More than 70 percent of healthcare executives report that their priorities include improving organizational efficiency and productivity, according to a 2024 survey from Deloitte. To do that, they will need professionals with critical knowledge and skills in both healthcare management and healthcare administration.
While healthcare management and healthcare administration are related fields and share some characteristics, they are distinct aspects of healthcare. Therefore, comparing healthcare management versus healthcare administration can be helpful when deciding which educational path to pursue.
Anyone considering earning a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management or healthcare administration can benefit from exploring the differences between the two fields. It can also be useful for individuals who want to pursue graduate degrees in healthcare management or healthcare administration to explore various roles within each field.
Defining Healthcare Management and Healthcare Administration
Healthcare management and healthcare administration are both key aspects of any healthcare organization. Whether professionals work in management or administration, they play an important part in ensuring that healthcare organizations can accomplish their missions.
One way to distinguish between management and administration is to consider their objectives.
- Healthcare management focuses on using an organization’s existing resources to achieve its goals while also maximizing efficiency and effectiveness.
- Healthcare administration focuses on an organization’s overall direction and developing strategies to guide it in achieving its mission over the long term.
This difference in focus is evident when looking at specific aspects of a healthcare organization.
- Organizational policies: Professionals in administration establish organizational policies, while those in management ensure that healthcare organizations implement those policies.
- Organizational goals: Professionals in administration develop organizational goals, while those in management work to achieve those goals.
- Legal and regulatory compliance: Professionals in administration ensure compliance with laws and regulations, while those in management develop processes or analytical reports that demonstrate compliance.
Whether individuals work as healthcare managers or healthcare administrators, they benefit from developing strong skills in areas such as communication, decision-making and leadership.
Healthcare Management Degree Programs and Associated Careers
Individuals who want to step on the healthcare management career path can pursue both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field.
Duration of Degrees in Healthcare Management
Students typically need to complete 120 credit hours to earn a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management. By attending full time, they can typically complete their degree in four years.
Individuals seeking advanced education in healthcare management can earn a master’s degree in healthcare management. With about 30 to 60 credit hours required for completion, the duration of these degree programs depends on factors such as whether a student needs to take prerequisite courses or can enroll full time. Programs may take one to two years to complete.
Healthcare Management Degree Curriculum
Undergraduate degree programs in healthcare management offer courses in subjects such as the following:
- Healthcare quality and value
- Healthcare performance improvement
- Healthcare systems and issues
Students in these programs can also specialize in areas such as informatics or healthcare quality.
Graduate degree programs in healthcare management offer courses in subjects such as the following:
- Healthcare law and regulatory compliance
- Healthcare strategy and marketing
- Quantitative and qualitative research methods
Students in these programs also complete internships or applied research projects in healthcare.
Healthcare Management Degree Career Outcomes
Expertise in healthcare management can lead to careers as the following:
- Medical and health services managers: These professionals are responsible for managing either specific business functions — for example, hiring, billing and compliance reporting — of large healthcare organizations or all the business functions of small healthcare organizations.
- Assisted living facility administrators: These professionals oversee all the functions within an assisted living facility, for example, resident care, admissions and facility maintenance.
- Health information managers: These professionals are responsible for maintaining and securing access to patient medical records.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), individuals in these positions, classified as medical and health services managers, earned a median annual salary of $117,960 as of May 2024 and can look forward to 29 percent growth in employment between 2023 and 2033.
Healthcare Administration Degree Programs and Associated Careers
As with healthcare management, healthcare administration expertise is available to individuals through both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Duration of Degrees in Healthcare Administration
To earn a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, students typically complete 120 credit hours. When enrolled full time, students can complete those degrees in four years.
To earn a master’s degree in healthcare administration, students typically complete about 30 to 60 credit hours. The duration of these graduate degree programs depends on factors such as whether a student can enroll full time and has completed prerequisite courses.
Healthcare Administration Degree Curriculum
Undergraduate degree programs in healthcare administration offer courses in subjects such as the following:
- Business policy and strategy
- Healthcare economics
- Healthcare budgets and reimbursement
Students in these programs also get to participate in internships in healthcare.
Graduate degree programs in healthcare administration offer courses in subjects such as the following:
- Strategic decision-making
- Health administration policy
- Strategic cost analysis and financial applications
These programs also give students the opportunity to complete healthcare internships or independent study projects.
Healthcare Administration Degree Career Outcomes
With healthcare administration expertise, individuals can pursue careers as the following:
- Healthcare policy analysts: These professionals research, evaluate and develop health-related policies for healthcare organizations or governmental organizations. The BLS includes policy analysts within the category of political scientists, who earned an annual median salary of $139,380 as of May 2024 and can look forward to 3 percent job growth through 2033.
- Insurance underwriters: These professionals analyze risk for insurers and recommend insurance coverage and premiums. According to the BLS, insurance underwriters earned an annual median salary of $79,880 as of May 2024. The BLS anticipates 7,800 openings for underwriters each year through 2033 due to retirements and career changes among underwriters.
- Healthcare organization executives: These professionals, who typically have several years of experience in the field in roles such as general manager, operations manager or administrator, develop organizational policies and goals, oversee budget functions and appoint departmental managers. The BLS reported that top executives earned a median annual salary of $105,350 as of May 2024 and can expect 6 percent employment growth through 2033.
Expertise in Healthcare Management and Healthcare Administration Can Lead to Rewarding Careers
Whether they work in healthcare management or healthcare administration, individuals have the opportunity to contribute to strengthening our healthcare system. Each day, healthcare managers and healthcare administrators get to apply their expertise in ways that help healthcare organizations accomplish their missions.
SEMO Online offers multiple online degree programs that allow students to build expertise in healthcare management and healthcare administration. Students can pursue one of the following degrees:
Individuals seeking to continue their education may choose to pursue the Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management.
All of SEMO Online’s healthcare programs offer knowledge and skills to help students move toward their career goals. Start advancing on your healthcare career path today.
Recommended Readings
How to Become a Health Informatics Specialist
How Long Does It Take to Get a Bachelor’s Degree Online?
Types of MBA Degrees
Sources:
CareerExplorer, What Does a Health Policy Analyst Do?
Deloitte, “2025 Global Health Care Outlook”
Indeed, Differences Between an Administrator vs. a Manager
Library and Information Science Network, “Difference Between Organization, Management and Administration”
Southeast Missouri State University, Health Administration
Southeast Missouri State University, Healthcare Administration
Southeast Missouri State University, Healthcare Management (Online)
Southeast Missouri State University, Healthcare Management: Healthcare Informatics Option
Southeast Missouri State University, Healthcare Management: Healthcare Quality Option
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Insurance Underwriters
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Political Scientists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Top Executives