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If you are looking for an education in healthcare administration, then you want to make sure you are getting the best. Of course, there are a whole range of schools for you to consider, some covering topics that others don’t. You also need to think about the cost of the program and how much you can afford, as well as whether you’re going to be undertaking a bachelor's degree or a masters. We have done the research for you though, and in this article you are going to find a list of different schools that offer some of the best healthcare administrative programs, both at the lower and higher level, as well as learn about some of the costs associated with this.

Our Methodology

The information that we are going to provide you in this article has been compiled from a number of different sources in order to give you the best insight possible. We have collected vast amounts of information, and looked into the courses from all angles to determine which are the best for students. For example, we have looked at cost, course content, acceptance rates vs graduation rates, whether financial aid is available and much more. These are some of the most important pieces of information that you will need to make an informed decision, as they reflect the quality of the school and what each can offer to its students.

We want you to be able to use this list to give you an idea of where you might like to attend school in order to get your qualification. A lot of students require a flexible education seeing as they also need to work and gain experience in their field so that they can get a job when they graduate. If you would like to find out more about the best healthcare administrative programs, and hopefully get some idea as to which is going to be the best for you, keep reading down below.

Best Bachelor's Programs

University of Alabama

If you want a program that has been designed to get you ready for the professional life of a healthcare administrator, then this is what you’re going to find at the University of Alabama. You will find that this bachelor’s degree is in healthcare management, and allows you to get on the right track for pursuing a master's degree in the future. However, if you don’t want to take on more education after you complete this program, there is no pressure for you to do so. This program will fully prepare you for working in healthcare administration, so you don’t need to worry about a thing. This program also offers you the ability to choose between a number of different focus areas, allowing you to concentrate on what really interests you.

One of the biggest benefits about this program is the fact that the course only allows for around 200 students at a time. This means that students get a lot of personal attention and help from their tutors. The price is set at $566 for the first credit hour for in-state students, and $1,038 for out of state.

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University offers a highly competitive program that you should seriously consider if you want both in class and real life experience in the healthcare administrative sector. Students are able to choose from a whole range of options regarding their study, allowing them full control over what they are doing throughout their course. It is a very rigorous program designed to test the students who choose this path, ensuring that they are going to be ready when the time comes to pursue a career in the field.

If you know that you want to go onto further healthcare administrator education, then there is a five-year combination course that you can choose to undertake. This will help if you want to get all of your education done at the same time, rather than applying again in four years to complete a masters degree.

The tuition for this course is $1,030 per credit hour. As such, if you’re worried about the expense of a course like this and looking for a more affordable option, you might want to think about choosing a different establishment.

Florida Institute Of Technology

At the Florida Institute of Technology, there is no specific healthcare administrative program available for you to choose. However, you can do a degree in business administration, so you then get a wide range of skills, rather than specifically healthcare administration. The good thing about this is that it does not limit your options to one sector, while still giving you the skills that you need to cover the healthcare industry if this is what you decide to pursue.

Another thing that makes this university stand out amongst the others is the fact that it is a research institution. The benefit of this is that there are plenty of opportunities for students to work in research to get some practical experience. The class sizes are also pretty small, so you don’t have to worry about being pushed aside or forgotten by professors.

The tuition is $19,295 per semester, so you’re going to need to think about whether this is affordable to you. You are getting a lot for your money though, with most professors having tenure due to their excellent teaching.

Concordia University Saint Paul

With a student to faculty ratio of 18:1, you will receive a good amount of personal attention from the tutors, ensuring that you are getting the education that you deserve. The graduation rate for this program is currently 55% and also on offer is a healthcare management master of business administration program if you would like to go one step further.

This is a far cheaper option than some of the others on this list, coming in at $19,714 per year. If you need a university that also offers financial aid to a lot of its students, this is certainly an option for you to consider. This is an online program that prepares students to become leaders in the healthcare industry. A large portion of the program is going to focus on the industry trends while also learning about what principles are likely to impact the trends.

Loyola University

Loyola University in Chicago offers you a bachelor of science in healthcare administration.  It is a smaller university with a graduation rate of 77% and an acceptance rate of 71%. If you’re worried about the student to faculty ratio, there is no need to be because this is roughly 14:1. The department at the university that offers this qualification is The Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health which provides the students with knowledge, skills and professional values in order to prepare them for the sector.

Some of the things that are offered on the course are healthcare workforce environment, policy, health equity and global health, so that there is a variety for students to study. Also on offer is a supervised internship that happens in their senior year in order to give the students hands on experience. There is also a five year option with MBA or MPH dual degree.

The tuition is set at $18,594 per year, but most people from this university qualify for some kind of financial aid, so this isn’t what most pupils end up paying. 

Kaplan University

Kaplan University offers a bachelor of science in healthcare administration and is an extremely flexible course. There are multiple start dates and formats available for students to choose from, allowing them to have full control over the degree that they receive. Alongside your academic study, you are encouraged to have internships and other experiences that will aid you in pursuing a career in the healthcare administration field once you have graduated.

One of the best things about this school is that there are multiple campuses, making it convenient for a lot of people. You can choose the location that is closest to home if you are trying to save money and would rather stay at home than in the dorms. Or, you could go across the country, the choice is entirely up to you. There are multiple locations that offer this program, so you don’t need to panic about not being able to find a location that works for you.

The tuition for this program is $17,500 per year, so it is one of the cheaper options available. But, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be getting a high-quality education because you certainly will.

Best Masters Programs 

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

If you are looking to undertake a masters degree, then the Master of Healthcare Administration program offered by the University of North Carolina is one of the best. With a student to faculty rate of approximately 13:1, you are able to get the attention that you need to get the most out of your education. The only issue with this choice is that it is extremely competitive to get into, with an acceptance rate of only 24%. As such, you need to make sure that you stand out if you want to even get onto the course. The good news though is that of these 24% allowed onto the course, 91% go on to graduate, which is one of the highest percentages across all universities.

This program is taught under the Gillings School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina. On the course, you should expect to learn about healthcare financial management, law and ethics in health administration, and IT in health services administration. As such, you get a wide scope of topics covered so that you have all the knowledge you could possibly need.

The tuition is priced at $10,243 per year in state and $27,545 out of state, so it’s not too expensive for those who are looking for a cheaper school. There is financial aid available to those who might need it, so if money is an issue it shouldn’t stop you from getting a fantastic education on one of the best courses available.

University Of Iowa

Another university that offers a Masters of Healthcare Administration is the University of Iowa. WIth an acceptance rate of 86% and a graduation rate of 95%, it’s safe to say that the teachers here are pretty good.  This program is mainly focused on the patient-centred service organizations and teaching students how to have strong business skills.

You must complete an internship and integrative capstone experience before you can graduate. There are also other elective offerings from the university that allow students to take on more if they feel that they have room in their studies for it.

On this course, the core sections that you could expect to cover are healthcare ethics, health economics, health IT systems and management. It is a 60 credit hour program and can be completed in 21 months if you are dedicated.

The tuition rate is set at $9,785 per year in state and $28,726 out of state, making it a reasonably priced college, and an affordable one. Of course, there are cheaper options that you should look into if money is tight, but there are financial aid options that you can consider if you like the sound of the core course covers.

University Of Michigan

The University of Michigan offers a Master of Health Services Administration Program and it is a 60 credit hours course which takes two years to complete. The student to faculty ratio sits firmly at 11:1, which is one of the lowest rates across the board. This means that if you are hoping to get some 1-1 time with your professor, a school like this is a good choice where there are less students, and more staff.

You should expect to be covering topics like biostatistics, health service systems, healthcare accounting and principles of environmental science. As you can see, this is quite a mixture of topics, which will help prepare the minds of the students for the diverse nature of a working environment.

Another benefit of this program is that students will be completing an internship during the summer between the first and second year of their study. This will provide them with hands-on training and experience, putting them above some of the other candidates who don’t have this when they apply for jobs further down the line. While the acceptance rate into the course is only 27%, the graduation rate is 92% showing that most people who enter the course come out with a good degree in their pocket.

The tuition is priced at $23,128 per year in state, and $46,678 per year out of state. Of course, there is financial aid available for those who need it, with 65% of students receiving some kind of financial aid.

Temple University

Temple University in Philadelphia offers a Master of Health Administration program. It is a perfect fit for mid-level healthcare managers, consultants who need advanced management training as well as physicians or nurse managers. It is a flexible, part-time program that covers core themes such as law and ethics, health systems organization and development, leadership and strategy as well as managing risk or health risk. This is all necessary knowledge to have in order to advance your career in the industry, which is why this university is fantastic if you already have a career in the health sector and you are looking to further it.

The tuition rate is $16,488 per year in state, and $22,698 out of state. With an acceptance rate of 57% and a graduation rate of 71%, it’s a fantastic school to attend. While the graduation rate might be putting you off slightly, just remember that if you put in the work, you’re not in danger of not graduating.

University of Pittsburgh

According to the U.S News and World Report, the University of Pittsburgh has one of the best healthcare management programs in the nation. The university offers a Master’s in Health Administration which includes 60 credit hours of coursework and essay research. There is also a residency on-site in healthcare organization which will give hands-on experience to students, allowing them to work with industry leaders. This isn’t an opportunity that everyone gets, so it’s definitely something to take into consideration.

Some of the main areas that are going to be covered are health policy and management, organizational studies and management, and public health foundations. These are important areas that will help you get your career to where it needs to be.

The tuition rate is $22,864 per year for in state students, and $38,736 for out of state students.

Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University offers a Master of Health Administration course, and is considered one of the best in the country. The curriculum is diverse, with a number of core areas being focused on such as the current technological, social and economic issues that are impacting the healthcare industry. As such, the learning changes on a yearly, and sometimes semesterly basis ensuring that students are kept well up to date with the current trends.

In the first year, you are required to take either six or seven courses per semester. In second year, you will then complete an 11 month, full-time placement working for a healthcare organization. The courses that you need to undertake are held online if you have to go out of the state or further around the country to complete your placement.

Something that you need to be aware of about this school is that it has a very low acceptance rate due to the amount of people that apply every year. Johns Hopkins only accepts approximately 13% of applicants every year, and has a graduation rate of 93%. You are going to need to do something exceptional to get noticed, and with this on your resume, you are almost guaranteed a job when you leave.

The tuition for this program is $53,740 per year. It’s one of the more expensive options because it is viewed as one of the very best places to get your Master of Health Administration certification.

Baylor University

Another place that you can consider is Baylor University. This offers you a chance to get an MBA in Healthcare Administration and has an acceptance rate of 39%. Not a massively high number, but when you consider how many people apply here seeing as it is one of the top schools in the nation for healthcare management programs, you start to get a picture as to why. But, if you do manage to get in, you are looking at a student to faculty ratio of approximately 14:1 which isn’t so bad considering some schools are well in their 20s.

One of the most exciting opportunities about attending Baylor for your Masters is the fact that they offer a unique seven-month paid executive residency. You will be working for a leading health organization to get some hands-on experience to go alongside your degree/

You will be covering core areas such as healthcare finance, executive leadership in healthcare administration and healthcare law and ethics. Each of these topics is an important part of understanding the healthcare industry in a deeper sense, and shaping a fantastic future leader for the industry.

The tuition is set at $30,888, making it a somewhat affordable option for those who need something on the cheaper side. It’s by no means a cheap university to attend, but it gives you a fantastic qualification without a humongous price tag.

Final Thoughts

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now understand where you can find some of the best healthcare administrative programs. Each person is going to have different requirements as to what they need for their course, so don’t let anyone else influence your decision. All of the programs that we have mentioned are excellent in one way or another, so you’re not going to be doing yourself a disservice if you choose a single one of them. Just make sure that you are factoring in all of your personal requirements and what is realistic to your life right now.