Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration
Gain comprehensive skills essential to your health care organization.
The Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration is a degree designed to equip you with the skills needed to succeed as a health care administration professional in a variety of settings, including office administration and medical records and information. This program provides students with a comprehensive education that includes foundational liberal arts courses and specialized courses covering essential health care administration-specific topics such as medical transcription, health care policy, and medical office management.
Students who complete the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration degree will graduate with a solid understanding of the critical areas of health care, management, and the business of medicine that are essential for success in this growing industry.
Applicants that hold a CMA or RMA certification may be eligible to receive additional credits. Contact an Enrollment Advisor for more information.
For more information about the program, see the Academic Catalog.
Enjoy Flexibility– 40 online courses with program start dates every 2 weeks
Choose Where You Learn– Online courses
Affordable Monthly Payments
Focus on Your Passion– Choose your capstone project
Why More Students Are Choosing Aspen
BSHCA Courses
Aspen’s health care administration curriculum features 40 courses designed to equip you with broad skills related to impacting operational changes and improving efficiency within the health care field. Taught by experienced educators from diverse industries, you’ll have the opportunity to apply new knowledge directly to your field through the integration of your BSHCA capstone project.
View the course schedule for this program here: BSHCA Degree Plan
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COM100 - Introduction to Communications
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PAC115 - Medical Terminology
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MAT245 - Personal Finance
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HCA100 - Contemporary Issues in Health Care
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CMP160 - English Composition I
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SBS105 - Introduction to Psychology
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MAT200 - Principles of Accounting I
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HCA110 - Insurance and Healthcare Reimbursement
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SBS110 - Introduction to Sociology
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HCA120 - Healthcare Information Systems
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HUM155 - American History I
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COM220 - Management Communication
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NPS100 - Introductory Biology
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HUM100 - World of Art
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CMP170 - English Composition II
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HCA205 - Principles of Health and Disease
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SBS200 - Human Development
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MAT140 - College Algebra
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NPS195 - Study of Physical Science
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HCA125 - Healthcare Finance
- **Last Effective Date: 12/31/2024** Healthcare Finance: An Introduction to Accounting and Financial Management (6th Edition) - 978-1567937411
- **Effective Date: 12/31/2024**Gapenski's Healthcare Finance: An Introduction to Accounting and Financial Management - 9781640551879
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition) - 9781433832154
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HCA105 - Pharmacology
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HCA130 - Healthcare Writing and Communications
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SBS120 - Diversity and Culture
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MGT215 - Customer Relationship Management
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HCA310 - HIPAA and Electronic Health Records
- **Order through EMC Paradigm: Information in Classroom** Exploring Electronic Health Records - 978-0-76388-138-2
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition) - 9781433832154
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MGT414 - Principles of Management
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COM140 - Managing Performance and Developing Teams
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MGT464 - Organizational Behavior
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MAT350 - Quantitative Methods
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BIO210 - Microbiology
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HCA305 - Health Perspectives and Assessment
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HCA315 - Legal Aspects of Health Care Administration
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HCA320 - Healthcare Policy and Economics
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HCA405 - Medical Office Management
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HCA410 - Healthcare Careers
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PAC415 - Healthcare Ethics
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BUS454 - Ethical Decision Making for Business
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COM230 - Human Resource Management
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MGT424 - Leadership in Organizations
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HCA499 - Senior Capstone
This course provides a study of human communication by covering major communication concepts, theories, research, and trends. This introduction communications course will help students to understand their own communication behavior as well the communication behavior of others. Concepts covered include basic theories of communication, understanding individual communication styles, the use of communication across cultures, and listening and critical thinking skills. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: SPC 2300
3 CreditsRequired Books
Designed for administrators, managers, researchers, and other professionals working in the medical field, this course uses a consistent and logical system to help students build their understanding of medical terminology. It also has a real-world focus that relates medical terminology to various health professions including addiction studies, thereby capturing the students' interest and providing information about many different potential health careers.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides comprehensive coverage of personal financial planning in the areas of money management, career planning, taxes, consumer credit, housing and other consumer decisions, legal protection, insurance, investments, retirement planning, and estate planning. The goal is to teach the fundamentals of financial planning so students can make informed choices related to spending, saving, borrowing, and investing that lead to long-term financial security. Provided financial planning tools help identify and evaluate choices as well as understand the consequences of decisions in terms of opportunity costs.
3 CreditsRequired Books
Contemporary Issues in Health Care introduces students to the skills they need to become competent and productive health care workers throughout their careers, with a strong emphasis on employability skills such as teamwork, effective communication, professionalism, and medical ethics. The course also introduces the terminology, concepts, and elements students need to gain employment as health care professionals supporting administrative and clinical functions.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is designed to help students master the traditional five-paragraph essay and variations of this essay. Four principles are presented as keys to effective writing: unity, support, coherence, and sentence skills. The first part of the course focuses on the first three principles and to some extent on sentence skills. It shows, respectively, how these four principles apply in the different patterns of essay development and in specialized types of writing. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: ENC 1101
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on the many voices of psychology. To some, the science of psychology provides its students with a better understanding of others' behaviors. Others view psychology as a pathway to self-understanding. Others see the potential for a future career, and some are drawn to psychology by the opportunity for intellectual discovery that its study provides. The overall goal of this course is to provide a comprehensive overview to the subject of psychology. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: PSY 2012
3 CreditsRequired Books
The purpose of accounting is to provide a means of recording, reporting, summarizing, and interpreting economic data. In order to do this, an accounting system must be designed. A system design serves the needs of users of accounting information. Once a system has been designed, reports can be issued and decisions based upon these reports are made for various departments. Since accounting is used by everyone in one form or another, a good understanding of accounting principles is beneficial to all. Accounting is concerned with the design, interpretation of data, and the preparation of financial reports. Three forms of business entities exist: 1) sole proprietorship, 2) partnership, and 3) corporations. Corporations have the unique status of being a separate legal entity in which ownership is divided into shares of stock. A shareholder's liability is limited to his/her contribution to capital. Whenever a business transaction is recorded, it must be recorded to accounting records at cost. All business transactions must be recorded. All properties owned by businesses are assets. All debts are liabilities. The rights of owners are equity.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This class provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to work in a variety of medical billing and coding positions in the medical field. It covers the foundations of insurance, billing, coding and reimbursement. Students learn not only the submission of claims to the insurance carrier but reviewing medical records, verifying patient benefits, submitting a secondary claim, posting payments and appealing the insurance carrier's decision.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This introductory course in sociology gives students the opportunity to use sociological imagination to master their social world. It examines aspects of the social environment that students might otherwise ignore, neglect, or take for granted. It looks beneath the surface of everyday life to help students understand and anticipate human behavior in a variety of environments. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: SYG 2000
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides an overview of how information technology is used in healthcare, how it has affected traditional techniques, practices, and devices, and ways healthcare professionals can continue to learn and prosper alongside advancing technology. The course covers how computers and other forms of technology have been used in medical offices up until the present day, as well as cutting-edge ideas and techniques that are just beginning to gain popularity.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course covers American history from the 1500s to post Civil War Reconstruction. You will study a diverse range of cultures from these time periods and how migrations, social and economic changes and interactions between cultures have shaped the history of America. You will study the shifting frontiers and political landscapes of the land before and after the Revolution and examining associated patterns to form a big picture of the historical story of America.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on the skills and strategies that managers need in today’s workplace. The role of communications will be explored, as well as an examination of effective communications in hiring and promoting, conflict management, presentations, routine messages, and reporting and proposals. Studies consistently report the importance of communication to business success, and managers frequently correlate communications proficiency with career satisfaction and progress. This course builds that ability central to managers as they pursue goals and objectives.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides a foundation of factual knowledge about biology in order to help students build a cognitive framework for critical scientific thinking. Students will learn key biological terms and theories and exhibit understanding of these terms through assignments that incorporate case studies, essays and ethics questions concerning current biological issues.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course puts the humanities in perspective by discussing the arts and ways of knowing art's main concerns, purposes, and functions. The course also discusses artistic style and how to apply critical skills. This course is designed for students with little or no background in the arts.
3 CreditsRequired Books
In this course we focus on grammar, sentence structure, and other aspects of the "mechanics" of English. Our emphasis is on creating arguments that persuade, convince, and inspire. The goal of this course is to develop writing skills that enable students to develop powerful arguments that are more than just correct; they produce the results intended. We identify the fixed types of questions that an argument can address, helping students to build writing projects around the need to develop answers to significant questions concerning facts, definitions, causes, values, and actions. These questions form a logical progression - questions of fact and definition must be settled before questions of cause can be addressed, and so on - which means that they can serve as the basis of a sequence of assignments.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is a comprehensive survey of common diseases affecting each body system. This class presents the basic principles of human disease, organized by human organ system. Included in the course are new diagnostic tests and lab procedures, treatment and diagnostic sections to include common treatments and general medical options, coverage of disease statistics, risk factors for diseases and disease prevention. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: MCB 2000
3 CreditsRequired Books
Using an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes culture and family, Human Development challenges students to understand development from a broader perspective. Students draw on their own experiences as they weigh the research and ideas presented in the course. The course explores controversies about human development, often within a specific cultural context. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: DEP 2004
3 CreditsRequired Books
College Algebra will dive deep into problem solving, algebraic reasoning, linear functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, compositions and inverses, and graphing and analyzing data. The student will develop a personal framework for problem-solving. Real-world scenarios are used throughout the course to ensure an understanding of how each concept is used in one’s life. Students will create, interpret, and revise models and find solutions to problems while utilizing real-world situations. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: MAT 1140
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is on thinking about and understanding your physical surroundings. It is a straightforward but substantial introduction to the fundamental behavior of matter and energy. It is intended to serve the needs of non-science majors who are required to complete one or more physical science course and will introduce basic concepts and key ideas while providing opportunities to learn reasoning skills and a new way of thinking about your environment.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides students with fundamental concepts and tools of finance that are generally applicable within any industry. The emphasis of this course is on the application of financial principles within the healthcare industry to enable financial planning, reporting, and evaluation of returns on provided services and purchased capital equipment and facilities. Students will also examine the healthcare system today and its associated financial and capital structure.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course offers content in pharmacology which meets the needs of the allied health student. The focused approach of this course provides students with the perfect blend of content and practical exercises which promote understanding of pharmacology concepts. A focused approach introduces the history of pharmacology, discussing the legal and ethical principles involved, illustrating drug administration techniques, reviewing math, and explaining drug calculations.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on the writing needs of students in allied health fields. Proofreading and revision exercises help develop critical thinking skills in writing and a keen eye for written work. The course reviews basic writing concepts but also builds knowledge specific to communication in healthcare fields. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: ENC 1102
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on understanding and managing diversity. Clearly, diversity is an interdisciplinary field. Much of its theoretical framework originates in the social sciences. There is some disagreement among scholars on the definition of diversity; much less what materials should be included in a course about diversity. To meet this challenge we have selected a text for this course that gathers a wealth of information from the salient issues surrounding the topic of diversity. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: ANT 2410
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course explores the aspects and impacts of CRM. It examines how Web 2.0 technologies and social media tools are being woven into CRM strategies. The course identifies the new business models being used by the most successful companies and also provides guidance on how other companies can and should adopt these innovations. Students will explore companies that are providing the best tools, provide various recommendations and insights and present insightful interviews with industry leaders on how to establish and maintain customer relationships.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course prepares students to understand and use electronic records in a medical practice. The material is designed to train future users of EHR programs to document patient exam, diagnosis, orders, and coding. The course focuses on the importance and implementation of electronic record keeping. The impact of HIPAA rules is examined from the perspective of patients and providers. An access code is required for this course. Please call EMC Paradigm at 800-535-6865 to order your textbook. Order ISBN: 978-0-76388-138-2
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course trains on managing in the new competitive landscape, how business operates on a global scale, what types of technology is advancing online and offline, and managing for competitive advantage through environmental analysis and responding to the environment. The functions of management are demonstrated in eight modules and cover every management topic from the foundational theories and paradigms to ethics, strategic planning, the management of human resources in a diverse workforce, and of course, leadership, teamwork, and entrepreneurship.
3 CreditsRequired Books
We believe the combination of performance and team management can produce dramatic improvement in organizational success. Too often performance management programs are more about classifying or categorizing employees rather than improving their performance. These approaches tend to be administrative in nature, rather than tools managers can use to improve performance. In today's organizations, teams - not the individual - have become the basic unit of performance management. As a result, team building and development has become critical. This course addresses two of the most important challenges managers face. The first half of the course is devoted to managing performance toward achieving the organization's strategic objectives. The second half of the course is focused on creating, developing, and leading high-performance teams.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on the people in the organization and how they work and behave in the work environment. It examines the behavior of individuals, the dynamics of teamwork, the processes of small groups, decision-making, problem-solving, conflict management, and ways to eliminate barriers to effective communications within the workplace.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The quantitative approach involves using numbers to help define, describe, and resolve a wide range of business problems. Quantitative Methods is an overview of statistical techniques used in business decision-making. Students examine research design, statistics, data analysis, and research methodology.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course covers principles of microbiology with emphasis or microbial anatomy, microbial disease, and disease prevention and treatment. The course includes a broad overview of both the historical and current field of microbiology with focus on microbial pathogenicity, the spread of microbial pathogens, the methods of human immunity, and best practices for the diagnosis and treatment of microbial disease. A lab component is included within the course. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: MCB 2010
3 CreditsRequired Books
This class includes extensive coverage of the administrative medical assisting profession including the history of the profession, the responsibilities of the medical assistant, responding to emergencies in the medical office, medical practice finances, and career strategies for the medical assistant.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The course provides essential legal and ethical principles for healthcare careers. It provides a foundation of all the essentials including the legal system, the patient/physician relationship, professional liability and medical malpractice prevention, public duties of the physician, workplace law and ethics, the medical record, confidentiality, bioethical issues, and HIPAA.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This undergraduate-level course focuses on how healthcare policies, financial issues, regulations, legislative actions, businesses, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders influence healthcare in the United States and the world. Students will develop a solid understanding of the broader context of healthcare, including how patient care services are organized and financed, and how reimbursement is structured. Students will learn how healthcare policy is both developed and changed, and how that process can be influenced by healthcare professionals as well as lay and special advocacy groups. Students will be encouraged to participate in the political process and advocate for patients, families, communities, their profession, and changes in the healthcare system as needed. Advocacy for vulnerable populations with the goal of promoting social justice is discussed.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on what office managers actually do on the job. The material systematically explores the full range of office management topics-office environment, employees, systems, and functions. The course examines selecting, supervising and motivating employees. The analysis of job duties and performance are also covered.
3 CreditsRequired Books
With a focus on professional involvement, this course shows all health care students how they can be more engaged in their profession. Taking a how-to approach, it clearly outlines the types of professional activities that develop one’s professional identity with a special focus on life after college. The course utilizes action-oriented assignments and address professional behaviors, professional organizations, workshops, seminars, conferences and community involvement in order to provide students with a foundation of knowledge to better help them develop the career they seek in healthcare.
3 CreditsRequired Books
Within the context of healthcare, this course explores the full range of contemporary ethical issues in a clear and concise way from a practical wisdom approach. The course presents the fundamental concerns of modern medical ethics--autonomy, beneficence, justice, and confidentiality--and then provides analysis, cases, and insights from the perspective of addiction related topics. Throughout, the discussion starts with larger issues or concepts and principles and then focuses on specific problems or complications with a focus on real world application.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is designed to acquaint you with the unique challenges of resolving ethical dilemmas and making ethical decisions is today's complex business organizations. This course relies upon applying a stakeholder perspective and value-based management approach to situations that involves groups and individuals who often have competing demands and interpretations of a problem, crisis, or opportunity. The stakeholder management approach ideally aims at having all parties reach win-win outcomes through communication and collaborative efforts. Unfortunately, this does not always happen in reality. Business professionals need straightforward frameworks to thoughtfully and objectively analyze and then sort through complex issues in order to make decisions that matter - ethically, economically socially, legally, and spiritually.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The management of human resources is critical for companies to provide ""value"" to customers, shareholders, employees, and the community where they are located. Value includes not only profits but also employee growth and satisfaction, creation of new jobs, protection of the environment, and contributions to community programs. All aspects of human resource management including acquiring, preparing, developing, and compensating employees can help companies meet their competitive challenges and create value. Also, effective human resource management requires an awareness of broader contextual issues affecting business such as changes in the labor force, legal issues, and globalization. Both the popular press and academic research show that effective human resource management practices do result in greater value for shareholders and employees.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides a basic foundation of skills needed to equip students for future leadership activities. It introduces the history, philosophy, theories, and concepts of leadership and its relationship to the management of organizational change. Students identify and hone their own personal characteristics that will help them develop into effective leaders.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This project-based course is designed to encourage you to draw upon the knowledge and experience that you have gained during your Health Care Administration studies. The project also permits you to integrate your other related educational or professional development activities. Projects are intended to be of an applied and pragmatic nature and we hope that the outcome and findings of your research will be of value to you, either in connection with your own organization or globally, such as in the development of a framework to address an issue that affects medical care offices, whether in private practice or a small hospital setting. This course satisfies the proctored exam requirement for this program.
3 CreditsRequired Books
“What drew me to Aspen was the low tuition and affordable monthly payments. I spoke with an advisor and enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration program, and I knew my life would change for the better.”
Ednifah C.
BS Health Care Administration, graduated January 2024Cost & Time to Completion
The Best Fit for Working Adults
We understand the difficulties in pursuing your bachelor’s degree when you have a demanding work schedule. The 8-week courses at Aspen University allow you to complete your program in as little as 5 years.
Our Monthly Payment Plan Makes Us Different.
Paying for your bachelor’s degree shouldn’t be complicated. Our Monthly Payment Plan makes it easy for working professionals to finance their BSHCA program.
Tuition Rates
| $30,000 | Tuition |
| $4,125 | Fees |
| $6,000 |
Estimated
Textbook
Costs
|
| $40,125 | |
Other Ways to Finance Your Degree
Students who have served, or are currently serving in the United States Military and their legal spouses are eligible to receive a Military Affiliation Discount from Aspen University.
Aspen University is currently approved by the U.S. Department of Education to offer federal student aid for the BSHCA program.
Aspen University maintains employee tuition discount partnerships with a large and growing number of organizations. Tell your enrollment advisor where you work and ask them to check for you prior to enrolling.
Aspen offers several payment plans for students to fund their education.
Admission Requirements
Application – A completed application; Aspen does not charge an application fee
High School Diploma or GED – Official Transcript demonstrating a valid high school diploma or GED; this requirement is waived if you have completed at least 15 credits of college–level coursework (see Catalog for more information)
Career Outlook
Health care administrators are necessary to the health care process; these professionals provide the operational support that medical care facilities need to run efficiently, including planning, directing, and coordinating administrative changes while overseeing day to day operations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 29% from 2023 to 2033. Graduates from this program will have the knowledge to become a medical office manager, practice administrator, nursing home administrator, hospital administrator, or work in areas such as medical records management, human resources, or finance with a health care facility.
Graduates of the BS Health Care Administration program are also well equipped to continue with graduate-level education. Aspen University offers a Master of Public Health or a Master in Business Administration program for graduates looking to further their education.
Average Annual Salary for Health Service Manager Occupations
$110,680
Data pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Fall 2024. Salary can vary widely depending on geographical location and role.
BSHCA Frequently Asked Questions
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Who is a good fit for this program?
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Are the skills learned in this program transferrable to other industries?
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Can I finish my BSHCA degree online?
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Can I work full time while pursuing this degree?
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I hold a CMA certification from the American Association of Medical Assistants. Can I use that for credit in this program?
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I hold an RMA certification from American Medical Technologists. Can I use that for credit in this program?
The BS Health Care Administration program is a good fit for someone who is passionate about the healthcare industry, has strong leadership and organizational skills, excels at problem-solving, is detail-oriented, communicates effectively, and is interested in managing the administrative aspects of a health care facility.
Yes, courses in this program encompass a strong mix of business management, leadership, communication, analytical thinking, and organizational skills which are valuable across many different industries.
Yes, Aspen’s BSHCA degree program is completed online.
Yes, Aspen’s programs are built with working adults in mind. Without set login times, you are able to fit your coursework around your schedule.
Applicants who hold valid and current CMA certification from the American Association of Medical Assistants are eligible to receive twenty-seven credits in lieu of the following courses: HCA100, HCA105, HCA110, HCA120, HCA130, HCA205, HCA305, HCA315, and PAC115.
Applicants who hold valid and current RMA certification from American Medical Technologists are eligible to receive thirty credits in lieu of the following courses: COM100, HCA105, HCA110, HCA125, HCA130, HCA205, HCA315, HCA405, PAC115, and PAC415.