Leaders in the healthcare field — healthcare administrators and executives, as well as other medical and health services managers — are in high demand nationwide. A growing number of universities now offer specialized Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs to meet the needs of the U.S. healthcare system and the citizens who depend on it. In fact, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) offers a fully online MBA with a Concentration in Healthcare Administration program, specifically designed to accommodate the complex scheduling needs of busy working healthcare professionals.

What Healthcare Leadership Entails

Healthcare administration career paths generally fall into one of these categories: administration and management, public health and informatics. Professionals in these areas administer, plan, direct and coordinate medical and health services in a wide variety of settings. They may work in hospitals, doctors’ offices, long-term care facilities, urgent-care centers and outpatient clinics, or they may work in supervisory roles for home healthcare providers. Many healthcare administration professionals work in related positions for NGOs, government agencies, nonprofits, insurance companies and corporations.

Across all these settings, healthcare leaders may administer preventive programs that teach healthy lifestyle choices and ways to ward off illness and disease. Wellness and prevention initiatives are an increasingly important component of the U.S. healthcare system, as science gradually reveals the preventable causes of illness and disease.

Healthcare administrators are as essential to the wellness of the community and the health of individuals, as are the doctors who work directly with patients. Administrators’ responsibilities may include managing a medical practice of a group of doctors, a specific clinical area or department or an entire healthcare or medical facility. The work is complex and constantly changing. Medical and health services managers, in particular, are responsible for keeping their employers up to date with changes in healthcare laws, regulations and technologies.

Career Prospects in Healthcare Leadership

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies most healthcare leadership roles under the umbrella occupational group medical and health services managers. BLS projects that employment in this occupational group will grow 28% between 2022 and 2032, making healthcare administration one of the fastest growing occupations in the country. Demographically, the aging Baby Boomer population drives demand for more qualified healthcare administrators, as does an ongoing wave of Boomer retirements within the industry.

Advancements in medical technology and changing federal regulations affecting patients, providers and insurers also result in more demand for healthcare administration professionals with current technological competence and regulatory knowledge. Workforce challenges, increasing demands for healthcare, fiscal challenges and quality of care issues further spur growth in this rapidly expanding field.

While a bachelor’s degree is the minimum educational standard for many medical and health services management roles, BLS notes that some employers require master’s-level degrees. Plus, many professionals have MBAs or other advanced degrees, making the qualification a virtual necessity for gaining a competitive edge in the job market. Most professionals with significant levels of responsibility take part in ongoing professional development.

BLS also reports that medical and health services managers may work to advance into “top level executive positions” — leadership roles that command top compensation. According to BLS, advancing to these positions may require a master’s degree.

An MBA Is a Path to Leadership

A specialized MBA is an ideal route to career advancement within the field. Coursework in the TAMU-CC MBA with a Concentration in Healthcare Administration prepares graduates to do the following:

  • Work with the various components of the U.S. healthcare delivery system
  • Apply principles of healthcare economics and understand their implications for public policy
  • Operate according to the basics of financial management and techniques used in healthcare
  • Apply relevant issues in law and ethics within the healthcare sector

Most master’s programs in health administration take two academic years to complete, and some take up to four years. The TAMU-CC 12-course program is unique in that it is an accelerated, online MBA that can prepare students for leadership in as few as 12 months.

Students can choose to take two compressed seven-week courses at a time, and many are able to continue working while pursuing the degree. The degree program’s affordability, online convenience and accelerated schedule make it a feasible option for many working professionals.

Equally important, TAMU-CC’s College of Business holds AACSB accreditation, placing the university’s specialized MBA offerings among the world’s most elite graduate-level business programs. Employers demand this accreditation for its assurance of rigorous academic standards and the most up-to-date curriculum. In the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, only a cutting-edge education of this quality will do.

Learn more about the TAMU-CC online MBA with a Concentration in Healthcare Administration program.