Online MHA Programs Ranked by Affordability (2020-2021)

Check out the 20 most affordable online MHA programs by total cost in 2020.

Topping our list as the most affordable online MHA program, New England College (NEC) offers a 100 percent online MS in management (healthcare administration). This program can be completed in one to two years and focuses on healthcare project management, healthcare systems, and healthcare 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

Southern New Hampshire University 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, and informatics. Courses may include global health and diversity, biostatistics, and health policy and law. This degree curriculum is aligned with the standards put forth by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA).

• Cost per credit: $627/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $22,572 + 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: $655/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $23,580 + 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, and 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: $673/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $24,228 + fees

Utica College 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 which fosters 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 a licensed nursing home administrator.

Applicants do not need prior healthcare experience to be admitted to this program.

• Cost per credit: $690/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $24,840 + 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

Purdue University 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, healthcare finance, human resource management, healthcare 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

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 style 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 with 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, utilizing their own 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: $550/credit
• Number of credits: 48 credits
• Total cost: $26,400 + 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 which includes 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 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: $881/credit
• Number of credits: 30 credits
• Total cost: $26,430 + 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: $760/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $27,360 + 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 healthcare marketplace.

• Cost per credit: $747/credit
• Number of credits: 39 credits
• Total cost: $29,133 + fees

Saint Joseph’s University offers an online master of health administration. In addition to a general path, there are two concentrations available: informatics and organizational development and leadership.

This online MHA degree can be completed in two to three years and is 100 percent online. Students study complex ethics in relation to healthcare and learn to lead organizations while balancing cost and patient quality of care. Students in the informatics concentration work with data to improve patient outcomes, lower costs, and facilitate communication between healthcare professionals, medical teams, and patients and their families.

Students in the organizational development and leadership concentration study team leadership, group dynamics, organizational change, and systems thinking, in addition to core concepts. Healthcare work experience is preferred for applicants. Courses may include financial management of healthcare organizations, health services research, and ethics of healthcare.

• Cost per credit: $887/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $31,932 + fees

The University of Central Florida (UCF) offers a fully online executive master of health administration (EMHA) that can be completed in two years. It is designed for experienced healthcare professionals such as managers, clinicians, and mid-level practitioners and professionals. The UCF executive MHA is a competitive cohort-based program with a specific timeline and sequence of courses. Topics covered include financial management, quality of care, informatics, ethics, research, organizational behavior, risk management, and planning.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 plus three years of professional healthcare management experience. The 44-credit sequence begins in the fall only and courses are offered on a semester basis. As this is an executive program, students are required to be online at specific times for video conferences and live webinars as well as other activities. Courses may include healthcare informatics, healthcare economics and policy, healthcare statistics and research, healthcare ethics and law, and leadership for healthcare executives.

• Cost per credit: $772.69/credit
• Number of credits: 44 credits
• Total cost: $33,998.36 + 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. Included in the degree plan is 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: $1,050/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $37,800 + fees

American University offers a fully online master of healthcare management that can be completed in 20 months. No campus visits are required; however, there is an optional campus immersion for the data-driven decision-making course. It is designed for mid-career professionals who seek to deepen their knowledge of healthcare data analysis, management, leadership, and information technology, and immediately return to the workforce at a higher level.

The cohort-based curriculum comprises 30 credits and follows a four-phase sequence called the Professional Studies Experience (PSE). Courses such as intercultural communication for professionals, project cost-benefit analysis, and professional ethics and project leadership are influenced by an advisory council made up of healthcare professionals. This ensures skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, ethical decision-making, effective interpersonal communication, and collaboration are included in the courses.

• Cost per credit: $1,345/credit
• Number of credits: 30 credits
• Total cost: $40,350 + fees

George Mason University located in Fairfax, Virginia, offers an online MHA in health systems management. Online students take one course at a time lasting eight weeks each. The program is based on competencies in the five domains of management and leadership, professionalism and ethics, critical thinking/problem solving, communications, and knowledge of healthcare systems and management.

A key element of the program is a capstone practicum in which students write a thesis or complete a capstone practicum project. The experience includes working 20 hours per week as part of a healthcare entity completing a project for that organization. In addition, a one-week immersion in Washington D.C. for the health policy leadership course. Students may begin the 47-credit program in the fall, spring, or summer, and the MHA can be completed in 24 months.

• Cost per credit: $895/credit
• Number of credits: 47 credits
• Total cost: $42,065 + fees

The University of Scranton offers a fully online master of health administration that is accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). The 47-credit curriculum follows the ACHE Healthcare Leadership Alliance model competency domains as well as the university’s Jesuit tenets of justice and ethics.

Applicants must have at least three years of professional or managerial work experience plus a bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Courses are offered in eight-week intervals and the program may be completed in 30 months. Topics covered include leadership in health administration, human resource management, healthcare operations and quality, IT management, healthcare ethics, financial management, and more. Also included is a 150-hour field experience such as an internship, clinical observation, externship, or project.

• Cost per credit: $940/credit
• Number of credits: 47 credits
• Total cost: $44,180 + fees

Wake Forest University offers an online MS in healthcare leadership (MHL) program that includes two four-day campus immersions in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Applicants to this program must be prepared to complete the 20-month sequence fully with their cohort. Students are taught how to guide transformations in such a way as to improve the quality of healthcare while preserving the integrity of healthcare systems as a whole.

The 35-credit program includes seven hours per term and takes 20 months to complete. Applicants must have at least five years of healthcare work experience. During the program, students have access to affinity groups through which they are able to collaborate with healthcare experts on issues and problems in healthcare in order to create solutions. Courses may include strategic thinking and decision-making for healthcare leaders, quality outcomes and improvement, healthcare operations, population and global health, and healthcare policy and law.

• Cost per credit: $1,510/credit
• Number of credits: 35 credits
• Total cost: $52,850 + fees

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) offers an online MS in healthcare management which includes a three-day campus residency in Baltimore, Maryland. This program prepares graduates to manage and lead healthcare organizations in an ethical, strategic manner, using data to analyze and measure productivity and effectiveness. The program is interdisciplinary and includes faculty from various JHU schools of public health, nursing, medicine, and business.

The 36-credit program includes both synchronous and asynchronous elements through courses such as economics for decision making, business leadership and human values, statistical analysis, healthcare financing and financial management, and healthcare law and regulation. It is offered part-time and can be completed in two years. Applicants must have at least two years of professional work experience and submit GMAT or GRE test scores.

• Cost per credit: $1,525/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $54,900 + fees

Duquesne University offers an online master of health administration (MHA) with three concentrations: health informatics and data analytics, healthcare compliance and risk management, and population health. There is a three-day residency required in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and students may participate in internships, community engagement, research projects, and a capstone project. The MHA curriculum follows the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) accreditation requirements.

The Duquesne MHA can be completed in six semesters (two years including summers). No specific work experience or GRE test results are required. The 42-credit program includes 14 courses, including instruction in operations and quality management in healthcare, leadership in healthcare management, healthcare economics and policy, and healthcare information systems. Students take two courses in their chosen concentration which allows them to focus on data systems, data security, or disease prevention.

• Cost per credit: $1,315/credit
• Number of credits: 42 credits
• Total cost: $55,230 + fees

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:

Utica College offers an online MBA in healthcare management that can be completed in two years or less. Utica College is known for 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, and 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: $625/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $22,500 + 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 through better understanding of 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 data quality, and managing compliance. 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: $550/credit
• Number of credits: 42 credits
• Total cost: $23,100 + 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, as well as affecting 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: $747/credit
• Number of credits: 36 credits
• Total cost: $26,892 + 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. Participants in this program combine 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