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Health Care Management

Types of Degrees Health Care Management Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Health Care Management can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	66
Associate’s Degree	2,039
Bachelor’s Degree	11,624
Master’s Degree	14,236
Doctor’s Degree	381

What Health Care Management Majors Need to Know

Studies in Health Care Management emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Care Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Health Care Management 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

Skills emphasized by a Health Care Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Management of Personnel Resources — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Health Care Management 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.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health Care Management 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 Care Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Autodesk Revit	Computer aided design CAD software	—
MicroStrategy	Business intelligence and data analysis software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
ColorSoft AutoMatch	Categorization or classification software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Google Ads	Sales and marketing software	—
SAP Business Objects	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Oracle PeopleSoft Financials	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
e-MDs DocMan	Document management software	—
MEDITECH Medical and Practice Management MPM Suite	Medical software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Care Management graduates include:

• Nursing Administrator
• Clinical Informatics Director
• Hospital Director
• EMS Manager (Emergency Medical Services Manager)
• Health Unit Coordinator
• First Aid Director
• Hospice Director
• Rehabilitation Director
• Health Director
• Home Health Director
• Correctional Therapy Director
• Clinical Supervisor
• Health Administrator
• Client Services Director
• Public Health Director

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health Care Management 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%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.6%
Some college courses	3.6%
First professional degree	3.6%
Post-doctoral training	3.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Care Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 79.2% of Health Care Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	22,441	79.2%
Men	5,906	20.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	12,205	43.1%
Asian	2,187	7.7%
Hispanic or Latino	4,102	14.5%
Black or African American	6,211	21.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	196	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	106	0.4%
Two or More Races	939	3.3%
Race Unknown	1,740	6.1%
International Students	661	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Care Management Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Health Care Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,041
4 years	$36,054
5 years	$40,847

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,847 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Health Care Management Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Health Care Management. 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	53	19
Bachelor’s	180	81
Master’s	205	77
Doctoral (Research)	13	6

^{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 Care Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Health Care Management graduates earn a median of $36,054 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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	CIP Code
Health and Medical Administrative Services	51.07
Clinical Research Coordinator	51.0719
Disease Registry Data Management	51.0721
Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other	51.0799
Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator	51.0706
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician	51.0707
Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk	51.0703
Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor	51.0704
Health/Medical Claims Examiner	51.0715
Healthcare Information Privacy Assurance and Security	51.0723
Healthcare Innovation	51.0722
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	51.0702

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.