Healthcare administrators play a vital role in today's shifting healthcare paradigm they ensure equitable quality and access to the best care through leadership. By earning your online Master of Science (MS) in Healthcare Administration degree program, you'll boost your qualifications to fill critical roles within healthcare organizations and advance your career in this vital industry. Healthcare is a booming field. If you've set your sights on a leadership role in the healthcare field, but aren't interested in a clinical position, then a career in healthcare administration could be for you.

Healthcare managers have the unique responsibility of applying business best practices in combination with applying the models, influences, and complexity of the healthcare industry. It's a role that takes a combination of organizational leadership and strategic vision balanced with skillful collaboration among internal and external stakeholders. At Southern New Hampshire University, you'll receive the formal healthcare education necessary to advance your skills and complement your experience within the complex field of health administration.

The master's in healthcare administration online program covers a variety of topics, including:

- Finance and economics

- Law

- Policy

- Informatics

- Strategic planning

"With healthcare being one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States and those currently in health care administrative roles retiring at record rates graduates will be able to pursue a variety of career options in hospitals, outpatient clinics or long-term care facilities, home care agencies roles managing entire organizations or specific departments," said Dr. Rebecca Arsenault, an adjunct faculty member at SNHU. SNHU provides students with an array of accredited online healthcare degrees and online nursing programs. Our online MS in Healthcare Administration broadens our offering in this vital area, providing a more in-depth study of the healthcare industry for those ready to take the next step in their careers."

"In healthcare, the only constant is change and innovation," said Dr. Matt Frederiksen-England, an SNHU adjunct faculty member. "SNHU teaches nurses and healthcare administrators the philosophy about leadership, focusing on building a foundation that will allow post-graduates to adapt to the ever-changing environment. Students are provided the tools to be leaders who will help drive a better healthcare delivery system."

Learn how to:

- Demonstrate interpersonal skills, collaborative practices, and cultural competence through communication

- Advance organizational development, promote effective use of human resources, enhance operations and give organizational direction by applying market analysis

- Monitor, analyze and interpret data for decision-making and strategic planning

- Assess information management systems within organizations

- Promote population health and strategic planning at the organizational level

- Support strategic planning, operations management, and continuous quality improvement

SNHUs online MS in Healthcare Administration was designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in top healthcare administration positions. To ensure the program is on the cutting-edge of healthcare, the master's degree curriculum and coursework are regularly reviewed by an advisory board made up of healthcare professionals from a wide variety of occupations within the industry. With this vital input from industry experts, you can graduate from our program feeling confident that you're ready to take your career to the next step.

"Subject-matter experts develop course competencies based upon job skills identified by employers," said Dr. Rebecca Arsenault, an adjunct faculty member at SNHU. 

From these skills-based competencies, course learning objectives reflect real-world skills that students will need as they seek employment opportunities. Healthcare is a unique and complex industry that undergoes frequent changes based on developments in technology and medical practices, as well as political and policy changes. This means that leaders in the healthcare field need a strong understanding of the industry to successfully lead a medical facility or other healthcare organization. As such, the master's in healthcare administration online curriculum was developed by well-respected practitioners in the field and is aligned with standards from:

- The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA)

- The Healthcare Leadership Alliance (HLA)

Following these standards, our rigorous online MS degree program will focus on equipping you with the expertise required for top healthcare administration positions, including:

- Communication

- Computational skills -

Critical thinking

- In-depth understanding of the healthcare environment

- Leadership

- Relationship management

- Societal and cultural context

"SNHU's MS in Healthcare Administration will require you to take courses within 3 critical disciplines in healthcare administration integrated health profession, organizational leadership, and health information management. Students develop diverse expertise including day-to-day management, financial and reimbursement competency, and other technical skills necessary to operate healthcare facilities and services," Arsenault said. "Students develop an understanding of the role of a healthcare administrator in leading teams, allocating resources for staff training and development and quality improvement initiatives and promoting community public and governmental relations."

"Another benefit to the program is the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning. This program provides the option for students to participate in HEaRT (Higher Education and Real-world Training) Challenges, which are internship-type work experiences where students address a critical problem facing healthcare facilities across the country," Arsenault said. "Students then present their ideas and recommendations directly to industry experts."

Not the healthcare program you're looking for? If you'd like to enroll in a program geared more toward the business environment within healthcare, SNHU also offers an MBA in Healthcare Management. The MBA program was designed to focus more on the business skills necessary for building good leaders, and when paired with the healthcare management concentration, you can still dive deeper into issues like healthcare law, ethics, and compliance.

Part of our mission to expand access to quality higher education means removing the barriers that may stand between you and your degree. That's why you can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials with no GRE or GMAT required. Master's degree candidates must also submit a personal statement. Students with an undergraduate GPA below 2.75 are eligible for provisional acceptance. To apply, use the online application.

$150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)