Choosing the MHA Program Specialization That’s Right for You

Great leaders are vital to the healthcare industry. The right administrators can make lifesaving decisions; create successful policies; and lead great teams at hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities. Earning a master’s in healthcare administration can be an important first step in helping you become a stellar leader in healthcare. It can also be a lucrative degree, as medical and health services managers earn an average of $113,730 annually.¹

When pursuing an MHA degree, you will likely have the choice of a general program or a range of master’s program specializations. If you’re looking at online schools and are not sure which MHA program is right for you, now is a great time to learn more about healthcare administration degree specializations and how choosing the right one can guide your career path.

What Do You Want to Learn?

While most MHA program curricula offer courses that cover topics such as healthcare delivery, population health, policy, healthcare economics, and management, a specialization can give you a chance to learn more about the topics that interest you most. Before you pick a program, make sure to explore your options. You might find that you’re interested in focusing your college education on leadership, caring for specific groups, policy reform, or healthcare innovation.

Where Do You Want to Work?

The wonderful thing about earning a master’s in healthcare administration is that it can open doors to so many different career paths in a variety of settings. Hospitals, research laboratories, nursing homes, mental health facilities, nonprofits, and governmental organizations are just some of the places your career may take you when you earn your MHA degree. Picking a specialization can be tricky, but considering where you see yourself working can help guide you.

Whom Do You Want to Work With?

In a traditional hospital setting, a healthcare administrator works with doctors, nurses, staff, and patients. Managers of research facilities oversee the work of scientists and laboratory technicians, while rehabilitation facility managers lead teams of physical therapists and other specialists. Public health agency administrators can end up leading teams working around the globe. When it comes time to pick an MHA program specialization, it might help to consider whom you’d like to work with, and whom you’d like your work to impact most. Where you focus your studies may really help determine whom you work alongside in your career.

What Do You Want to Do?

Are you passionate about working with small businesses and entrepreneurs? Do you want to help develop important health policies and guide the future of healthcare? Is there a specific population you’d like to serve? Once you’ve earned an MHA degree, you’ll be qualified for new career options, and a degree specialization can help you gain the knowledge and skills to become the ideal candidate for your ideal job.

How Much Do You Want to Earn?

We’re all striving to earn as much as we can, and while people can really boost their earning potential with an advanced college degree, salaries can vary widely for people with an advanced healthcare administration degree. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical and health services managers working in general medical and surgical hospitals earn a mean annual wage of $122,460 while those working in nursing care facilities earn $93,680. Where you live can also affect your pay, with medical managers in California earning an average of $125,770 each year and those in Pennsylvania earning $97,310. When choosing a specialization in an MHA program, it can help to take these numbers into account.

Are You Ready to Get Started?

Walden University’s Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program offers a range of degree specializations to help prepare you for the career you really want. Its MHA degree specializations are Leadership and Organizational Development, Population Health, Systems and Policy, and Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation; a General Program is offered as well.

Completing Walden’s MHA program with a specialization can give you the skills and education you need to work in a variety of healthcare industry settings. Walden’s online courses are designed to give you the skills to solve problems, communicate, plan strategically, and collaborate professionally. No matter how busy you are, an online education gives you the opportunity to learn and earn a degree at your own pace.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree using a convenient, flexible learning platform that fits your busy life.

¹Source: www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes119111.htm#(3)

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.