Why This Matters
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11% OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION JOBS ONLY REQUIRE AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE
11% of medical and health services jobs require at least an associate degree. Completing an associate program will also get you closer to earning a bachelor’s degree, which is required for 46% of jobs in this field.
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144,700 NEW JOBS FOR HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATORS
The job outlook for healthcare administrators is bright. Employment is projected to grow 28% between 2022 and 2032, which will result in 144,700 new jobs.
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EARN $104,830 AS A HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATOR
Medical and health services managers earn an average of $104,830 per year. The lowest 10% earn less than $64,100, and the highest 10% earn more than $209,990. Your salary will depend on where you live, how much experience you have, and the highest degree level earned.
How We Rank Schools
This list features some of the best online associate in healthcare administration degree programs at top colleges nationwide. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary education. Many of the programs on our list have been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), which assesses the objectives, quality, and overall effectiveness of healthcare administration-related programs.
We evaluated each school’s program on admission, retention, and graduation rates as well as tuition costs, faculty, reputation, and the resources provided for online students. Then, we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Next, we compared this comprehensive list of online associate in healthcare administration degree programs to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like U.S. News & World Report, among others, to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
- 50 hours to write this article
- 74 universities and colleges we assessed
- 131 education programs we compared
The Top 50 Online Associate in Healthcare Administration Programs
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What You Should Know About This Degree
Job market opportunities for healthcare administration occupations are bright. An associate degree will position you to be a leader in the healthcare industry in private practice, nursing homes, and hospital settings.
An Associate of Arts (AA) and an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in healthcare administration are similar and provide the fundamental skills you need for this career. An AA typically includes more liberal arts courses, while the AAS concentrates more on science and math classes. Both degrees typically require 60 to 65 credit hours and take the same amount of time to complete.
Once you complete your associate degree, you will need to research whether you need to pass a certification exam to be eligible for a job. All states require licensure for nursing home administrators. A license is typically not required for other healthcare administration jobs; however, some people choose to become certified. The Professional Association of Health Care Office Management and the American Health Information Management Association offer certifications.
What’s Next?
Here are some questions to consider while researching online associate in healthcare administration degree programs:
- Am I eligible for this program? Many healthcare administration degree programs are available online and in hybrid formats at community colleges and trade schools. Students are generally accepted from a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds and just need a high school diploma or equivalency to be eligible.
- Are courses offered synchronously or asynchronously? Most online classes are offered in both real-time and independent formats. It’s important to consider the time commitment of attending live-streaming classes versus independently logging in at your convenience and decide what fits your learning style best.
As you research online healthcare administration degree programs, look closely at each school’s admission requirements and deadlines. It’s also important to factor in how you will finance your associate degree education. Contact your financial aid department for information about scholarships, federal loans, and employer-based tuition reimbursement programs.