Health Administration Degree - Online and Campus Programs

Health Administration is a promising career for health care professionals who want to advance into management and leadership roles. Health administrators are usually affiliated with: hospitals, clinics, physicians' offices, research laboratories and nursing care facilities. Health care administration involves the conjunction of medical or health service skills with solid business and managerial expertise. Health administrators plan, execute, oversee, and improve health care systems.

How to Prepare for a Health Administration Career

Many health professionals advance into administration from nursing, radiology, or another allied health career. Administration assistants who support top administrators may also gain experience and become health administrators. Administration assistants oversee smaller sections of the health care operation, such as nursing, surgery, health information, or therapy. You can advance through a combination of experience and additional health administration degrees or classes.

Education Requirements in Health Administration

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports aspiring health administrators need at least a bachelor's degree in:

• Health administration
• Health services administration
• Nursing
• IT
• Health care management

The master's degree in health services administration may provide the greatest opportunity for advancement. All states require nursing care facility administrators hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or school and pass a licensing examination.

Salary Range and Job Outlook

According to the BLS, the median 2008 salary for medical and health services managers in 2008 was $80,240. The top-ten percent earners took home $137,800. The BLS predicts a 16 percent increase in health care administration jobs during the 2008-2018 decade.