The Top Healthcare Administration MBA Online Programs

An online Master of Business Administration in healthcare administration is a degree best suited for students who have a passion for helping others. Individuals who pursue an MBA online healthcare administration degree are often drawn to careers in hospital management, hospice administration and elderly care. While a healthcare administration MBA online degree is not without its challenges, many students who are attracted to the healthcare industry find it to be a financially and personally rewarding pursuit.

Online healthcare administration MBA schools give students a solid understanding of general business practices and how they can be used in the healthcare fields. Schools with the highest online healthcare administration MBA rankings prepare students to understand the important policies that affect healthcare, provide opportunities to practice leadership skills in a clinical environment and teach advanced technologies and caregiving techniques that allow students to be competitive in the current job market.

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

Students who excel in healthcare administration MBA schools online should be interested in caregiving, healthcare policy and management.

Some other characteristics that are common in many online MBA healthcare administration students include:

• A flair for communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates
• A knack for establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships
• An inclination for organizing, planning, and prioritizing work
• A desire for guiding, directing, and motivating subordinates
• A capacity for monitoring and controlling resources

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

The time it takes to earn a healthcare administration MBA degree online is comparable to the time it takes to earn other MBAs online. To earn this degree it typically takes 2 years of full-time study. However, part-time or accelerated programs are offered by some colleges to allow students to finish the MBA under a timeframe that suits their schedule.

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

Before gaining admission in online MBA healthcare administration programs, business schools require students to have a bachelor’s degree. While having a bachelor’s degree in subjects such as business administration, health information management, administration, and healthcare may be ideal for those considering enrolling in a good MBA healthcare administration online program, it is generally not required.

In addition to requiring students to have a bachelor’s degree, many online MBA in healthcare administration programs base admission on the following criteria:

• Essays
• Personal interviews
• Academic transcripts
• Work experience

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

Most healthcare administration MBA online programs are two to three years in duration. Schools with top online MBA rankings provide students with a base of general business knowledge first-year courses in financial markets, operations strategies, public policy, marketing, accounting and leadership.

During the second and third years of study, students take electives that prepare them to manage in a healthcare environment. Some classes include healthcare ethics, payment systems, business strategies and information technology. In addition to these courses, a thesis or capstone project is usually required in order to complete an accredited MBA healthcare administration online degree.

Often students enrolled in online healthcare administration MBA programs do an internship during the course of their education. Such an internship can prove important in that it not only gives students an opportunity to practically apply the business and healthcare administration skills they are gaining 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 healthcare administration books I should consider reading?

For students interested in healthcare administration MBA careers, some on point books include:

1. Management Lessons from the Mayo Clinic: Inside One of the World’s Most Admired Service Organizations (Leonard Barry and Kent Seltman) – The authors provide an insightful look into the customer service practices, medical procedures and healthcare ideologies that have made the Mayo clinic one of the world’s best service organizations.

2. Lean Six Sigma for Hospitals: Simple Steps to Fast, Affordable, and Flawless Healthcare (Jay Arthur) – Using the business principles of Six Sigma, this book teaches how to eliminate seven key areas of management waste and provides a tool kit for implementing these changes within five days.

3. Health Policy Issues: An Economic Perspective (Paul J. Feldstein) – This book offers a clear and comprehensive overview on the major perspectives of the healthcare debate and how they will affect healthcare management in the future.

4. Health Economics and Financing (Thomas E. Getzen) – Designed to be a primer for an advanced understanding of health economics, this book is an excellent choice for students entering the best online MBA healthcare administration programs.

5. If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9 ½ Things You Would Do Differently (Fred Lee) – This engaging book takes business lessons from one of the world’s leaders in customer satisfaction and applies it to the healthcare industry using examples, illustrations and true stories.

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

Students who pursue an online MBA in healthcare administration can expect to find a booming job market upon graduation. There are currently over 287,000 jobs available in the field, and that number is expected to grow dramatically. Those looking for a high-paying healthcare administration MBA salary might be interested in some of the following positions:

• Clinical Managers – $82,000
• Health Information Managers – $65,000
• Physical Therapy Managers – $72,000
• Nursing Home Administrators – $102,000

Jobs in the field of healthcare administration are expected to increase by 22% over the next ten years, which is faster than the national average rate of job growth. The need for graduates with a traditional or online Master of Business Administration in healthcare administration is directly impacted by the needs of the aging baby-boomer population. As this group continues to stay active in their later years, it is projected that long-term medical attention will be necessary.

Many employers want graduates who have earned their degrees from a program that has been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB accredited healthcare administration MBA programs are thought to provide students with a quality education.

What are the top online schools to pursue an online Healthcare Administration MBA degree?

• Walden University
• Liberty University Online
• Northeastern University
• Strayer University
• WGU Indiana