A Master of Business in Administration (MBA) with a Concentration in Healthcare Administration is a good degree for anyone seeking a business career in healthcare. There is a diverse range of responsibilities and plenty of opportunity for innovation. It’s a great choice for experienced healthcare professionals who want to advance in a current job or move into new areas of their field.
An MBA with a healthcare administration focus also benefits early-career professionals charting their path in the healthcare industry, as well as managers or administrators working in other industries who want to change careers. The University of Northern Colorado’s online MBA with a Concentration in Healthcare Administration program stands out as an excellent way to pursue this potentially life-changing degree and the benefits that come with it, all from the comfort of one’s own home.
Healthy Career Prospects
An MBA with a healthcare focus offers many opportunities for job growth and upward movement. Healthcare administrators with an MBA are sought after by hospital systems, colleges and universities, government agencies, private companies, the nonprofit sector and many other types of employers because these administrators have the training and knowledge needed to solve complex problems.
Consider the following statistics that showcase the demand for these professionals:
- Between 2022 and 2032, the healthcare industry is projected to grow faster than the average for all other occupations, with about 1.8 million openings each year.
- Healthcare companies are among the top three recruiters of MBA grads, alongside companies in the technology and energy industries.
- Given recent and projected workforce shortages in healthcare and an aging workforce, hospitals and medical centers are looking to fill these vacancies and more.
The outlook is promising for MBA administrators because employers know these professionals are leaders who can respond to the rapidly changing business climate of medicine. Those who specialize in healthcare administration are also far more likely to understand the unique problems and opportunities that drive care, treatment and research.
Benefits of Specialization
MBA grads who choose to specialize in the administrative aspects of healthcare do so for many reasons and see many career benefits. It’s an ideal degree for business grads seeking an entry-level job in administration, and it’s a perfect way to learn the business side of healthcare from the ground up.
Experienced healthcare administrators who wish to compete for different or more advanced positions in their field will also see great benefits. Seasoned managers and ambitious administrators who are ready to move into the executive ranks also find that a specialization in healthcare administration is a great complement to their MBA education.
This MBA specialization also benefits students in ways that go beyond job status or earning potential. The degree gives them the tools they need to address some of the most urgent issues our healthcare system faces in the years ahead.
For instance, the critical shortage of primary care physicians, specialists, nurses and home health providers in the U.S. is projected to worsen within the next decade. This is largely due to attrition, retirement trends and the difficulty of recruiting new candidates into professional education and workforce training programs. From both a strategic and creative perspective, the expertise that MBA healthcare administrators bring to their work can solve these problems and reduce the impact on patients, helping maintain a robust healthcare workforce and continued access to care in the future.
Forging New Traditions
While many graduates of the University of Northern Colorado’s online Healthcare Administration MBA find they have an edge in the health industry job market, some prefer to leverage their expertise in other ways. Many cultivate successful careers in scientific, technical and consulting fields. Healthcare administration MBA grads may find work:
- With a cybersecurity firm, dealing with analytics or health information technology
- In hospitals, managing and working alongside nurses
- In the pharmaceutical industry or for a medical device manufacturer
- In business or government, developing healthcare policies
- As entrepreneurs, starting their own companies
An MBA in Healthcare Administration prepares graduates for career success, however they define it.
Learn more about the University of Northern Colorado’s online MBA with a Concentration in Healthcare Administration program.
