Accredited Online Graduate Certificates in Health Administration
MHA Search
As a result of an active and aging population, increases in the number and length of chronic conditions, expanding regulatory demand, and rising need for evidence-based accountability, the healthcare system is expanding and becoming more complex. As the system grows, more healthcare administrators will be needed to keep the healthcare system running, to keep care accessible to patients, and to ensure high quality of care at the most reasonable price point possible.
This systemic need is going to be so great that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019) predicts that there will be an 18 percent growth in jobs in medical and health services management between 2018 and 2028. This will produce 71,600 new positions nationally, for a total of 477,700 jobs in the field. With a growth rate that is nearly four times higher than the average growth rate, medical professionals who are looking to grow with the medical industry have huge opportunities ahead of them.
Medical administrators are non-clinical professionals that may find themselves responsible for everything outside of patient care that keeps a healthcare organization running. Some medical administrators run entire hospitals, while others may be responsible for small clinics or departments within a larger institution. At any scale, medical administrators may find themselves responsible for tasks like budgeting, hiring, scheduling, compliance, development, managing insurance contracts, operations streamlining, and more.
For professionals who are currently working in the healthcare field, online graduate certificates can be a quick, affordable, and flexible way to shift into a healthcare leadership. Online graduate certificates in healthcare management allow students to learn at their own pace, and generally require 18 months of commitment or less.
Graduate certificates are ideal for professionals who want to test out a school’s program before committing to a full master’s degree. Most graduate certificate programs allow for any courses completed toward the certificate to be used toward completion of a master’s in health administration (MHA).
Keep reading to learn more about graduate certificate programs in healthcare administration.
| Featured Graduate Certificates in Healthcare Administration | ||
|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | Online Healthcare Administration Graduate Certificate | View Full Profile |
| Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | Online Healthcare Analytics Graduate Certificate | View Full Profile |
| Arizona State University | Health Care Innovation (Graduate Certificate) | View Full Profile |
| Utica University | Nursing Home Administrator Advanced Certificate (NY & DC LNHA Prep) | View Full Profile |
| The University of Scranton | Executive Certificate in Health Administration | View Full Profile |
| Boston University | Visual & Digital Health Communication (Grad Certificate) | View Full Profile |
Featured Graduate Certificates in Healthcare Administration
The School of Professional and Extended Studies at American University offers a 100 percent online graduate certificate in healthcare management. The program is designed to help professionals in the healthcare industry understand and implement a values-based financial model of healthcare and to improve processes and care delivery through technology integration.
The graduate certificate requires participants to complete 12 credits over the following four courses: data-driven decision making, standards and systems in U.S. healthcare, principles of health information technology and innovation, and evaluating new models of care payment and delivery. While on-campus participation is not required, students enrolled American’s certificate program can choose to participate in an optional on-campus immersion for the data-driven decision making course.
Those enrolled in the graduate certificate program can apply credits from the certificate program to American’s full master of science in healthcare management, should they so choose. Applicants must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree to apply, and while no work experience is required to apply, the program is designed for experienced professionals. No GMAT or GRE scores are required.
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Tuition: $1,345 per credit
- Program length: Nine to 15 months
The executive certificate in health administration is an online, Jesuit health leadership program offered through the Panuska College of Professional Studies at the University of Scranton. This graduate certificate is best suited to experienced professionals interested in making an immediate impact in healthcare by learning leadership and decision-making skills through an American College of Healthcare Executives-aligned curriculum.
Students enrolled in the five-course, 15-credit certificate program take three core courses and are able to choose two electives from the full master’s in health administration program. Coursework includes healthcare organization and administration, healthcare financial management, and health services and systems.
Students can choose to transfer completed coursework credits into the MHA program, should they decide to transfer into the degree pathway. While no GRE or GMAT scores are required to apply, this certificate program is for experienced professionals. A minimum of three years of full-time professional or supervisory experience is required to apply.
- Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Accreditation: Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
- Tuition: $940 per credit
- Program length: Ten months
The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University offers a 100 percent online graduate certificate in healthcare innovation designed to help graduates to become change and change facilitators in the healthcare industry. The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation was ranked in the top 11 percent in the nation for master’s programs by U.S. News and World Report.
Faculty teaching in the online program include Fullbright Senior Scholars, the recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Leadership Award in Caregiving, and the recipient of the Ruth B. Freeman Award from the American Public Health Association,
Students enrolled in the 15-credit, five-course program complete four core courses and one capstone course. Coursework in the program includes innovation and the individual, systems thinking in a complex environment, outcomes evaluation, and innovation methods. No GRE or GMAT scores are required to apply, and there is no minimum work experience requirement. Applicants with an academic background in any health-related business, social science, hard science, healthcare practice, or technology field are encouraged to apply.
- Location: Tempe, Arizona
- Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
- Tuition: $818 per credit
- Program length: One year
The graduate certificate in clinical research administration offered by The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences is designed for current professionals working in clinical research who wish to deepen their understanding of drug development, clinical trial practice and protocols, and the business side of the industry.
Students enrolled in the six-course, 18-credit-hour program will complete five core courses and one elective of their choice. Courseowork in the program includes critical analysis in clinical research, medicines development, partnerships with human subjects, the clinical research industry, and monitoring clinical research.
Enrolled students who chose to switch into the full master’s of science in health science (MSHS) in clinical research administration can apply completed graduate certificate credits to their degree. No GRE or GMAT scores are required to apply. While no minimum threshold of work experience is specifically delineated for acceptance into GW’s graduate certificate program, previous healthcare experience is preferred.
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Accreditation: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
- Tuition: $980 per credit
- Program length: 18 months
Combining coursework from the College of Allied Health Sciences and the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, the University of Cincinnati offers a 100 percent online graduate certificate in healthcare administration designed to prepare participants for leadership in the healthcare organizations of tomorrow. In addition to being completely online, the certificate is taught by expert professors who have active roles in health administration.
The 12-credit-hour graduate certificate requires participants to complete four total courses: two core courses and two electives of their choosing. Core courses include health systems management: organizations delivery and healthcare marketplace 1: health economics. Examples of electives include healthy quality: evidence based decision making and global health systems. No GRE or GMAT scores are required to apply. While no work experience is required, applicants are encouraged to highlight experience in healthcare on their resume or CV.
- Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Tuition: $747 per credit
- Program length: 18 months or less
One of the first programs in the nation to focus on care for incarcerated individuals in U.S. jails and prisons, the graduate certificate in correctional health administration offered through the School of Medicine & Health Sciences at George Washington University is designed to prepare graduates for an internship role as an assistant correctional health administrator.
The program was designed by Newton E. Kendig, MD, a clinical professor at GW and a former medical director for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Coursework in the 15-credit, five-course program includes the fundamentals of correctional healthcare, correctional healthcare administration for special populations, correctional healthcare fiscal management, correctional healthcare oversight, and correctional healthcare delivery.
While all coursework is 100 percent online, students are required to secure and complete a six-credit practicum in a correctional setting. No GRE or GMAT is required to apply. While no minimum amount of work experience is required, some experience in correctional or healthcare settings is preferred.
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Accreditation: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
- Tuition: $980 per credit
- Program length: One year
