2023 Best Online Master's Degrees in Healthcare Management

Northwestern University is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Regulatory Compliance - Healthcare Compliance. Graduation requires completing 11 units/courses, which may take full-time students up to two years.

Northwestern uses Canvas as its learning management system (LMS) for online course content and instruction delivery. Classes are generally asynchronous, though some synchronous classwork may be encouraged to foster engagement and interaction. Distance learners in the online master's degree in healthcare compliance take courses such as Healthcare Billing Models and Systems, Healthcare Programs and Enforcement, and Health Care Operations. Students choose to complete a thesis or capstone project to graduate. Online program curricula can help prepare students for leadership positions in the healthcare industry after graduation.

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Health Care Innovation for mid-career health professionals seeking to improve healthcare delivery. Graduating requires completing 11 units of coursework, which may take 20 months, though a three-year extended track option is also available. Penn requires online students to attend two on-campus seminars each August.

Penn delivers its online curriculum via the LMS Canvas. Students in the online master's degree in health care innovation program complete a range of courses, such as Evaluating Health Policy and Programs, Health Economics, Leading Change in Healthcare, and Translating Ideas into Outcomes. Online students must also complete two intensive labs to apply and practice the skills they learn.

Georgetown University is a private, nonprofit, and Catholic-based institution offering an online Executive Master's in Clinical Quality, Safety, and Leadership to help prepare students for leadership roles in healthcare. They must choose between two tracks: (1) Quality and Safety or (2) Human Factors. While most coursework is online, students must also attend a one-time, three-day onsite residency to meet graduation requirements. This 32-credit program takes full-time students approximately 16 months to complete.

Georgetown's online students use Canvas to participate in class and complete assignments asynchronously (i.e., at their own pace). Courses in this online healthcare program include Creating and Leading Sustainable Change, Human Factors Core Principles, and Quality Improvement Methods. Additionally, students must complete a capstone project to graduate and present during the final course.

The University of Southern California (USC) is a private, nonprofit university offering an online Executive Master of Health Administration for experienced clinical or management healthcare professionals. However, two on-campus residencies are required at the program's beginning and end. This 36-unit program generally typically takes full-time students at least two years to complete.

USC uses the Blackboard LMS for its online curriculum delivery. Students in the online health administration program enroll in courses such as Operations Management for Accountability, Information Technology and Patient Engagement, Strategic Management, and Managing and Improving Health. Graduates often pursue roles in senior administrative leadership.

New England College (NEC) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Business Administration - Healthcare Management for working professionals. Graduating requires completing 40 credit hours, which may take full-time students less than two years.

NEC's students access online coursework and instruction via Blackboard. Those in the online MBA in healthcare management enroll in classes such as Quality and Lean for Healthcare, Principles of Health Informatics, and Comparative Healthcare Systems. They must also complete a capstone project in order to graduate. The online business program curriculum with the healthcare management concentration can help students hone their healthcare leadership skills for their current job and future growth.

As the state's largest conferrer of MBAs, Ohio University - Main Campus (OHIO) in Athens is a public institution offering an online Master of Business Administration - Health Care that merges teaching from both disciplines to help students prepare to solve health care's most complex problems. To earn this online master's degree, students complete this MBA's core classes in addition to three healthcare concentration courses. Graduating requires 35-36 credits and generally takes full-time students two years. OHIO also offers an online Master of Health Administration.

OHIO delivers its online curriculum to distance learners via Canvas. Courses in the online MBA with a health care concentration include Foundations of Leadership in Healthcare; Quality, Safety, and Service in Healthcare Leadership; and Financial Innovation and Growth Strategies in Healthcare. This online graduate program culminates in a capstone project, where students apply course material to a consulting or simulated business experience.

Based in Salt Lake City, Western Governors University (WGU) is a private, nonprofit institution offering only distance learning, including an online Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management to help prepare students for career advancement into executive leadership. Students complete 33 credits and demonstrate their skills in a capstone project at the end of the program. Full-time students may be able to finish this online MBA program in as little as a year.

WGU uses a learning management system powered by Salesforce to deliver its online curriculum to distance learners. Those enrolled in the online MBA HCM program take courses such as Ethical Leadership, Global Economics for Managers, Data-Driven Decision Making, and Service Line Development. Students complete a capstone project at the end of the program to demonstrate knowledge.

Historically-located University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public institution offering an online Master of Business Administration - Health Services through the Collat School of Business, including one- and two-year study plans. The two-year study plan is self-paced, and the one-year study plan is accelerated and offers guaranteed seating with a tuition premium. Graduating requires completing 39 credits. UAB students can add its Professional Development Program to take advantage of multiple graduate, leadership, and professional development opportunities.

UAB delivers its online curriculum via Canvas. MBA in Health Services distance learners enroll in courses such as Economics for Managers, Health Care Marketing, Qualitative Analysis for Business Managers, and Strategic Cost Analysis and Decision Making.

The George Washington University (GWU) in our nation's capital is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Health Sciences in Clinical Operations & Healthcare Management designed for clinical healthcare professionals seeking advancement into leadership roles. This online master's program follows the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Competencies Assessment Tool Model curriculum. Students can complete the 36-credit program in two years if attending with a full-time schedule.

Blackboard is the learning management system GWU uses to deliver its online programming to distance learners. Those enrolled in the online MSHS degree in Clinical Operations & Healthcare Management participate in courses such as Healthcare Systems Operations, Population Health for Health Care Innovators, Topics in Health Care Leadership, and The Health Care Enterprise. Students must also complete a practicum and a three-credit, advisor-approved elective in either biostatistics or epidemiology translational research.

Ivy League Columbia University in the City of New York (CU) is a highly competitive, private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Diabetes Education and Management through the Graduate School of Education, Health & Psychology at its Teachers College. This program helps prepare students to sit for exams to become Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (CDCES) or Board-Certified Advanced Diabetes Managers (BC-ADM). Graduating requires completing 36 credits, which generally takes two years of full-time study. Part-time students are encouraged to take at least six credits per semester to ensure timely program completion.

CU uses CourseWorks to deliver online coursework and instruction. Online diabetes core courses include Assessment of the Person with Diabetes, Pharmacology of Diabetes, Behavior Change Strategies for Diabetes Prevention and Management, and Preventative & Therapeutic Interventions in Diabetes Management.

The University of St. Francis (USF) in Joliet, Illinois, is a private, Roman Catholic institution offering an online Master of Science in Health Administration focusing on building professional technical competence and ethic of service. Concentrations include Leadership in Health Care Self Design, Data Science in Health Care, Management of Long-Term Care, Population Health, and Quality Improvement in Health Care. Students complete 36 credits — 12 in the concentration — and generally finish in two years if attending full time. An online Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management is also offered at USF.

USF distance learners access Canvas to receive instruction and participate in class remotely. Depending on the concentration, courses in the online health administration curriculum include Topics in Health Service Administration, Physiological and Psycho-Social Issues in Long-Term Care, Health Equity and Diversity, and Health Care Quality Management.

The University of Illinois at Chicago (IUC) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Patient Safety Leadership that includes a virtual residency to apply the skills and principles gained in the first four program courses to help build towards a capstone project. The curriculum focuses on historical concepts, demographic trends, and current patient safety and quality care issues. Graduating requires completing 36 credits, which usually takes full-time students approximately two years.

IUC uses Blackboard to deliver its online program content to distance learners. Those enrolled in the online master's degree in patient safety leadership take courses such as Creating Human and System Change; Error Science, Risk, and Communication; Economics, Policy and Environment and Healthcare Simulation, Team and Applied Leadership Principles.

The University of Massachusetts - Lowell (UMass Lowell) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Health Information Management (HIM) that allows students to learn more about process improvement, staffing shortages, workflow analysis, financial resource allocation, and regulatory compliance. This 36-credit program takes some full-time students as few as 18 months to complete. Students can apply lower credentials, such as a graduate certificate in health service management, into this online master's program.

Distance learners use Blackboard to access UMass Lowell's online curriculum. Those enrolled in the online HIM program enroll in courses such as Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health, Data Applications for Public Health Practice, Healthcare Project Management, and Business Strategies for Health Organizations. This program culminates in a capstone project.

Colorado's University of Denver (UD) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Healthcare Management with five concentrations: (1) Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Organizations; (2) Global Health Program Management; (3) Healthcare Policy and Regulatory Compliance; (4) Strategic Leadership in Healthcare Organizations; and (5) Supply Chain Management. Graduating requires completing approximately 32 credits, which may take some full-time students as little as 18 months.

UD provides access to Canvas so distance learners can receive instruction and complete assignments remotely. Depending on the concentration, courses in the online healthcare management program include Comparative Healthcare Systems, Diversity and Organizational Structure, Global Health NGO Management, and Organizational Behavior in Healthcare.

Known globally for its high-quality healthcare programs, schools, and research, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is a private institution in Baltimore offering an online Master of Science in Health Care Management designed to help students build skills to make informed decisions on health care economics. Full-time students may finish this 36-credit, part-time program in two years, including the completion of a two-part consulting practicum.

JHU delivers online coursework and instruction via Canvas. Online health care management electives include Medical Devices and Diagnostics, Pharmaceutical Strategy, Negotiation in Health Care Settings, and Research and Policy Seminars in Health.

JHU also offers an online Master of Applied Science in Global Health Planning and Management, an online Master of Applied Science (MAS) in Population Health Management, and an online Flexible Master of Business Administration - Health Care Management, Innovation, and Technology

Delaware's Wilmington University (WilmU) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Management - Health Care Administration focusing on health policy, insurance, service demand, and legal and ethical issues. Students complete 36 credits — 18 in the health care administration concentration — which some full-time students may be able to complete in as little as a year. WilmU partners with the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center for a TEAM USA experience available to students so they can work on a specific project for the United States Olympic Committee during a five-day stay at the Olympic Training Center as part of a thesis or simulation project.

WilmU delivers its online programming through Canvas. Distance learners completing the health care administration concentration take courses such as Health Policy and Economics, Health Insurance and Reimbursement, Marketing in the Health Care Sector, and Seminar in Health Care Administration.

The University of Cincinnati (UC) is a public institution offering an online Master of Business Administration - Health Care Administration so students can earn their MBA along with a specialized, 12-credit certificate in Health Care Administration to grow into advanced health care roles leading teams and organizations. Graduating requires 48 credits in this graduate degree/certificate program and generally takes two years of full-time attendance.

UC distance learners use Canvas to access the program curriculum remotely. The online MBA/Health Care Administration graduate program courses include Strategic Success, Health Policy and Regulation, Global Health Systems, Total Quality Management, and Lean in Health Care.

UC also offers an online Master of Science in Pharmacy Leadership for pharmacists looking for career advancement specific to that environment.

Clarkson College (CC) in Nebraska is a private, Episcopal institution offering an online Master of Science in Healthcare Administration that allows students to build upon their expertise in an accelerated program format. The online curriculum focuses on building diverse leadership strategies, including defining business problems, assessing information, and considering alternatives to make the best decision. Students complete 39 credits, which can be done in as few as four semesters if attending full-time. Courses last between 6 and 7.5 weeks.

CC delivers its online coursework and instruction via Canvas. Healthcare administration distance learners participate in classes such as Healthcare Data Analytics, Healthcare Quality and Risk Management, Financial Management in Healthcare, and Healthcare Delivery Systems. The curriculum culminates in a capstone experience in the form of a business plan.

North Carolina's Pfeiffer University (PU) is a United Methodist, private institution offering an online Master of Health Administration to help prepare working professionals advance toward leadership roles in public health, practice management, long-term care, and insurance. Graduating requires completing 39 credits. Full-time students may be able to finish in 29 months. The curriculum focuses on organizational communication and behavior, law and ethics, leadership, health economics, and health services information and financial management. Field experience is required. Students also have an opportunity to study abroad for up to 10 days between semesters.

PU's distance learners access Blackboard to receive coursework and instruction remotely. Online MHA courses include Comparative International Health Study, Strategic Health Services Management, Leadership Perspectives in Health Policy, and Health Economics.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Health Administration. This online graduate degree is designed for those who are interested in preparing for potential executive leadership positions in complex health services organizations. While most of this program is online, six-week-long sessions on campus are also required. Students must complete 41 credits — 14 courses — to graduate. Generally, this takes around two years of full-time attendance.

VCU uses Canvas to deliver its online programming to distance learners asynchronously; Zoom is used for any synchronous classroom participation that may be required. Online students in the health adminitration program may choose from courses, such as Health Care Law and Bioethics, Managerial Epidemiology, Financial Management in Health Organizations, and Health Care Organization and Leadership. This online master's degree program culminates in an integrative capstone project.