Mount Union Adds Healthcare, Communication Concentrations to Its Online MBA

• The University of Mount Union in Ohio will add healthcare and communications concentrations to its online master of business administration (MBA) program.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that demand for healthcare managers will skyrocket over the next several years.
• Business school leaders have repeatedly underscored the importance of communication skills for future managers and leaders.
• A growing number of small universities are incorporating high-demand concentrations into their MBA curriculum.

Employment for medical managers is projected to see explosive growth over the next several years — and a growing number of online master of business administration (MBA) programs are adding healthcare to their concentrations to prepare students for that fast-growing field.

The University of Mount Union, a small, private college in Ohio, is adding strategic healthcare administration, as well as corporate communication and public relations, as concentrations to its online MBA program. Those concentrations will join the school's already-existing business analytics and leadership and innovation concentrations, according to the program's website.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the employment of medical and health services managers will grow by 28% between 2022 and 2032, adding on more than 140,000 jobs during that time. The median pay for these managers was $104,830 per year in 2022, according to the BLS.

Growth in this specialized field is on top of overall growth in management occupations across industries, according to the BLS. The median annual wage for management occupations in general was $107,360, with projected faster-than-average growth for all occupations.

An MBA in healthcare management can prepare students for a wide variety of roles beyond just medical and health service managers, like leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry and other adjacent fields.

Mount Union officials underscored industry demand for those concentrations in Ohio and beyond in a press release.

"Working with faculty from our other disciplines shows a clear commitment to interdisciplinary, liberal arts education while emphasizing the real-life skill development necessary for MBA graduates," Wendy Ziems-Mueller, Mount Union MBA program director and associate professor of management and leadership, said in the release.

"Strategically implementing new curricula and concentrations will benefit future Mount Union alumni and our community long into the future."

A concentration in communications, along with a focus in liberal arts, has applications beyond the go-to fields of marketing and communications. Even at some of the top business schools in the country that are focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), school leaders have emphasized the importance of liberal arts and effective communication.

James Bullard, dean of Purdue University's recently revamped Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, previously told BestColleges that "in order to be successful, every single one of those students needs to be a good communicator."

A growing number of small colleges and universities, including Mount Union, have launched online MBA programs in recent years. Mount Union's online MBA program launched in May 2021. Another northeast Ohio school, Ursuline College, announced its own online MBA program in 2023.

Many of those programs, including Mount Union's, bring a heavy focus on flexibility. Mount Union's online MBA program is geared toward working professionals. The fully online, 36-credit-hour asynchronous program features seven-week terms and allows students to adjust their workload.

"I enjoy the practicability of Mount Union's MBA program. You are able to work a full-time job, have a family, and study when it suits you," Mount Union MBA student Mechelle Weyand, who is currently an associate project manager at Gojo Industries, said in the release. "The subjects are geared toward you, and the faculty support you along the way."