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Health Services Administration

A program that focuses on the application of policy analysis, public administration, business management, and communications to the planning and management of health services delivery systems in the public and private sectors, and prepares individuals to function as health services administrators and managers. Includes instruction in health systems planning, public health organization and management, pubic health policy formulation and analysis, finance, business and operations management, economics of health care, organizational and health communications, marketing, human resources management, and public health law and regulations.

Types of Degrees Health Services Administration Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Health Services Administration have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	37
Associate’s Degree	242
Bachelor’s Degree	1,046
Master’s Degree	1,279
Doctor’s Degree	25

What Health Services Administration Majors Need to Know

Programs in Health Services Administration build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Services Administration graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Health Services Administration emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administration and Management — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Health Services Administration program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Health Services Administration careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health Services Administration graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.5 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health Services Administration professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Qlik Tech QlikView	Business intelligence and data analysis software	—
Electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
e-MDs DocMan	Document management software	—
Yost Engineering CodeSearch Pro	Categorization or classification software	—
IBM Notes	Electronic mail software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Autodesk Revit	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
McKesson Horizon Ambulatory Care	Medical software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Dental Common Access System DENCAS	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Services Administration graduates include:

• Hospital Supervisor
• Clinical Services Director
• Medical Office Administrator
• Laboratory Manager (Lab Manager)
• Health Care Facility Administrator
• Health Information Management Director (HIM Director)
• Care Coordinator
• Nursing Home Manager
• Nursing Home Administrator
• Nurse Supervisor
• Clinic Director
• Nursing Services Manager
• Community Health Nursing Director
• Laboratory Director (Lab Director)
• Clinical Manager

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health Services Administration graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	46.4%
Master’s degree	21.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.7%
Postsecondary certificate	7.1%
Post-doctoral training	3.6%
First professional degree	3.6%
Some college courses	3.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Services Administration?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 80% of Health Services Administration degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,103	80.0%
Men	526	20.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Health Services Administration graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,012	38.5%
Asian	255	9.7%
Hispanic or Latino	555	21.1%
Black or African American	491	18.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	27	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	88	3.3%
Race Unknown	94	3.6%
International Students	104	4.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Services Administration Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Health Services Administration graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$50,939
4 years	$60,432
5 years	$70,561

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $70,561 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Health Services Administration Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Health Services Administration. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	3
Bachelor’s	14	6
Master’s	28	13
Doctoral (Research)	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Health Services Administration Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Health Services Administration graduates earn a median of $60,432 four years after completion — roughly 59% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Health	41,086
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	28,347
Public Health, General	25,004
Public Health Education and Promotion	3,785
Public Health, Other	2,803
Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator	2,781
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	2,571
Environmental Health	1,269
Behavioral Aspects of Health	623
Clinical Research Coordinator	347
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene	313
Health/Medical Physics	288

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.