Become a Healthcare Leader with a Master of Health Administration 

You’re already committed to helping those around you receive the best health care possible, but have you ever considered taking your job in the healthcare field one step further? A Master of Health Administration (MHA) will allow you to do just that. And, when you choose to earn your MHA degree at the University of Cincinnati online, you’ll receive the real-world experience you need to prepare you to serve as an innovative, transformative, ethical health care leader on your own time, and at your own pace.

This degree is a great next step for those already in health care fields in finance, management, human resources, marketing, nursing administration, public health, and more.

What Is Health Administration?

Health administration is an umbrella term for the management, leadership, and administrative work as it relates to our public health care systems, including hospital networks, doctor’s offices, clinics, and similar systems. Health administration requires a range of knowledge, skills, and competencies essential for the provision of effective health care.

Healthcare administrators serve in the public health sector, planning, directing, and coordinating all aspects of health care services. Essentially they take care of all non-clinical aspects of a health system. They can work in not-for-profit and for-profit health organizations, and in urban, suburban, and rural settings.

Growing Careers in Health Administration

Because health administration covers a gamut of positions that require a high skill level, an MHA is nearly essential for a career in the field. From chief operations officer to administrator; from facilities manager to home health care aid — an MHA degree can help you more easily achieve your career goals and make more money.

A Master of Health Administration can help you enter into the following growing careers with above-average salaries:

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In a health care setting, the chief executive officer is the highest-ranking executive of the hospital or organization. Responsibilities include managing department heads, making high-level decisions, and serving as liaison between the health care system and its board of directors. The average salary for a hospital CEO in an independent hospital is $482,300. In a for-profit hospital, that salary can range from a base of $741,667 to over $1 million with bonuses.
• Chief Operations Officer (COO). The chief operations officer’s job within a health administrative setting is to make sure that the quality of care given to patients is up to par with the hospital’s goals and mission. It’s a top management position, directly reporting to the CEO. The average salary for a hospital COO working at an independent hospital is about $265,000 and can go as high as $430,900 with bonuses.
• Facilities Manager. Facilities managers in a healthcare setting oversee the efficiencies of a building or system of buildings in terms of their comfort, safety, and functionality. The average salary of a facility manager is $65,955 a year.
• Group Practice Administrator. A group practice administrator works for medical groups or doctors’ offices, overseeing the day-to-day tasks of the office and staff. The average salary of a group practice administrator is $83,530.
• Hospital Administrator. A hospital administrator’s duties are similar to that of a group practice administrator except they will manage the day-to-day tasks of an entire hospital or system. The average salary of a hospital administrator is $86,667.
• Nurse Manager. A nurse manager’s job is to oversee an entire nursing unit in a clinic or hospital. They will manage the nursing staff, patient care aspects, and can also assist with budget decision-making. The average salary of a nurse manager is $91,895.
• Operations Manager. An operations manager in a hospital setting oversees top-level human resources duties like recruiting and hiring top talent, training of staff, and setting up training standards for the training of staff. Another area of focus is organizational processes and quality and efficiency standards. The average salary of an operations manager is $66,776.
• Program Manager. A program manager oversees all of the programs, processes, reporting, and procedures that the hospital or clinic implements. They make sure key milestones are being met across all projects and by all departments. The average salary of a program manager is $76,846.
• Home Health Care. The job of someone who works as a home health care aide or nurse is to provide health care to someone within that person’s residence. They give nursing care if the patient or the patient’s family can’t provide that care themselves. The average salary of a home health care aide is $16,410. The average wage of a home health care nurse is $33.76 per hour.
• Pharmaceutical. In the field of pharmaceutical administration, you can take on the roles of marketing, managing, or selling of pharmaceuticals in hospital settings or for a pharmaceutical company. The average salary of a pharmaceutical administrator is $77,308.
• Health Insurance. When you choose a career in the health insurance administrative field, you can expect to manage a company’s health care benefits, whether that’s for an insurance company or for a hospital or medical group. The average salary of a health insurance administrator is $113,201.

The Day-to-Day Activities of a Hospital Administrator

Although job-duties of a hospital administrator will vary depending on location and your specific job description, you can expect to do all or some of the following activities:

• Recruiting, hiring, management, and evaluation of current staff and future staffing needs.
• Scheduling and training of employees.
• Setting hospital-wide policies and procedures.
• Facility budget setting and management.
• Rate setting for health services.
• Guiding direction of research and educational programs.
• Act as the liaison between a hospital board and its medical staff and department heads.
• Hosting community events, fundraisers, and providing health education.
• Be knowledgeable about innovation in the field for use as strategic vision and direction for your facility.

What Is Required to Complete a Master of Health Administration Course Online?

In order to complete your MHA, you’ll need to:

• Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
• Provide official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
• Completed a Bachelor’s Degree program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale).
• Provide three letters of recommendation.
• Submit your resume which includes your personal, professional, and educational background. Applicants are strongly encouraged to highlight experience in health care.
• Submit a letter of intent.
• Pay an application fee.