a quality education.