A master’s degree in healthcare administration prepares students to manage hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Table of contents
Career opportunities for graduates also include working for consulting firms, nonprofits, insurance companies and government agencies relating to healthcare. If this sounds like the career for you, here’s a list of some of the best places to earn a Master’s in Healthcare Administration.
Best Master’s in Healthcare Administration Programs
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Webster University (40 points) | Webster Groves, Missouri |
| 2 | Rush University (36 points) | Chicago, Illinois |
| 3 | Medical University of South Carolina (32 points) | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 4 | Seton Hall University (29 points) | South Orange, New Jersey |
| 5 | Clarkson University (28 points) | Potsdam, New York |
What is a Masters in Healthcare Administration?
Master’s degrees in healthcare administration include the skills and knowledge students need to run a healthcare organization, from health informatics to business management to healthcare law. Depending on the school, students can earn an MS or MBA in health administration, or a specialized type of degree, the MHA. These degrees can be offered through a business school or a school of health sciences or health professions. Healthcare administration programs are accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
Executive vs. Residential MHAs
Some students earn an MHA at the start of their career, while others go back to school later to enhance their knowledge. Because of this, some schools offer executive and residential MHAs. An executive MHA is for professionals working full-time. They are often taught mostly online, with students taking a few classes each semester and only coming to campus for a few days. Residential programs are for students starting their careers. The residential experience can be full-time or part-time, but usually has a stronger focus on in-person, experiential learning.
What Schools Have the Best Health Administration Programs?
We’ve compiled a list of the best healthcare administration degrees. These colleges are ranked based on their graduate tuition (lowest is best) and faculty-student ratio (lowest is best). We included a mix of both large, well-known universities and less-famous institutions.
The Top 15 Schools for Healthcare Administration Graduate Degrees
Webster University (40 points)
Webster University outside St. Louis, Missouri, offers a Master’s in Healthcare Administration through the George Herbert Walker School of Business. The program prides itself on its small class sizes and 90% job placement rate. Webster also offers a dual MHA/MBA and an MBA with an MHA emphasis
School Overview
Rush University (36 points)
The MS in Health Systems Management at Rush University is ranked No. 5 nationally by U.S. News and World Report. Students learn from professionals at Rush University Medical Center, one of the top medical centers in Chicago. But not only that, Rush has one of the best faculty-student ratios in the world.
School Overview
Medical University of South Carolina (32 points)
The Medical University of South Carolina offers a Master’s in Healthcare Administration with residential and executive options. The residential option includes a 10-credit hour internship between the first and second years of the program. MUSC offers students personalized education with its low faculty-student ratio.
School Overview
Seton Hall University (29 points)
Seton Hall University’s Master of Healthcare Administration program is the only one of its kind (online/hybrid and on-campus) in New Jersey accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
School Overview
Clarkson University (28 points)
Clarkson University offers an MBA in Healthcare Management which can be completed in under two years full-time or two to four years part-time. Clarkson has been ranked as one of the 25 colleges with the highest-paid graduates
School Overview
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (26 points)
The University of Michigan offers a two-year Master of Health Services Administration program which includes a 10-12 week internship (for which most students are paid) in which students gain experience in healthcare institutions based on their career goals. This MHSA is ranked third in the country by U.S. News and World Report, tied with the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
School Overview
The George Washington University (23 points)
The George Washington University offers a Master of Healthcare Administration which culminates in a three-credit residency or six-credit fellowship. Student fellows are placed in top healthcare institutions across the U.S. and have close access to the healthcare community in the nation’s capital.
School Overview
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (23 points)
The Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI offers the only CAHME-accredited Master of Health Administration in Indiana. The program offers students the opportunity to learn through internships, one-on-one professional mentorship, and study abroad programs. 100% of 2018 graduates reported full-time employment. IUPUI also offers an online executive MHA track and joint MHAs with MPH, MBA, and JD degrees.
School Overview
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (21 points)
The Master of Healthcare Administration program at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill is tied with the University of Michigan as third in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. In educating students to become healthcare leaders, UNC places an emphasis on both management techniques and public health issues.
School Overview
Texas Woman’s University (19 points)
Texas Woman’s University offers a Master of Healthcare Administration with options for emphases in Business Analytics and Global Health. The program offers small class sizes and opportunities to complete comprehensive client-based projects, internships, and study abroad programs.
School Overview
University of Oklahoma (17 points)
Students at the University of Oklahoma can earn a Master of Health Administration with a two-year full-time track and three-year part-time track designed to provide flexibility to working students. The program has small class sizes (6-12 students) and is recognized as a premier MHA program in the South-Central region.
School Overview
University of Kentucky (16 points)
The University of Kentucky College of Public Health offers a Master of Healthcare Administration program which admits 25 students each year. Students learn from experienced faculty, interact with professional guest lecturers, and receive individualized job placement mentorship.
School Overview
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (15 points)
The Master of Healthcare Administration program at the University of Minnesota is ranked second in the country by U.S. News and World Report. Minnesota has the oldest MHA program in the U.S. and offers residential and online executive options.
School Overview
University of Colorado – Denver (9 points)
The University of Colorado – Denver is part of a small group of top-ranked health administration schools, the Business School Alliance for Health Management. CU Denver’s Health Administration MBA program offers a 6:1 faculty-student ratio and can be completed in two years.
School Overview
University of Alabama – Birmingham (8 points)
The University of Alabama – Birmingham has the best master’s degree in health administration in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report. UAB offers an MS in Healthcare Management with executive and residential formats. The residential format offers strong real-world experience including a paid administrative residency, and the executive format, open to professionals with five years of experience, allows students to also earn an MS or graduate certificate in Healthcare Quality and Safety.
School Overview
How Did We Rank this List?
Our ranking was based 66.7% on faculty-student ratio and 33.3% on tuition.
From each institution’s website, we gathered in-person graduate tuition rates for out-of-state domestic students in the different programs. Where tuition was only listed on a per-year or per-semester basis, the year was assumed to consist of two semesters, twelve credits each. Tuition figures do not include fees or other expenses. For IUPUI, graduate tuition could not be found, so the average of the other 14 programs was used for the ranking.
Each school was given a score from 1 for the highest tuition to 15 for the lowest. Schools were also scored from 1 to 15 for faculty-student ratio based on data from U.S. News and World Report.
Then, faculty-student ratio points were multiplied by two. These weighted scores were added together to produce the final ranking.
Problems with your Ranking?
If your school isn’t on this list and you think it deserves consideration for an update, please contact us. Also, if you work for one of the schools on this list and you notice an error, please let us know. We always seek to provide the most accurate information available and let readers know about the best schools across the country.
Still not Sure which School is Right for You?
Choosing the right college to continue your education is an important decision. Check out our degree finder and our other lists to help find the best healthcare administration degrees.
