Best Accelerated Healthcare Administration Degrees Online of 2024

Earning an accelerated healthcare administration degree online prepares you for a potentially high-paying role as a healthcare administrator. With this degree, you can work in a variety of healthcare settings, from hospitals to doctor’s offices.

Our top picks for the best accelerated healthcare administration degrees online are Mercy College of Health Sciences, Winona State University, and Roberts Wesleyan College. In addition to letting you earn your degree in just 1-2 years, these healthcare administration programs boast flexibility and practical application.

Accelerated healthcare administration programs prepare you for in-demand careers. You’ll build industry-specific skills in your core health administration courses.

Many programs also offer electives to prepare for specialized career paths. For example, take courses in financial management to work on the finance side of healthcare. Or study informatics and analytics to work in data management roles.

By earning an accelerated healthcare administration degree online, you’ll enter the workforce faster — and start seeing the payoff of your degree sooner.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

Many healthcare administration careers require a bachelor’s degree. And an accelerated healthcare administration program can shave years off the typical four-year schedule. If you’ve got an associate degree or bachelor’s in another major, you can complete a bachelor’s in healthcare administration in 1-2 years.

With a fast-track healthcare administration degree plus experience, you can become a healthcare administrator or health services manager. Or work as a medical marketer, healthcare financial analyst, or nursing home administrator.

In addition to a bachelor’s degree, you can also earn an associate, master’s, or doctoral degree in healthcare administration. Each degree level leads to different healthcare administration career paths. For example, a master’s degree helps you qualify for management-level roles. Or build foundational skills by earning an associate degree in healthcare administration.

Want to launch your healthcare career quickly? Then consider an associate degree in healthcare administration. While traditional programs take two years, accelerated programs take around 18 months.

With an associate degree, you’ll qualify for support roles like medical assistant or patient intake clerk. Or transfer into a bachelor’s program to increase your earning potential and career opportunities.

Hone your leadership skills with a master’s in healthcare administration (MHA). During an MHA, you’ll study healthcare budgeting, health policy, and healthcare regulations. Instead of the typical two-year timeframe, accelerated MHA programs take as little as 18 months.

With your master’s, you can become a hospital administrator, healthcare consultant, or health services manager.

You’ll qualify for leadership, policymaking, and academic careers with a doctorate in healthcare administration. And in an accelerated program, you can earn a doctorate in three years or less.

Work as a hospital CEO, research director, or healthcare administration professor after your fast-track healthcare administration degree.

After earning your accelerated healthcare administration degree, you’ll qualify for administrative and managerial roles. Healthcare administrators report above-average salaries. The median pay for healthcare administrators exceeded $78,300 in 2024, according to Payscale data.

With a bachelor’s degree, you can also work in healthcare finance, hospital administration, information management, or human resources. Trying to choose a healthcare administration career path? Learn more about the earning potential for different careers below.