Best Online Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration Degrees 2021

Located in Orlando, UCF offers an online bachelor of science in health services administration. The program prepares students to launch their careers as healthcare managers in hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and long-term care facilities. Students can complete coursework entirely online, but the program does require a two-semester internship within a healthcare organization.

Courses in the 120-credit curriculum include healthcare systems, healthcare finance, and long-term care and administration. Students must also complete general education and program prerequisite courses, including principles of microeconomics and an introduction to computers. A three-credit capstone in health services administration culminates the program.

The school offers a fee reduction to newly admitted students completing the program exclusively through UCF online classes. The school does not offer the required general education and prerequisite courses online, so applicants must keep that in mind before applying. UCF is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Based in Miami, FIU's Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences offers an online bachelor of health services administration. The program prepares students for management positions in the health sector, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and health insurance companies.

Course topics for the 120-credit program include quality and evidence-based healthcare services, healthcare financial management, and healthcare quality management. Electives include psychology of aging, fundamentals of pathology, clinical physiology for health professionals, and managing diversity. FIU also offers special initiatives to provide student engagement in the online course, including 24/7 access and support, real-time faculty feedback, and a personal success coach.

First-year applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores to qualify for admission. Transfer students with a minimum of 60 transferable college credits do not need to submit test scores. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 on lower-level coursework to declare a major in health services administration. FIU is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Based in University Park, Penn State World Campus offers an online bachelor of science in health policy and administration. The university boasts 125 years of experience in distance education, with 30 years in healthcare. Students gain the necessary skills to secure leadership positions in various healthcare settings, including physician offices and major hospitals.

The curriculum offers a solid foundation in management, business, and healthcare policy. Students must dedicate 81-83 of the 120-credit program to the major. Course topics include financial decisions in healthcare organizations, principles of epidemiology, long-term care management, and physician practice management. The program also requires students to complete an internship in a healthcare facility or related agency before their final semester.

The school does not require a minimum GPA or standardized tests for admission. Penn State World Campus is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Based in Saint Louis, Missouri, Maryville offers an online bachelor of science in healthcare management. The curriculum promises strategic healthcare insights informed by a business core so that students can run a successful healthcare business in the future or secure a leadership position across a variety of healthcare settings.

Students may choose to pursue an additional certificate course in senior living management to cater to the aging population by completing a hands-on practicum. The 128-credit curriculum includes course topics such as healthcare operations, healthcare compliance and quality, revenue cycle management, and medical law and risk management. The program ends with training and a capstone project where students must identify and tackle a modern healthcare issue.

Applicants must possess a minimum GPA of 2.5 to qualify for admission. Students can apply 12 of the credits they earn completing their bachelor's degree toward a subsequent master's degree through the school's early access program. Maryville is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

A private Benedictine university based in Bismarck, North Dakota, Mary offers an online bachelor of science in healthcare administration. The 124-credit program includes concentrations in accounting, management, healthcare law and enforcement, and financial management in healthcare.

The curriculum equips students with the management skills needed to establish their careers in diverse healthcare settings, including clinics, hospitals, nursing facilities, and government agencies. Most students can complete the program in about 18 months.

Course topics include principles of management, introduction to healthcare administration, financial management in healthcare, operations management, and healthcare law and regulatory environment. The program also requires students to complete four credits of internship or experiential development.

The school allows students with a minimum GPA of 2.0 to transfer up to 24 credits toward their degree. Mary is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The school also boasts programmatic accreditation from the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education.

Based in Crookston, UMC offers an online bachelor of science in health management. The program prepares students to plan, direct, and coordinate medical health services in healthcare and other health-related organizations.

The varied 120-credit curriculum comprises technology, management, and soft skills. Course topics include performance improvement in healthcare, healthcare finance, healthcare law, and biomedical ethics. Students must also complete a three-credit internship — a 10-week field experience in a healthcare organization or agency. Graduates may take the state and national examinations for licensure as nursing home administrators in Minnesota and other states.

UMC follows a test-free approach to admissions. The school allows students to transfer credits from a regionally accredited college or university toward their degree, with the amount evaluated on a case-by-case basis. UMN is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Drexel offers an online bachelor of science in health services administration. Core competencies in the curriculum include healthcare administration, finance, economics and policy, ethics, marketing, and information systems.

The program comprises four 10-week quarters per year instead of the traditional two-semester system. The curriculum covers core course topics such as ethics in healthcare management, healthcare law, and financial management in healthcare. Students must also complete 27 credits worth of electives, including organizational behavior, introduction to sociology, introduction to business statistics, and principles of microeconomics.

Transfer students must possess 24 credits with a minimum grade of "C" to qualify for admission. The school allows students with a strong academic background in health service administration to transfer up to 75 credits toward their degree. Students with a military affiliation may receive reduced tuition rates. Drexel is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Located in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Lakeland offers an online bachelor of arts in business administration with a concentration in healthcare management. The program offers a broad-based business education in business administration with a healthcare management specialization to students seeking leadership positions in healthcare settings.

Course topics cover healthcare economics, a survey of the United States healthcare system, healthcare law and ethics, and healthcare financial management. The program culminates with an internship in healthcare management.

First-year and transfer applicants must possess a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to qualify for admission. Students can also earn up to 30 credits toward their degree for documented evidence of previous experiential learning. Lakeland is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Based in Charlottesville, UVA offers an online bachelor of professional studies in healthcare management. The degree completion program caters to working adults looking at leadership roles in healthcare settings. Students must take a minimum of two courses per semester, and most students can complete the program in 3-4 years.

Core course topics include healthcare management, legal and ethical decision-making in healthcare, economics and finance of healthcare, and health information systems and applications. Electives include understanding diversity in healthcare, global healthcare, and strategic business value of information technology. Students must also complete two capstone courses covering the development and implementation of a health sciences management project.

Applicants need an approved allied healthcare associate degree from a regionally accredited college and a minimum GPA of 2.0 to qualify for admission. Those without an associate degree can also apply for the program if they possess 45-60 transferable credits and a minimum GPA of 2.0.

The university also offers a reduced tuition rate of $250 per credit to active-duty military students. UVA is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Located in Bristol, Rhode Island, RWU's University College offers an online bachelor of general studies in healthcare administration. The program prepares students to direct health services and manage medical facilities.

The 120-credit program trains students in ethics, grant writing, and medical record maintenance. Course topics include an introduction to public health, moral and ethical issues in healthcare, and healthcare administration. Students may also opt to pursue an associate degree or enroll for add-on certificate courses on case management, gerontology, and nursing home administration.

RWU offers a lower-cost tuition agreement for residents of select cities in Rhode Island. The university also allows students to transfer up to 90 credits towards their degree — earned from previous coursework and other types of experiential learning. Military students can get tuition assistance. RWU is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.