Online Healthcare Administration Degrees in Texas: What You Need to Know

With the right education and skills, you can play a crucial role in shaping the state’s healthcare landscape, ensuring the well-being of patients and staff as a “vital organ” in your organization. This guide explores everything you need to know about achieving success in a healthcare administration bachelor’s degree program in Texas. It covers top programs, how to get into them, and what to anticipate in the job market as a health services manager.

What Do You Learn in a Healthcare Admin Bachelor’s Degree Program in Texas?

Healthcare administration degrees in Texas draw upon several disciplines to ensure your future success as a health services manager. While your role may not involve direct patient care, as a part of healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas, you’ll gain an understanding of:

• The business aspects of healthcare
• The diverse roles involved in providing care
• How to lead, manage, and make well-informed decisions within healthcare settings

To equip you with the necessary skills, traditional and online healthcare administration degrees in Texas have coursework that spans subjects from business to health to ethics, addressing topics like management of healthcare workers, navigating legal concerns, and data analysis. Additionally, many healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas offer specialized tracks within the degree. For example, you’ll find general or clinical degree paths at Texas Woman’s University, while West Coast University provides finance and strategic management tracks.

Upon completion of their studies, graduates of healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas are well-prepared to assume management positions within various healthcare settings and positively impact the industry.

What Are Admissions Like for Healthcare Administration Degree Programs in Texas?

Though admission requirements can vary by school, there are some qualifications and criteria that many in-person and online healthcare administration degrees in Texas have in common:

• Proof of High School Graduation: If you’re entering college as a first-year student, you may also be asked to provide high school or previous college transcripts.
• Minimum GPA: If you’ve already taken some college courses, most programs require a minimum GPA of 2.5.
• Standardized Test Scores: Most schools accept scores from either the ACT or SAT, though you should check with each school to confirm minimum acceptable scores.

You might encounter more specific requirements for different healthcare administration degrees in Texas. For instance, West Coast University asks all healthcare administration students to participate in an interview process. Meanwhile, Texas State University requests that applicants submit two letters of recommendation. By being aware of any additional requirements and preparing accordingly, you can ensure a smooth application process and increase your chances of being accepted into healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas.

Are Bachelor’s Degrees in Healthcare Administration Offered Online in Texas?

Several schools offer online healthcare administration degrees in Texas. While the conventional approach to obtaining a bachelor’s degree involves four years of full-time, on-campus study, institutions like Lamar University provide fully online healthcare administration degrees in Texas.

Fully online degrees grant you the most flexibility to pursue your education while balancing your current career and other responsibilities.

Alternatively, hybrid formats, such as the ones offered by St. Edward’s University and the University of Houston Clear Lake, combine the advantages of online learning with on-campus support and experiences. This blended approach caters to students seeking both flexibility and personal interaction while attending healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas. Regardless of your preferences and needs, there are traditional or online healthcare administration degrees in Texas that will fit your unique circumstances.

What’s the Job Market Like in Texas for Healthcare Admin Graduates?

As the second most populous state and host to the world’s largest medical complex, Texas is poised to see a significant increase in demand for medical and health services managers over the next decade. According to Projections Central, job growth in this field is projected to reach an impressive 42.9% between now and 2030, far exceeding the national average. Not only do graduates of healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas benefit from this promising job outlook, but they also enjoy considerable salary potential. The table below illustrates that median earnings for medical and health services managers in Texas are slightly higher than the national median. Furthermore, the highest salaries for professionals in this field are in major metropolitan areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, and Killeen-Temple. Healthcare administration degrees in Texas offer exceptional job growth prospects and attractive earning opportunities.

Yearly Earnings for Medical and Health Services Managers in Texas

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2021

Employment Outlook for Medical and Health Services Managers in Texas (2020-2030)

Source: Projections Central

FAQs About Earning Your Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration in Texas

How long do healthcare admin bachelor’s degree programs in Texas take to finish?

Healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas can take as little as two years or as long as 80 months to complete. It all depends on whether you study full- or part-time, your chosen program, and how many college courses you’ve already completed. Traditional bachelor’s degree programs like the one at Concordia University take four years, but you have options if you need more flexibility. At West Coast University, students of the online Accelerated Pace track can complete their degree in 40 months, while those on the Working Professional Pace track spread out their studies over 80 months. Students who have associate degrees can graduate in two years from colleges like Texas Woman’s University and Tyler Junior College.

How much do Texas healthcare admin bachelor’s degree programs cost?

The cost of traditional and online healthcare administration degrees in Texas varies from school to school. Factors influencing the overall cost of earning a degree include the school you select, your residency status, and whether you opt for in-person or online study. Typically, public schools and online programs offer more affordable options with online study potentially showing substantial savings over on-campus programs when it comes to expenses like food and housing. To better understand what you can expect to pay, consider the following examples of tuition costs for three different in-person and online healthcare administration degrees in Texas.

Texas Southern University

Bachelor of Science in Health Administration

Total Credits: 121

$239/credit (resident) | $458/credit (non-resident)

Lamar University

Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health in Healthcare Administration

Total Credits: 120

$259.49/credit (resident) | $679.49/credit (non-resident)

Texas Woman’s University

Bachelor of Business Administration in Health Care Administration

Total Credits: 120

$238/credit (resident) | $658/credit (non-resident)

What type of accreditation should a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration in Texas have?

Whether you’re looking for traditional or online healthcare administration degrees in Texas, verifying that the institution has accreditation from a recognized accrediting body is crucial. Regional accreditation is granted to colleges and universities that meet established academic quality standards within a specific region of the U.S. and serves as a reliable indicator of a reputable institution. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the regional accrediting body for Texas.

In addition to regional accreditation, individual degree programs may also obtain programmatic accreditation to signify a program meets additional nationwide academic quality standards within a given field. Some healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas fall under a university’s business school, so they may be programmatically accredited by AACSB, ACBSP, or IACBE. Note that while graduate programs in healthcare administration may receive accreditation from the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), CAHME does not accredit undergraduate programs.

Can I get financial aid to help pay for my healthcare admin bachelor’s degree program in Texas?

Financing healthcare administration degrees in Texas can seem overwhelming, but numerous scholarships, loans, and grants are available to students pursuing this major. Texas State University, for instance, provides several undergraduate healthcare administration scholarships, including the Darwin E. Winfield Scholarship, Mark Thomas Noone Outstanding HA Undergraduate Student Award, and Andrae L. Turner Health Administration Leadership Endowment. Scholarships aren’t exclusive to individual schools, though, and organizations like the Medical Group Management Association Southern Section Scholarships also offer them to undergraduate healthcare administration students.

Check out this financial aid guide for more guidance on how you can apply for additional funding to support your education. This healthcare admin student scholarships guide is also a valuable resource of available scholarship opportunities for students of healthcare administration bachelor’s degree programs in Texas.