What Degree Do You Need for a Career in Healthcare Administration? 

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Health­care admin­is­tra­tion is a fast-grow­ing field with a pro­ject­ed 23% job growth and strong salaries dri­ven by expand­ing health­care needs and dig­i­tal transformation.
• Stu­dents can enter or advance in the field through three main degree pathways—BHA, MHA, or an MBA in Healthcare.
• Health­care admin­is­tra­tors play vital roles in man­ag­ing oper­a­tions, bud­gets, com­pli­ance, tech­nol­o­gy, and strate­gic plan­ning across hos­pi­tals, clin­ics, pub­lic health agen­cies, and more.
• Advanced degrees like the MHA or health­care-focused MBA lead to high­er-lev­el lead­er­ship roles and salaries, espe­cial­ly when paired with CAHME accred­i­ta­tion and rel­e­vant certifications.

Accord­ing to the Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics, jobs for med­ical and health ser­vices man­agers are pro­ject­ed to grow 23% from 2024 to 2034. That kind of growth does­n’t hap­pen by acci­dent. Health­care is expand­ing, and hos­pi­tals and clin­ics are rely­ing on qual­i­fied admin­is­tra­tors who know how to keep com­plex sys­tems run­ning smoothly.

This leads to the ques­tion almost every­one asks at the begin­ning: “What degree do you need for health­care admin­is­tra­tion?”

The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some pur­sue a BHA, oth­ers return for an MHA to deep­en lead­er­ship skills, and some enter the field with a busi­ness focus through an MBA in healthcare.

This guide walks through what each option is and how to become a health­care admin­is­tra­tor. Any­one inter­est­ed in health­care admin­is­tra­tion degree require­ments will find every­thing they need right here.

Relat­ed:

• Best Schools for Health­care Administration
• Ris­ing Pop­u­lar­i­ty of Online Degrees in Healthcare
• Accel­er­at­ed Health­care Admin­is­tra­tion Pro­grams for Future Leaders
• Most Afford­able Online Health­care Admin­is­tra­tion Bachelor’s Degree Programs

Role of Healthcare Administrators

Before div­ing into the best degrees for health­care man­age­ment, it helps to under­stand what health­care admin­is­tra­tors actu­al­ly do.

What Healthcare Administrators Do 

Their work varies depend­ing on where they’re employed, but here’s a gen­er­al health­care admin­is­tra­tion career overview:

• Man­ag­ing hos­pi­tal or clin­ic departments
• Devel­op­ing and over­see­ing budgets
• Coor­di­nat­ing patient services
• Ensur­ing com­pli­ance with health­care regulations
• Lead­ing qual­i­ty and safe­ty improve­ment initiatives
• Guid­ing strate­gic planning
• Super­vis­ing staff and sup­port­ing work­force development
• Over­see­ing patient records and data systems
• Imple­ment­ing new health­care poli­cies and technologies

Where They Work 

Health ser­vices man­age­ment jobs are com­mon­ly found in:

• Hos­pi­tals
• Out­pa­tient clin­ics and spe­cial­ty practices
• Insur­ance companies
• Long-term care and assist­ed liv­ing facilities
• Gov­ern­ment and pub­lic health agencies
• Tele­health organizations
• Behav­ioral health centers
• Health­care con­sult­ing firms

Essential Skills

• Strong lead­er­ship and com­mu­ni­ca­tion skills for guid­ing teams and resolv­ing conflicts.
• Finan­cial lit­er­a­cy to man­age bud­gets and under­stand rev­enue cycles.
• Data-dri­ven deci­sion-mak­ing using EHRs, dash­boards, and ana­lyt­ics tools.
• Sol­id under­stand­ing of reg­u­la­tions such as HIPAA and CMS guidelines.
• Com­fort with health­care tech­nol­o­gy, includ­ing dig­i­tal health tools and telemedicine.

Job Outlook and Salary 

The health­care man­age­ment salary and job out­look is expect­ed to be excep­tion­al­ly strong. Accord­ing to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics:

• Medi­an annu­al salary: $117,960 (BLS, 2024 data)
• Top earn­ers: $219,080
• Job growth: 23% from 2024–2034

The increas­ing health­care needs of old­er adults, shifts in health­care pol­i­cy, and the ongo­ing dig­i­tal trans­for­ma­tion across hos­pi­tals and health sys­tems dri­ve this growth.

Common Degrees: BHA, MHA, MBA (Healthcare)

So, what degree do you need for health­care admin­is­tra­tion? There are three path­ways to break into health­care administration:

1. Bach­e­lor’s in Health­care Administration
2. Mas­ter of Health­care Admin­is­tra­tion (MHA)
3. MBA in Health­care Management

Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration (BHA)

The direct entry point into health­care management.

BHA degree online and on-cam­pus is a prac­ti­cal start­ing place for indi­vid­u­als who want to enter the field with a sol­id foun­da­tion in health­care sys­tems, pol­i­cy, and admin­is­tra­tive functions.

What stu­dents learn:

• Health­care operations
• Health pol­i­cy and reform
• Patient safe­ty and quality
• Health­care law and ethics
• Account­ing and finance
• Human resources in healthcare
• Com­mu­ni­ty and pop­u­la­tion health

Ide­al for:

• First-time col­lege students
• Indi­vid­u­als seek­ing entry-lev­el admin­is­tra­tive roles
• Pro­fes­sion­als in med­ical offices or hos­pi­tals want­i­ng to advance

Career oppor­tu­ni­ties:

• Patient ser­vices coordinator
• Health ser­vices manager
• Med­ical office administrator
• Admis­sions supervisor
• Clin­ic oper­a­tions assistant

Salary expec­ta­tions:

Salaries for entry-lev­el health­care man­age­ment jobs usu­al­ly fall between $70K and $95K, depend­ing on the orga­ni­za­tion and location.

Master’s in Healthcare Administration (MHA)

The most tar­get­ed degree for lead­er­ship roles.

The mas­ter’s in health­care admin­is­tra­tion is often described as the pre­mier degree for health­care admin­is­tra­tors who want to advance into direc­tor, man­ag­er, or exec­u­tive-lev­el positions.

What stu­dents learn:

• Health­care strat­e­gy and leadership
• Health eco­nom­ics
• Orga­ni­za­tion­al behavior
• Advanced qual­i­ty and patient safety
• Health­care informatics
• Data ana­lyt­ics for decision-making
• Finan­cial man­age­ment for health­care systems

Ide­al for:

• BHA grad­u­ates
• Nurs­es, allied health pro­fes­sion­als, or clin­i­cians mov­ing into leadership
• Mid-career pro­fes­sion­als look­ing to advance
• Indi­vid­u­als aim­ing for direc­tor-lev­el roles or higher

Career out­comes:

• Hos­pi­tal administrator
• Depart­ment director
• Clin­ic or ser­vice line manager
• Health pol­i­cy advisor
• Chief Oper­at­ing Offi­cer (COO)
• Pop­u­la­tion health manager

Salary expec­ta­tions:

Upon com­plet­ing the MHA degree require­ments, grad­u­ates can enter roles pay­ing $95K to $130K, with high­er poten­tial as they gain expe­ri­ence. The best MHA pro­grams 2026 often have bet­ter net­work­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties, lead­ing to faster degree ROI. 

MBA in Healthcare Management 

The best choice for those who want busi­ness flexibility.

MBA health­care man­age­ment blends tra­di­tion­al busi­ness train­ing with health­care-spe­cif­ic course­work. It’s espe­cial­ly appeal­ing to peo­ple tran­si­tion­ing into health­care from oth­er indus­tries or those who want a skillset that works across sectors.

What stu­dents learn:
Stu­dents com­plete core busi­ness cours­es such as:

• Finance and accounting
• Mar­ket­ing
• Orga­ni­za­tion­al leadership
• Strat­e­gy
• Data ana­lyt­ics

Then they take health­care elec­tives like:

• Health­care sys­tems and policy
• Health­care operations
• Health­care qual­i­ty and analytics

Ide­al for:

• Busi­ness pro­fes­sion­als mov­ing into healthcare
• Indi­vid­u­als who want cross-indus­try career mobility
• Those aim­ing for exec­u­tive roles that blend finance, strat­e­gy, and operations

Career out­comes:

• Health­care oper­a­tions manager
• Strat­e­gy consultant
• Cor­po­rate health­care executive
• Health­care entrepreneur
• Senior insur­ance or pay­er sys­tems leader

Salary expec­ta­tions:
MBA health­care lead­er­ship degree grad­u­ates often earn $100K to $150K, depend­ing on the role.

The next sec­tion will com­pare side-by-side the dif­fer­ences between BHA vs MBA vs MHA.

Comparison Table: BHA vs MHA vs MBA (Healthcare)

Accreditation: CAHME-Approved Programs

What CAHME Accreditation Means 

The Com­mis­sion on Accred­i­ta­tion of Health­care Man­age­ment Edu­ca­tion (CAHME) eval­u­ates and approves health­care admin­is­tra­tion programs—particularly MHAs and sim­i­lar degrees.

CAHME MHA schools are known for:

• High aca­d­e­m­ic standards
• Strong eth­i­cal and lead­er­ship training
• Rel­e­vant indus­try curriculum
• Close part­ner­ships with health­care organizations
• Rig­or­ous practicum or res­i­den­cy components 

Why Accreditation Matters 

Stu­dents who grad­u­ate from CAHME-accred­it­ed pro­grams often enjoy advan­tages like:

• Strong employ­er recognition
• Bet­ter access to fel­low­ships and internships
• Stronger alum­ni and pro­fes­sion­al networks
• Increased con­fi­dence in cur­ricu­lum quality
• Eli­gi­bil­i­ty for some admin­is­tra­tive fellowships

Other Accreditations to Look For

In addi­tion to CAHME, you can also look for the fol­low­ing health­care admin­is­tra­tion accreditation:

• Region­al accred­i­ta­tion (HLC, MSCHE, NECHE, etc.) ensures over­all uni­ver­si­ty quality.
• AACSB accred­i­ta­tion for busi­ness schools strength­ens MBA reputation. 

Online vs. In-Person Options 

Online Healthcare Administration Degrees 

Online health­care admin­is­tra­tion degrees are often the best fit for work­ing adults bal­anc­ing jobs, fam­i­ly, and education.

Ben­e­fits:

• Flex­i­ble schedules
• Low­er over­all cost
• Abil­i­ty to com­plete intern­ships locally
• Options for asyn­chro­nous and syn­chro­nous classes

Some of the best online MHA pro­grams are offered by:

1. Pur­due Global
2. Walden Uni­ver­si­ty
3. Uni­ver­si­ty of Cen­tral Flori­da (UCF)

In-Person Programs

Some stu­dents still pre­fer the struc­ture and com­mu­ni­ty of on-cam­pus learning.

Advan­tages:

• Stronger net­work­ing and peer connections
• More hands-on sup­port from faculty
• Built-in practicum opportunities
• Access to cam­pus resources and organizations

MHA stu­dents pur­su­ing admin­is­tra­tive fel­low­ships may ben­e­fit most from an in-per­son program.

Hybrid and Executive MHA Formats 

Hybrid and exec­u­tive for­mats are a mix of inten­sive on-cam­pus ses­sions and flex­i­ble online health­care admin­is­tra­tion degree. These flex­i­ble health­care man­age­ment pro­grams are ide­al for mid-career pro­fes­sion­als who already work in health­care but want to con­tin­ue advancing.

Comparison Table: Online vs. On-Campus 

Next Steps: Licensure/Certifications (e.g., CPHQ)

Here’s a quick overview of health­care admin­is­tra­tion cer­ti­fi­ca­tion and licensure.

Licensure Requirements

Not all grad­u­ates pur­sue health­care admin­is­tra­tion licen­sure, main­ly because employ­ers rarely ask for it. There is, how­ev­er, a major exception:

• Nurs­ing Home Admin­is­tra­tors must pass a state exam and often earn the NAB cre­den­tial.

Professional Certifications

Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions help demon­strate exper­tise in spe­cial­ized areas, lead­ing to more job opportunities:

• CPHQ cer­ti­fi­ca­tion – Cer­ti­fied Pro­fes­sion­al in Health­care Quality
• FACHE cre­den­tial – Fel­low of the Amer­i­can Col­lege of Health­care Executives
• CHC – Cer­ti­fied in Health­care Compliance
• CPHRM – Cer­ti­fied Pro­fes­sion­al in Health­care Risk Management

How to Prepare for Certification 

Many grad­u­ate pro­grams now inte­grate exam prepa­ra­tion for health­care man­age­ment cer­ti­fi­ca­tions into their cur­ricu­lum. Pro­fes­sion­al asso­ci­a­tions like ACHE, NAHQ, and HFMA also offer study mate­ri­als, net­work­ing, and men­tor­ship opportunities. 

Conclusion

So, what degree do you need for health­care administration?

• A BHA is per­fect for those who are starting.
• An MHA is the go-to degree for peo­ple aim­ing for lead­er­ship roles in hos­pi­tals and health systems.
• An MBA in Health­care Man­age­ment is for indi­vid­u­als who want busi­ness ver­sa­til­i­ty or who come into health­care from anoth­er industry.

Whichev­er path you choose, just make sure that the pro­gram is prop­er­ly accred­it­ed. Accredited—especially CAHME-accred­it­ed health­care admin­is­tra­tion programs—can make a big dif­fer­ence when it comes to qual­i­ty and career prospects. And for those who want to stand out even more, cer­ti­fi­ca­tions like CPHQ or FACHE offer addi­tion­al credibility.

With the right degree, any­one can start build­ing a reward­ing path in this fast-grow­ing, deeply essen­tial profession.