Online MHA Programs Ranked by Affordability (2022-2023)
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Student loan debt is reaching epic proportions. In fact, media organizations like CBS and Forbes are calling it a debt crisis. Over 44 million students and professionals have student loan debt totaling more than $1.7 trillion in the United States. Yet to advance their careers and increase income, professionals are called upon to have advanced degrees in their field. This creates a need for more affordable master’s degrees.
In addition, professionals will want to seek out degrees where growth opportunities exist, the job market is expanding, and salaries are attractive. Enter online MHA programs. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS May 2021) data, medical and health services managers earn a median annual salary of $101,340 per year ($48.72 per hour). Median annual wages were highest in hospitals ($119,450) and government industries ($117,000), with outpatient care centers, physicians’ offices, and nursing and residential care facilities falling below $100,000.
Jobs in the market for medical and health managers are exploding, and are expected to increase 28 percent nationally between 2021 and 2031, with the addition of 136,200 jobs (BLS 2022). Healthcare administrators typically have at least a bachelor’s degree, but master’s degrees are becoming increasingly common for these positions. As such, in this article, we cover online MHA programs ranked by affordability from 2022 to 2023.
These rankings are based on tuition data MHAOnline.com collected in mid-2022 from over 300 online MHA programs and closely related graduate degrees. Tuition information is as current as possible, being taken from the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 school years as published by each school.
Most Affordable Online MHA Programs (2022-2023)
Check out the 20 most affordable online MHA programs by total cost in 2022.
Topping our list as the most affordable online MHA program, Rasmussen University offers a 100 percent online MS in health administration (MHA) that can be completed in as little as 18 months.
The Rasmussen MHA is a Competency-Based Education (CBE) program in which students complete modules that may contain simulations, exercises, case studies, and applied projects. Each module lasts 11 weeks and students move through at their own pace while getting feedback on completed work and participating in live sessions with faculty and peers.
The Rasmussen online MHA curriculum aligns with the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) Health Leadership Competency Model which focuses on various domains such as organizational awareness, innovation, analytical thinking, change leadership, and community collaboration. Courses in the online MHA focus on leadership, ethics, scholarly writing, healthcare delivery systems and quality management, population health, and many other important concepts.
Each student has access to a Student Success Coach to guide them through the program and into their careers. Rasmussen University is based in Bloomington, Minnesota, with other campuses in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
- Cost per credit: $205/credit
- Number of credits: 48 credits
- Total cost: $9,480 + fees
Methodist University, located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, offers a 100 percent online master of health administration (MHA) that can also be completed in as little as 18 months. A graduate certificate in healthcare administration is also offered, which can be completed in just two semesters and be applied to the full online MHA.
Courses for the online MHA cover topics such as organizational behavior, strategic management, global health, applied business statistics, leadership in healthcare, business law and ethics, and healthcare policy. The Methodist University online MHA is offered both part-time and full-time, and no entrance exams, work experience, or campus visits are required.
The program begins in the fall and spring and ends with a healthcare capstone. Those without a significant healthcare background complete a healthcare internship during the capstone.
- Cost per credit: $500/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $18,000 + fees
Strayer University, based in Washington, DC, offers an online MS in health services administration that can be completed in just one year by taking three courses per quarter. However, students typically complete the MSHSA in 18 to 36 months.
There are two concentrations available: clinical care management or public health management. Students in both concentrations complete a capstone project in a clinical or public health setting. Courses are delivered asynchronously, with each week’s homework due by Sunday at midnight.
Graduates of this program may be eligible for certain healthcare certifications, and the MSHSA program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Concentration courses for clinical care management include healthcare operations management, long-term care management, and physician’s practice management. Concentration courses for public health management include managerial epidemiology, public health management, and environmental health management.
Note that Strayer University offers one free course for every three courses taken and passed, which would reduce the tuition up to 25 percent. Most students are eligible for this offer, but certain restrictions apply.
- Cost per credit: $373.33/credit ($1680 per 4.5-credit course)
- Number of credits: 54 credits
- Total cost: $20,159.82 + fees
New England College (NEC) located in Henniker, New Hampshire, offers a 100 percent online MS in management (healthcare administration). This program can be completed in one to two years and focuses on project management, systems, and administration.
Students take courses such as professional and organizational ethics (a global perspective), organizational communication, and managerial economics. NEC provides excellent student support, including Pathways Academic Success Services for life planning and career services, mentoring, tutoring, and academic advising.
- Cost per credit: $576/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $20,736 + fees
Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, MO, offers an online MHA that can be completed in 14 to 24 months. An optional internship is available for interested MHA students. This ACBSP-accredited program focuses on several areas in healthcare, including law, organizational management, ethical decision-making, and strategic planning. The program was designed for current professionals in healthcare and human services.
Some students might need to complete up to three foundational courses unless these were completed in the undergraduate degree with a grade of B or higher. Courses last eight weeks each, and start dates land six times per year, with two each in the fall, spring, and summer.
Courses focus heavily on healthcare topics such as public healthcare administration, healthcare law, analytics, medical records, ethics in healthcare, strategic management in healthcare organizations, healthcare marketing and finance, and healthcare economics.
- Cost per credit: $585/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $21,060 + fees
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) offers an online MS in healthcare administration that can be completed in just 15 months at two courses per term. Areas of focus include healthcare finance, healthcare law and policy, planning, high-level communication skills, relationship management, and computational skills and informatics. Courses may include global health and diversity, biostatistics, and health policy and law.
This degree curriculum is aligned with the standards of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) and the Healthcare Leadership Alliance (HLA). The online delivery is very hands-on, including discussion questions, papers, group projects, and larger assignments due at the end of the ten-week term.
Students have access to an extensive support system to ensure student success. SNHU is located in Manchester, NH, and also offers an MS in health information management.
- Cost per credit: $627/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $22,572 + fees
Ohio University offers a 100 percent online master of health administration (MHA), designed for working professionals. As such, it can be completed in two years, attending part-time at one course per seven weeks. This collaborative program offers classroom discussions with professors, fellow students, and healthcare professionals to ensure a well-rounded, real-world education.
Focus areas include healthcare law, finance, resource management, ethics, and quality of care. Courses may include human resource management in healthcare, epidemiology in health administration, and health law. Applicants must have two or more years of full-time professional work experience in healthcare to apply.
- Cost per credit: $677/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $24,372 + fees
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota offers an online MA in health and human services administration that can be completed in 24 months. Specifically designed for nursing home administrators, this degree seeks to prepare students to address issues faced in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
Focus areas include quality of care, sustainability of systems and programs, healthcare regulations, and management of healthcare staff and economics. Courses may include strategic health and human services leadership; finance for health service administrators; and academic research, writing, and communications. This 100 percent online program is accredited by the Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators (MN BENHA).
- Cost per credit: $700/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $25,200 + fees
Utica University offers a 100 percent online MS in healthcare administration (MHA) with three concentrations: acute care; nursing home administration; and service organization. It can be completed in two years, taking six eight-week courses per year. Utica keeps class sizes small, fostering a more personal, student-centered learning experience.
Students complete courses such as healthcare systems: a continuum of care, human resources management, and leadership in marketing and strategic planning, as well as a final capstone course. Those taking the nursing home administration specialization are prepared to take the Nursing Home Administration (NHA) certification exam to become licensed nursing home administrators.
Applicants do not need prior healthcare experience to be admitted to this program.
- Cost per credit: $700/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $25,200 + fees
Purdue Global offers a 100 percent online master of health care administration (MHCA) that can be completed in 18 months to two years. Courses are delivered in 10-week terms and require 12 to 15 hours of student input per week. Topics covered include quality assessment, leadership, healthcare law, finance, human resource management, administration, and organizational development.
Frequent start dates (twice per month) make this program flexible to join. No GRE scores or work experience are required, and applicants must have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA in their bachelor’s degree. Students have access to Purdue Academic Success Centers, where they can receive free tutoring and participate in success seminars.
The 52-credit online MHCA includes courses such as healthcare financial management, leadership in healthcare, healthcare operations and quality assessment, community health assessment, and healthcare ethics. The program ends with a capstone experience.
- Cost per credit: $485/credit
- Number of credits: 52 credits
- Total cost: $25,220 + fees
Arizona State University (ASU) offers a 100 percent online master of international health management (MIHM) program with four specializations: hospital management, health economics, health informatics, and quality improvement in healthcare.
Offered in partnership with the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, courses are offered through both universities. Along with this partnership, students have global access to the expertise of peers and leaders through the PLuS Alliance, including ASU, the University of New South Wales, and King’s College London. This alliance seeks to create solutions to global health challenges.
The MIHM can be completed in one year on a full-time basis or two years part-time. It encompasses 30 credits over 10 courses plus a culminating digital portfolio project which demonstrates the acquisition of skills. Applicants should have a prior degree in the health sciences with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Cost per credit: $841/credit
- Number of credits: 30 credits
- Total cost: $25,230 + fees
Maryville University offers a 100 percent online master of health administration (MHA) degree with four concentrations: data management; healthcare strategies; population management; and senior services. Following the competencies of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the MHA curriculum focuses on professionalism, leadership, business knowledge and skills, the healthcare environment, and communication.
The curriculum is very collaborative and interactive, utilizing online chat, conference calls, and online discussions. Courses may include healthcare technology, healthcare law, ethics and risk management, and population health management.
- Cost per credit: $714/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $25,704 + fees
Capella University offers a 100 percent online master of health administration (MHA) with a general path or one of three specializations in health care: leadership, operations, and informatics. The Capella MHA program is competency-based and offered in two flexible learning paths: GuidedPath and FlexPath.
GuidedPath is similar to traditional university learning, where students take courses each quarter and may follow a part-time or full-time path. The online MHA can be completed in as little as one year by taking three courses per quarter or about three years by taking one course per quarter. Courses are delivered online with assignments, online discussion boards, and assessments.
FlexPath is a much more self-paced learning path where students may take up to two courses at a time and as many courses as they can in a 12-week period. Once one course is complete, another can be started. This pathway is for highly motivated individuals and can significantly reduce tuition costs. Students earn points, rather than credits in this pathway, and work one-on-one with faculty to complete the required competencies.
The curriculum for the online MHA is patterned after the National Center for Health Care Leadership (NCHL) Competency Model. Capella University is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is an online-only institution.
- Cost per credit: $540/credit
- Number of credits: 48 credits
- Total cost: $25,920 + fees
Walden University, operated out of Minneapolis, MN, offers an online master of health administration (MHA) with a general path or specializations in leadership and organizational development, population health, systems and policy, and social entrepreneurship and innovation.
Students have the option of two study paths: course-based and tempo learning. The course-based path runs on quarters; students take one to two courses quarterly. This is a traditional learning format where courses are charged on a per-credit basis while students are taught by faculty and have set deadlines. This learning pathway takes approximately 18 months to complete.
Tempo learning is competency-based and allows motivated students to complete modules at their own pace within the set limit of two modules simultaneously. Tuition is charged for each three-month session, and students can complete as many modules as they can. The time to completion depends on each student.
The Walden MHA curriculum aligns with the competency model published by the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL). Courses cover healthcare administration topics such as financial management, informatics, organizational development, law and ethics, human resource management, and technology management. Each specialization includes three additional courses in its field.
- Cost per credit: $502/credit
- Number of credits: 53 to 68 credits
- Total cost: $26,606 to $34,136 + fees
The University of Arizona Global Campus, headquartered in Chandler, AZ, offers an online MA in health care administration that can be completed in just 18 months by taking one accelerated six-week course at a time. A healthcare capstone allows students to work on a project with a health care related entity.
The MA in health care administration covers health policy, ethics, law, administration, strategic planning, health care marketing, global and population health, management information systems within the healthcare industry, business intelligence, managerial accounting, and health economics. Students learn to lead by developing strategic goals, modeling professional values, and remaining sensitive to diversity in healthcare settings.
Graduates may go on to positions such as healthcare facility managers, clinical research managers, human resource managers, healthcare strategists, health information managers, and health services managers.
- Cost per credit: $740/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $26,640 + fees
Grand Canyon University offers a 100 percent online master of health care administration (MHA) that can be completed in about two years. The program helps students to decipher their individual leadership styles while focusing on servant leadership from a Christian worldview. Online discussion boards and group projects help promote a collaborative learning environment and develop relationships between peers and faculty.
The GCU online MHA program consists of 48 credits, with courses usually lasting eight weeks. Students learn how to deliver cost-effective, high-quality healthcare using their unique leadership style. Courses may include an analysis of contemporary healthcare delivery models, legal and ethical principles in healthcare, healthcare research methods, analysis, and utilization, healthcare policies and economics, leadership styles and development, and essential healthcare business analyses.
- Cost per credit: $565/credit
- Number of credits: 48 credits
- Total cost: $27,120 + fees
The University of New Haven offers a 100 percent online master of health care administration (MHA) that can be completed in 18 months. A 150-hour healthcare administration internship is required. Following the Peregrine learning outcomes core competencies, students in the UNH MHA take the Peregrine assessment at the beginning and end of the program to ensure career readiness. The assessment covers 11 core competencies for mastery.
There are both full-time and part-time learning plans available for maximum flexibility for working adults, with start dates landing three times per year. A bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required; however no GMAT, GRE, or work experience is required. Courses cover topics such as the US healthcare system, financial management of healthcare organizations, communication, strategy and innovation, healthcare law, ethics, public health, and healthcare statistics.
The University of New Haven MHA is accredited through the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), with the main campus in West Haven, Connecticut.
- Cost per credit: $773/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $27,828 + fees
Regis College offers a 100 percent online master of health administration (MHA) that can be completed in as few as 24 months on a part-time basis. Focusing on healthcare costs and delivery from a political and policy level, students learn to promote social justice and high-quality affordable healthcare for all socioeconomic levels.
A key aspect of this program is student discovery and development of their strategic management style. The degree plan includes a field experience encompassing 100 hours in a healthcare setting. Courses may include concepts in health administration, healthcare quality management, and health ethics and law.
- Cost per credit: $790/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $28,440 + fees
Queens University of Charlotte offers a 100 percent online master of health administration (MHA) that can be completed in 24 months. Focus areas include improving patient care and outcomes, cost-effective measures, and management of healthcare organizations.
Through hands-on experiences, students learn to assess and redesign existing policies, create and implement new policies, streamline current processes, and evaluate and improve spending. Queens University offers many online tools for collaboration, including Skype web conferencing, shared blogging, and social media tools.
Applicants must have two years of healthcare work experience to apply. Courses may include clinical issues in health services management, quality improvement in healthcare organizations, and strategic planning and marketing for healthcare organizations.
- Cost per credit: $811/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $29,196 + fees
The University of Cincinnati offers a master of health administration (MHA) that is 100 percent online and can be completed in two years on a part-time basis. Students take two to three seven-week courses each session. This degree seeks to educate professionals in leadership, business management skills, and quality of care improvement.
Students complete several core courses, concentration courses, and a capstone in which a project is presented to faculty and fellow students. Courses may include health systems management, health policy, and the healthcare marketplace.
- Cost per credit: $769/credit
- Number of credits: 40 credits
- Total cost: $30,760 + fees
Other Affordable Online Programs Related to Health Administration
There are several other online healthcare programs that may not fall directly into the MHA programs category, which offer healthcare professionals and students a variety of paths to choose from, depending on career aspirations and personal interests. These may include programs in healthcare informatics, healthcare business, and health information management.
Check out these other affordable master’s programs listed in order of affordability below:
The University of Southern Indiana (USI) offers a 100 percent online MBA in healthcare administration that can be completed in just 11 months with accelerated eight-week courses. Core MBA courses cover topics such as financial markets, innovation, information systems, leadership skills, technology, strategic management, and managerial economics. Designed for graduates to move into administrative positions in the healthcare industry, healthcare administration concentration courses focus on risk management in patient safety, financial and systemic risk, and political risk, as well as the role of business analytics in decision-making and Lean Six Sigma methodology.
- Cost per credit: $431/credit
- Number of credits: 30 credits
- Total cost: $12,930 + fees
Southern Oregon University (SOU) offers a fully online healthcare administration MBA designed to be completed in 16 months. This program prepares MBA graduates to apply learned business and administrative skills in healthcare settings, focusing on quality improvement, performance measurement, communications with patients and families, healthcare technology, and organizational management. A capstone experience integrates core MBA coursework through business case studies and analysis.
- Cost per credit: $430/credit
- Number of credits: 45 credits
- Total cost: $19,350 + fees
Utica University offers an online MBA in healthcare management that can be completed in two years or less. Utica University is known for its small class sizes, excellent student support services and faculty support, and affordable tuition.
Students in this program study ethical decision-making skills, important business skills such as finance, statistics, accounting, marketing, and team-building. The two final capstone courses allow students to demonstrate learned skills through an applied project.
- Cost per credit: $700/credit
- Number of credits: 30 credits
- Total cost: $21,000 + fees
The University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas, offers an online MBA in healthcare management. This program keenly focuses on business management skills in healthcare, such as ethics in healthcare, corporate responsibility, a global perspective, and the dynamics in the workplace, including communication and collaboration.
The degree can be completed in just one year for those with a business background. Healthcare management concentration courses include leadership and business operations in healthcare, healthcare informatics and technologies, and legal and ethical issues in healthcare. This program is accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE).
- Cost per credit: $598/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $21,528 + fees
SNHU also offers a 100 percent online MBA in healthcare management which provides students with a combination of healthcare business practices and how to manage real-world healthcare issues. By focusing on organizational issues, healthcare informatics, and healthcare administration, the degree helps students improve patient care by better understanding healthcare challenges and management of healthcare information.
The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) and can be completed in just 15 months.
- Cost per credit: $627/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $22,572 + fees
Another degree offered through SNHU is their online MS in health information management, which can be completed in just 15 months by taking two courses per ten-week term. Offering a combination of three study areas, including computer science, data analysis, and business, the MSHI prepares students for a career in healthcare technology.
Courses may include health information governance, data management and quality, and compliance management. The degree program is 100 percent online.
- Cost per credit: $627/credit
- Number of credits: 36 credits
- Total cost: $22,572 + fees
Grand Canyon University (GCU) offers a fully online MS in health informatics (MSHI) program that can be completed in just two years. The curriculum is taught from a Christian worldview and covers topics such as ethics, finance, informatics, electronic health records (EHRs), healthcare information systems, data management, project development and evaluation, research, and leadership.
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a GCU-approved accredited institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. No GRE is required unless the minimum GPA is not met. The program culminates with a 16-week practicum that includes a project plus 150 practicum hours. The program begins every eight weeks and can be completed in about two years.
- Cost per credit: $565/credit
- Number of credits: 42 credits
- Total cost: $23,730 + fees
The University of Scranton offers a 100 percent online MS in health informatics (MSHI) that can be completed in about two years. A portion of the program is offered through the AACSB-accredited Kania School of Management.
Courses run eight weeks in length, and there are six terms per year. The 33-credit program includes courses such as principles of computer science and software development, database principles and applications, business management and communication for health informatics, and healthcare knowledge for health informatics.
The program ends with a health informatics capstone experience. The Scranton MSHI is in candidacy status with the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
- Cost per credit: $757/credit
- Number of credits: 33 credits
- Total cost: $24,981 + fees
The University of Cincinnati offers a 100 percent online master of science in health informatics (MHI) that can be completed in two years. Educating students in health informatics, this degree promotes the use of information technology to improve patient care and outcomes and affect the community and global health decision-making.
MHI students also have the option to add a health information security certificate to their program. Courses may include health informatics, health information legislation, privacy, and security, and project and program management.
- Cost per credit: $769/credit
- Number of credits: 33 credits
- Total cost: $25,377 + fees
Maryville University offers a 100 percent online, accelerated MBA in health administration that is ACBSP-accredited and can be completed in just 14 months. This accelerated program can also be completed part-time in about 26 months. This program combines economics, ethics, finance, and marking with healthcare administration issues to create a well-rounded health administration degree.
MBA courses may include strategic marketing, organizational behavior and development, and business economics. Healthcare administration concentration courses include healthcare operations, healthcare law, ethics and risk management, the healthcare industry and its impact on healthcare management, and population health management.
- Cost per credit: $714/credit
- Number of credits: 39 credits
- Total cost: $27,846 + fees
The University of Illinois at Chicago offers a fully online MS in health informatics (MSHI) program with a general track or one of three concentrations: project research, thesis research, or health data science. Professionals with two years of experience who are interested in improving the patient experience and outcomes through technology and leadership may apply.
The MSHI can be completed in two years and students may choose to complete a practicum. The program culminates with a capstone experience. Required courses for all concentrations may include healthcare information systems, management of healthcare communication systems, ethics and legal issues in health informatics, health information systems analysis and design, and information sources in biomedical and health information sciences. Students then complete concentration courses as well as electives.
- Cost per credit: $750/credit
- Number of credits: 38 credits
- Total cost: $28,500 + fees
The University of Central Florida offers a 100 percent online MS in Health Care Informatics (MS-HCI) that can be completed in two years. Terms in this 38 credit program last 16 weeks, and applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. A set of foundational courses may be required depending on previous education and work experience.
Courses may include project management in healthcare informatics, system analysis and design, healthcare data architecture and modeling, biostatistics and decision analysis, and healthcare database management.
- Cost per credit: $772.69/credit
- Number of credits: 38 credits
- Total cost: $29,362.22 + fees
Find an Affordable Online MHA Program
With the rising education costs, graduate programs may have seemed like too expensive of a proposition. These MHA programs ranked by affordability can open up some options you might not otherwise have considered.
These online programs in healthcare administration can be convenient, affordable, and completed in just one to two years. With the growing need for healthcare professionals with master’s-level education, these programs can provide a career pathway without the heavy burden of more expensive tuition costs.
