Healthcare administrators have a wide range of duties that require skills and experience across many disciplines, including:

• Finance: Healthcare administrators manage facility budgets, including payroll, the purchase of new medical devices, and even budgeting for expanded locations. They are responsible for controlling labor costs and ensuring all areas of need are met within the allocated budget.
• Human Resources: A critical component of any healthcare organization is having solid human resources practices. This includes hiring the right people, evaluating staffing needs, and making sure all roles are filled to provide necessary patient care.
• Compliance: Maintaining compliance with federal, state, and local laws is essential for all healthcare organizations—otherwise, they risk significant financial penalties. Compliance for billing, occupational safety and health, and privacy and security can all fall within the duties of a healthcare administrator.

With an MHA, you can make a meaningful impact on the lives of patients, doctors, and other staff members in a healthcare organization. People with a master’s in healthcare administration can help guide life-saving research, improve hospital safety, and lead public health policy.

In terms of what you will learn, MHA online coursework covers topics such as health policy, population health, marketing management, business communications, healthcare quality management, and much more. Once you complete your degree, you’ll have the knowledge and leadership skills you need to be an effective healthcare administrator.

The job outlook for Medical and Health Services Mangers is strong. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), these occupations have an expected 28% growth rate from 2022 to 2032—much faster than the average for all occupations.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Job outlook

Having an advanced healthcare administration degree may be a job requirement for some positions. Some potential employment settings for someone with an MHA include:

• Hospitals—state, local, and private
• Physician offices
• Nursing and residential care facilities

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Work environment

As an MHA student at Walden, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with students and faculty from diverse locations and backgrounds. This leads to an energetic exchange of ideas, opinions, perspectives, and experiences. There are three key features of online learning at Walden:

• Flexible Scheduling: Our online learning model is designed to fit your busy schedule. This means you can participate in classes on a weekly basis, whenever it’s convenient for you.
• Assessment and Evaluation: Tests are delivered online and are typically scored when you finish, which provides you with immediate feedback. Papers and projects are submitted through a drop box.
• Student Support: Our student support team guides you through the online learning experience, including providing a Student Readiness Orientation to help you get ready for your first course.

When it comes to finding the best academic institution for you, reputation is key. Walden University is a pioneer in distance learning and has been supporting the educational needs of working professionals for more than 50 years.

Accreditation should also be key in your decision-making. Attending an accredited university means you can be confident that your chosen institution has been evaluated for quality assurance and continuous improvement by an independent accreditation organization. Walden University participates in a thorough recertification process every 10 years with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), an independent accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

In addition, Walden’s Master of Healthcare Administration online program has received Candidate Status from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). This is the first step in a multi-year process, leading up to, and potentially achieving accreditation status for the MHA academic program. Candidate status is an indication that a program in healthcare management has voluntarily committed to participate in a plan of self-improvement and is actively progressing toward the status of accreditation. Candidate status is not accredited status and does not guarantee eventual accredited status.

Perhaps you’re wondering whether you really need a healthcare administration degree to succeed in healthcare, or if an advanced business degree just as good. Healthcare is significantly different from other industries. It has its own reimbursement mechanism, which is based on third-party payers, its own ethics issues, including life-and-death issues, and its own policy issues, with specific government regulations.

An MBA program will likely have courses on leadership, marketing, managerial finance, communication, and other subjects designed to help you become a business manager or consultant. You can also specialize in specific areas such as human resource management or project management. Some of the top MBA programs even offer a healthcare management specialization—but that specialization still requires you to take core business courses.

All courses taken in an online MHA program should be about issues related to healthcare. Typical courses include Healthcare Finance; Law, Ethics, and Policy in Healthcare Administration; Healthcare Operations; and Healthcare Quality Management. In other words, MHA courses should be designed to give you an in-depth understanding of the business of healthcare, while MBA courses take a broader approach to business.