Best Online Healthcare Administration (BHA) Programs in Virginia

George Mason University

If you’d like to specialize in a specific area of healthcare administration, George Mason University’s online Bachelor of Science in Health Administration gives you that option.

The 120-credit program offers concentrations in health systems management and assisted living and senior housing administration. Depending on your choice, you’ll study:

• Healthcare delivery
• Accounting
• Finance
• Law and ethics
• Information systems
• Human resources
• Policy
• Strategic planning
• Leadership

You’ll also complete a pre-internship seminar and a 120-hour internship during your final semester. The university is institutionally accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and the health systems management concentration is certified by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA). You can transfer up to 90 credits, including no more than 75 from two-year colleges, which could shorten the program timeline.

Duration: 4 years for full-time students starting without transfer credits.

Mode: 100% online, with required on-site internship at an approved healthcare organization.

Cost: $448 per credit (VA residents) and $1,489.50 (out-of-state residents)

Admissions Requirements:

• Completed undergraduate application
• $70 application fee for U.S. applicants
• Official high school transcript for first-year applicants
• SAT or ACT scores, or eligibility to apply through Mason’s score-optional process
• Official transcripts from every college attended for transfer applicants
• Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA and 24 earned college credits for transfer applicants

Old Dominion University (ODU)

An important part of running a healthcare organization is understanding the communities it serves. Old Dominion University’s online Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a major in Health Services Administration builds that into the foundation of the program.

Although it isn’t called a BHA, the 120-credit curriculum covers:

• Population health
• Healthcare delivery
• Research
• Finance and budgeting
• Policy
• Marketing
• Informatics
• Management
• Health law and ethics

You’ll also complete a 200-hour internship, and the required management courses lead to a minor in management. ODU accepts up to 90 transfer credits, but you must complete at least 30 credits through the university. The program is offered through ODUGlobal, which is ODU’s online division. The university is institutionally accredited by SACSCOC, and the major is certified by AUPHA.

Duration: 4 years for full-time students with no previous college credit.

Mode: 100% online, asynchronous.

Cost: $443 per credit for Virginia residents and $453 per credit for online students living outside Virginia.

Admissions Requirements:

• Completed undergraduate application
• $50 nonrefundable application fee
• Official high school transcript or General Educational Development (GED) for first-year applicants
• SAT or ACT scores are optional for traditional first-year applicants
• Official transcripts from every college attended for transfer applicants
• Completion of five prerequisite courses with grades of C- or better
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 before declaring the major

Liberty University

Fitting college around a busy week may be easier with Liberty University’s flexible course schedule. The program’s 120-credit Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration covers:

• Healthcare finance
• Policy
• Economics
• Informatics
• Human resources
• Quality improvement
• Legal and ethical issues

Courses run in an eight-week format, and you’ll finish with a healthcare administration capstone. You can transfer up to 90 credits, which could shorten your timeline considerably.

Because Liberty University is a Christian university, the general education curriculum also includes Bible, theology, and Christian worldview courses. An internship isn’t required, but the university strongly recommends one and allows you to apply up to six internship credits toward your electives. Liberty University is institutionally accredited by SACSCOC.

Duration: 4 years of full-time study without transfer credits.

Mode: 100% online, asynchronous, with eight-week courses.

Cost: $410 per credit for full-time students.

Admissions Requirements:

• Completed online application
• $50 nonrefundable application fee
• Official high school transcript or GED test scores
• Official transcripts from colleges previously attended
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for admission in good standing
• No SAT, ACT, or other standardized admission test required
• English-proficiency scores for applicants whose first language is not English, unless they qualify for a waiver