Key Information:
- James Madison University is the #1 top school for healthcare administration.
- Graduates are well-prepared for careers in healthcare management, overseeing operations in various healthcare settings.
- Many programs include internships or field experiences, enhancing practical skills in real-world settings.
There are many great schools for healthcare administration! A BS in Health Administration degree is a useful, versatile, and important degree that equips future healthcare professionals with the tools they need to be successful in the healthcare field. A Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration degree also typically results in an above-average income.
Our article on the Best Schools for Healthcare Administration was originally published in July 2023 and was updated in January 2024.
It also doesn’t matter what type of BS in Health Administration degree is earned, whether it’s a Bachelor’s of Healthcare Management or Healthcare Administration, the healthcare field has an excellent job market.
People don’t have to be nurses or doctors to make a difference in the lives of others, and there are other ways to get involved in the healthcare field, like a healthcare administration program. A bachelor’s in healthcare administration degree leads to those opportunities and puts people in a position to help others and to make a difference in the care and service of patients.
Methodology: Ranking the Best Healthcare Administration Programs
The editors at the Bachelor’s Degree Center know prospective hospital and health administrators need a healthcare administration program that will pay off in their careers. That’s why we feature reputable, accredited institutions, ranked according to real statistics — tuition, student reviews, and graduate salary — using current IPEDS and Niche data. These schools for healthcare administration degree programs listed below will make a difference.
1. James Madison University
James Madison University offers a BS in Health Services Administration that is recognized to be among Virginia’s best healthcare administration programs by multiple ranking outlets.
The University’s Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration requires the completion of 120 semester credits in classes that include:
- Healthcare Management
- Epidemiology
- Health Economics
- Long-term Care Administration
- Health Politics and Policy
- plus an internship in Health Administration
Founded as a research higher learning institution to train women teachers in 1908, James Madison University (JMU) now operates as a ‘more selective’ university by the Carnegie Foundation. The university’s small-city campus in Harrisonburg serves more than 22,440 graduate and undergraduate students each year.
What We Like: James Madison University is ranked as the second-best master-level school in the southern United States.
Degree: Health Services Administration
2. Georgetown University
Georgetown University offers a BS in Health Care Management & Policy that offers study abroad opportunities. The school offers two academic tracks in healthcare administration programs:
- Healthcare Management
- Health Policy Analysis
Classes for Georgetown University’s Bachelor’s in Health Care Administration include the legal environment of health care, negotiating leadership, health services research, healthcare management, and analytical methods for policy evaluation, plus an internship, to name a few.
Georgetown University is a private school that was established as a college in 1789 but is now recognized to be among the top institutions of higher education in the nation. The university’s main campus overlooks the Potomac River and serves more than 18,000 students each year.
What We Like: Georgetown University holds the distinction with more alumni including the most United States Diplomats.
Degree: Health Care Management & Policy, BS
3. George Mason University
George Mason University’s Health Administration & Policy offers a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree program in Health Administration that offers students two academic concentrations:
- Assisted Living/Senior Housing
- Health Systems Management
The school’s Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration with a Health Systems Management concentration is certified by the AUPHA. Students graduate from GMU’s Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration program and enter the workforce as healthcare administrators in healthcare management, clinics, hospitals, home care organizations, and IT organizations, among others.
George Mason University is a multiple-campus research school that was chartered in 1949. George Mason University’s campuses across Virginia and South Korea serve nearly 40,000 graduate and undergraduate students each year.
What We Like: George Mason University began as an extension facility of UV in a local high school and many other locations in the early years, even people’s homes.
Degree: BS in Health Administration
4. Penn State University
Penn State University offers a BS in Health Policy & Administration (HPA) program that is recognized to be among Pennsylvania’s best healthcare administration programs.
Classes for this Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration include:
- Healthcare and Medical Needs
- Financial Decisions in Healthcare Organizations
- Population Health & Healthcare
- Involutory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy
- Strategic Planning and Marketing for Health Services
- Healthcare field experience
Penn State University is recognized to be a public Ivy school. Penn State began as a high school for farmers in the mid-1850s. In addition, PSU is a four-designation school, one of only a few in the nation, and has a student enrollment across campuses and online of nearly 90,000.
What We Like: Penn State University holds an annual danceathon which is recognized to be the largest of any school in the country.
Degree: Health Policy and Administration, BS
5. University of Southern California
The University of Southern California offers a BS in Public Policy with an academic specialty in Health Policy and Management that is among California’s best schools for healthcare administration programs.
Students enrolled in USC’s healthcare administration bachelor’s program complete classes in:
- Healthcare Management
- Social Justice Issues in Public Policy
- Administration of Healthcare Organizations
- Statistics for Policy and Planning
- Analytic Foundations for Public Policy
- plus a capstone and internship
The University of Southern California (U of SC) was established in the 1880s and is recognized to be the oldest institute of higher learning that is dedicated to research run privately. USC is a space and sea-grant university located in Los Angeles with a student enrollment that nearly 50,000.
What We Like: It is estimated that the economic impact of the University of Southern California on the state’s economy is $8 billion.
Degree: Public Policy: Health Policy and Management, BS
6. Auburn University
The Liberal Arts College at Auburn University offers a BS in Health Services Administration (HADM) that is ranked among the best schools for healthcare administration programs.
Auburn University’s bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration was the first program in Alabama to be accredited by the AUPHA. Auburn University’s healthcare administration baccalaureate program prepares graduates to become future leaders of the healthcare system. Auburn’s healthcare program has more than 1,000 alumni living and working across the globe.
Founded as an all-male college in the 1880s by the state legislature, Auburn University now operates as a land-grant school and the 2nd largest in the state. Additionally, Auburn University is a space and sea-grant institution of higher education that serves more than 30,250 students each year.
What We Like: Auburn University was the first southern school to be a land-grant school that was not also a state university.
Degree: BS in Health Services Administration
7. University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Health Professions School offers a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Healthcare Management (HCM) that offers degree candidates four academic tracks. The available concentrations from Auburn University’s best health administration programs include:
- long-term care
- general manager
- pre-professional
- clinical manager
Classes for UA’s undergraduate healthcare administration degree program include:
- Cultural Awareness and Competency
- Healthcare Management
- Law for Healthcare Professionals
- Medical Terminology for Health Professionals
- plus a healthcare internship
The University of Alabama at Birmingham was established in the 1960s as a public school. UAB is organized into a dozen colleges/schools that offer UAB’s 22,500 students more than 135 academic and certificate programs.
What We Like: The medical center at the University of Alabama in Birmingham is among the largest in the nation.
Degree: B.S. in Health Care Management
8. University of Baltimore
The University of Baltimore offers a BS in Health Management that has been recognized to be among the nation’s best healthcare administration programs, according to besthealthdegrees.com.
The health management degree from UMB requires 42 credit units from the healthcare management curriculum. Classes for this degree include:
- Healthcare Management
- Health Policy & Politics
- Quantitative Methods for Healthcare Managers
- Statistics for Health Administration
- plus a healthcare management internship
The University of Baltimore (Baltimore) is a member school of the state’s university system and was established in the 1920s. The university offers its more than 4,000 students various programs in the applied arts/sciences, law, public affairs, and business.
What We Like: The University of Baltimore’s humble beginning began with a group of local business professionals in the city.
Degree: Health Management BS
9. Oregon State University
Oregon State University offers a BS in Health Management and Policy that is ranked among the top four best schools for healthcare administration programs.
Graduates of Oregon State University’s undergraduate health care administration degree program find rewarding work as assisted living managers, health policy analysts, long-term care administrators, and clinic managers, to name a few.
OSU’s health administration degree offers two academic specialty tracks:
- Health Promotion & Health Behavior
- Health Systems & Policy with an accelerated master’s level program
Oregon State University is a research school that was established in the 1860s and evolved from a prep academy. OSU offers more than 200 programs from its college-town campus (and online) to nearly 32,000 students each year. Oregon State University is a four-designation school that includes land, sea, space, and sun-grant designations.
What We Like: Oregon State University is located about 1.5 hours from downtown Portland in Willamette Valley.
Degree: Health Management and Policy
10. California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico offers one of the Golden State’s best healthcare administration programs with its BS in Policy Health Services Administration.
CSU Chico’s undergraduate degree in healthcare administration is AUPHA accredited. Classes for CSU’s healthcare management degree include:
- International Health
- Epidemiology
- Healthcare Delivery System
- Corporate Tech Integration
- Law, Ethics & Regulations in Health Services
- plus a healthcare internship
California State University’s campus in Chico was established in the 1880s as a normal school to train teachers. The university’s campus in north-central California is the state university’s second oldest school. Student enrollment at Chico is about 16,550 postgraduate and undergraduate students each year.
What We Like: Cal State Chico is organized into eleven schools/colleges that offer more than 150 academic programs.
Degree: Health Services Administration
11. Texas State University
Texas State University’s Health Administration School offers a Bachelor of Health Administration (BHA) that is recognized among the Lone Star State’s best healthcare administration programs. Classes for Texas State University’s undergraduate degree in healthcare administration include:
- Ethics in the Health Professions
- Healthcare Administration History, Culture, & Language
- Employment Law in Management
- Essentials in Healthcare Law and Strategic Healthcare Management
- plus a practicum in healthcare management
Texas State University (Texas State) was established in 1899 as a teacher’s training school. Texas State University’s campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock, are located about mid-distance between San Antonio and Austin and are home to 38,150 undergraduate and graduate students every year.
What We Like: The most notable alumni of Texas State University, are Lyndon B Johnson and 6x MLB all-star P. Goldschmidt.
Degree: BHA
12. Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University offers a BS in Health Service Administration that prepares students to become the next generation’s healthcare leaders.
The university’s best health administration programs include classes in:
- Healthcare Systems & Trends
- Healthcare Management
- Corporate Social Responsibilities
- Writing for Health Professionals
- Educating in the School of Health Professions
- Business Statistics
- Principles of Management
- plus a capstone
Fran U – the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University is a private school that was founded in the 1920s, with nine students with a Roman Catholic affiliation. The school’s Baton Rouge campus overlooking Capitol Lake is home to nearly 1,300 students each year.
What We Like: Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University offers its students an impressive 10 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio.
Degree: BS in Health Service Administration
13. University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire offers a BS in Health Management and Policy that is AUPHA certified. The University of New Hampshire’s best healthcare administration programs open the door to many career opportunities as consultants, healthcare administrators, healthcare sales epidemiologists, and health analysts, to name a few.
Classes for this health care administration degree program include:
- Introduction to Public Health
- Statistics for Human Service Professionals
- Epidemiology
- Community Medicine
The University of New Hampshire was founded under the Morrill Land Grant College Act in the mid-1860s in Hanover, in conjunction with Dartmouth. The school’s campuses cover more than 2,500 acres and serve about 14,650 students each year.
What We Like: UNH is divided into eleven schools/colleges that offer programs in engineering, life sciences, health, business law, public policy, marine science, and liberal arts, to name a few.
Degree: BS in Health Management and Policy
14. University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut offers a BS in Healthcare Management (HCM) program that is ranked among the best health administration programs in Connecticut. UConn’s undergraduate degree in healthcare administration includes classes in:
- Risk Management and Insurance
- Health Care Economics
- Clinical and Social Issues in Healthcare
- Health & Social Insurance
- Health Law and Policy
- plus a healthcare administration internship
The University of Connecticut is the flagship campus of the state’s university system that was established as an agricultural school in the 1880s. UC is ranked among the top schools in New England and the nation with a student body that exceeds 27,000.
What We Like: UConn is also a space, sea, and land-grant institution of higher education.
Degree: Healthcare Management, BS
15. University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota offers a BBA in Health Care Management (HCM) that prepares students for rewarding careers in healthcare management.
The University of Minnesota’s best healthcare administration programs are certified by the AUPHA and have a 100% placement rate. Classes for this baccalaureate degree include:
- Healthcare Organization and Healthcare Management
- Legal Aspects in Healthcare
- Healthcare Quality Management
- plus an internship
The University of Minnesota is located in Duluth and was founded as a normal school for teachers in 1902. The university’s urban location in Duluth is home to more than 10,100 students each year vying for degrees and certificates offered by the university’s seven colleges/schools.
What We Like: The campus for the University of Minnesota located in Duluth overlooks Lake Superior and covers more than 200 acres.
Degree: Health Care Management B.B.A.
Why should I get a Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration?
Those who pursue or consider pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration degree can rest assured that there are many reasons for earning this highly valued degree. A BS in Healthcare Administration degree enables and prepares graduates to enter an array of different roles as Healthcare Administrators in a variety of different medical settings and facilities.
Last but not least one more reason to pursue a BS in Healthcare Administration degree is the opportunity to help people. Since a Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration degree is so versatile, graduates can make a difference in patient’s lives in many more ways. From care and services policies to the finance department, those holding a bachelor of healthcare management degree can work in a variety of departments – or many!
How do I choose schools for Healthcare Administration?
Getting a BS in Healthcare Administration degree begins with finding the best schools for healthcare administration undergraduate programs. From healthcare administration colleges with medical schools to those pursuing a healthcare management major at a university program, finding the right programs will make a difference.
Beyond the school offering a recognized major in healthcare administration program, and establishing a program’s credibility, many other factors should be considered when choosing the right healthcare administration program. The best schools for healthcare administration undergraduate programs will also be the programs that put students in the best position to be successful.
Students seeking a BS in Healthcare Administration degree may not find healthcare administration colleges per se, but healthcare administration programs. Those programs should offer classes that work with your schedule. Tuition and class expenses should be compared along with any needed financial assistance programs. Program features such as online class options or evening classes should be investigated for those who could benefit from such features.
Accreditation is crucial for a healthcare management program. Whatever your specialization, a reputable MHA program will put you on the right track. The best schools for healthcare administration for online programs will be accredited. Study for your online degree part-time or full-time without being bound to on-campus master’s degree courses for your graduate degree credit hours.
Once you find a few good schools, then align those programs and class schedules with your needs. Soon, those programs that fit into your schedule, that you can afford, and that put you in the best position for success will become evident.
Is Healthcare Administration a good career?
If there were any questions or reservations about healthcare administration being a good career, it is. One reason why this is a good career is because of what healthcare administration is. So what is healthcare administration exactly? And why is healthcare administration a good career choice?
The most basic answer to the question of what is healthcare management is by simply stating it as all the non-clinical or medical functions of a medical facility, nursing home, or hospital. That leads to the next question, is healthcare administration a good career choice?
These are common questions for students considering pursuing a healthcare degree. Inevitably questions arise such as the difference between healthcare management vs healthcare administration.
Many people ask, is Healthcare Management a good major? or Is Healthcare Administration hard?
Don’t worry, you will have plenty of time to talk to admissions staff and look over course curriculums. There is time to learn more about your course options and answers to questions like what is a degree in healthcare administration.
Healthcare administration is a big field and it covers many areas. Those non-medical aspects and non-clinical functions can include the day-to-day responsibilities of operating a healthcare facility. It can involve the staffing of hospital personnel to manage all the necessary budgeting for operations.
There are many aspects of the healthcare industry besides providers. You will need expertise in areas like organizational behavior and financial management.
Healthcare administrators don’t typically start at the top but comparably speaking, the field of medical care offers better average earnings than most. From the financial to the personal rewards, a career in healthcare administration can prove to be fulfilling, worthwhile, and the right career for you.
Good luck in your educational pursuits and all of your health science career endeavors.
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