Certificates
Healthcare Administration Certificate Programs
What Can a Healthcare Administration Certificate Do for You?
A healthcare administration certificate is a short graduate credential, usually 9 to 18 credits, that adds management training to a bachelor's or master's you already hold. There are 146 graduate certificates at 92 schools that also run a verified master's program, and 81 of them are offered online. It isn't the same as FACHE board certification, which ACHE awards only to leaders with a master's or other post-baccalaureate degree and five years of healthcare management experience. See FACHE certification.
What a Healthcare Administration Certificate Is
A healthcare administration certificate is a graduate credential made of a handful of master’s-level courses. You earn it after a bachelor’s, and sometimes after a master’s, and it’s built to add management skills without committing to a full degree.
This page lists 146 of them at 92 schools. Every school here also runs a master’s program in healthcare administration or management that’s been verified on the school’s own site. The full table of certificates sits further down this page.
The word “certificate” causes confusion, because it gets used for three different things:
- A graduate certificate from a university, which is what this page covers.
- Board certification such as FACHE from the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), which is a professional credential for experienced leaders, not a course of study.
- A state license, which nursing home administrators need in every state.
Who a Certificate Suits
A certificate makes the most sense in three situations.
You’re a clinician moving into management. A certificate like Des Moines University’s 15-credit Graduate Certificate in Executive Health Care Leadership or Baylor’s 12-credit online Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Leadership adds management coursework without a full degree.
You’re testing the field before a master’s. A 12-credit certificate lets you try graduate management courses before you commit to a full master’s. Samford calls its version a Graduate Minor in Healthcare Administration (18 credit hours, online).
You already have a master’s and need a specialty. Post-master’s certificates exist for exactly this. University of Phoenix offers a Health Administration Post-Master’s Certificate, Molloy University an 18-credit Post-Master’s Advanced Certificate, and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine an 18-credit Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette offers a post-MBA certificate in health care administration for people who hold an MBA.
How Many Credits and How Long
Credit loads run from 7.5 to 18. The most common listing is 12 credits, and Assumption University spells that out as four 3-credit courses.
At the short end, the University of Rochester offers three online certificates at 7.5 credits each: Health Care Finance, Health Care Strategy and Marketing, and Health Care Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. Several schools sit at 9 credits, including Temple, Champlain College and the University of Michigan-Flint.
At the long end, 18-credit certificates include GW’s Graduate Certificate in Health Services Generalist, Wilmington University’s online Graduate Certificate in Health Care Administration and Eastern Michigan’s on-campus Graduate Certificate in Health Administration.
If you think you’ll go on to a master’s, check whether the school lets certificate credits count toward it before you enroll.
Healthcare Administration Certificate Online
Online is the default format for certificates: 81 of the 146 list an online option, 11 list on-campus study and 8 list a hybrid format (some list more than one).
A few schools offer whole menus of online certificates. Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences runs six versions of its Graduate Certificate in Health Care Administration, including Finance, Compliance, Global Health, Tribal Health Care and Nursing Leadership tracks. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign offers three 12-credit online certificates in Healthcare Analytics, Health Finance, and Healthcare Quality and Strategy. The University of Louisville runs three online certificates in management, financial management, and quality and project management.
Seton Hall’s four 15-credit certificates run hybrid, in healthcare administration, population health management, practice management for health professionals, and global health management.
Certificates by Specialty
Most certificates on the list fall into a handful of specialties. The counts below come from each certificate’s name, and a certificate can fall into two groups.
| Specialty | Certificates | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership | 20 | Baylor Healthcare Leadership; Salve Regina Healthcare Leadership; Montana State University Billings Health Administration and Leadership |
| Quality, safety and improvement | 16 | Regis Health Care Quality and Patient Safety; Stevenson Quality Management and Patient Safety; Bay Path Lean Six Sigma Green Belt in Healthcare |
| Long-term care and senior living | 10 | Utica Nursing Home Administrator CAS; UMGC Long-Term Care Administration; Wichita State Senior Living |
| Finance | 9 | NYU Advanced Certificate in Health Finance; VCU Health Care Financial Management; Texas Tech Healthcare Finance and Economics |
| Analytics, informatics and technology | 8 | Johns Hopkins Healthcare Management, Innovation, and Technology; UMGC Digital Health Leader; Saint Louis University Health Care Technology and Analytics |
| Compliance | 4 | University of Phoenix Health Care Compliance and Privacy; UW-Milwaukee Healthcare Compliance |
A general certificate in healthcare administration or management makes sense if you want the broad basics. A specialty certificate makes sense if you already know the part of the operation you’ll run, whether that’s revenue, quality or a long-term care facility.
Every Certificate by State
146 graduate certificates in healthcare administration and management at 92 schools that also offer a verified health administration master's.
As listed on each school's own site, September 2026. Formats and credits appear only where the school states them.
Healthcare Administration Certificate Programs Near You
If you’d rather study on campus or want a school you can visit, the certificates cluster in a few states. New York has the most with 12, followed by Missouri with 10 and Texas with 8. Florida, Illinois and Minnesota each have 7.
In New York, the options range from NYU’s on-campus Advanced Certificates in Health Finance and Health Policy Analysis (15 credits each) to Pace University’s Health Care Policy and Management Certificate, offered on campus and online. In Missouri, Saint Louis University alone offers four post-baccalaureate certificates, in leadership and workforce, strategy, technology and analytics, and management and policy. In Texas, the choices include Midwestern State’s 18-semester-hour Graduate Certificate in Health Services Administration and three online certificates at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Every school on this list also runs a verified master’s, so browse your state from the states directory to see both.
Nursing Home and Long-Term Care Administration Certificates
Long-term care is where a certificate can tie directly to a license. The BLS says all states require licensure for nursing home administrators, and the requirements vary by state.
Ten certificates on the list focus on long-term care or senior living. Some are built around the license by name: Utica University’s online Nursing Home Administrator Certificate of Advanced Study (15 credits), the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Graduate Certificate in Nursing Home Administration (12 credits, online), and the University of New Haven’s Certificate in Long-Term Health Care, which the school ties to Connecticut long-term care administrator licensure eligibility. Others include long-term care certificates at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, UMGC, Michigan-Flint, Texas State and Texas Tech Health Sciences Center.
Because each state sets its own rules, check the certificate against your state board’s requirements before you enroll. The nursing home administrator license guide covers how licensing works.
Healthcare Administration Certificate vs Degree
A certificate adds to a degree. It doesn’t replace one.
The BLS says medical and health services managers typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation, that some employers accept an associate’s, and that others prefer a master’s. Work experience can sometimes substitute for education. Employers may also want experience in an administrative or clinical role in a hospital or other healthcare facility. A certificate adds management coursework to that mix, and it doesn’t count as the master’s some employers prefer. The healthcare administration degree guide covers every degree level.
Accreditation is another difference. CAHME accredits graduate programs in healthcare management that offer degrees such as the MHA, MBA, MHSA, MPH and MS. Of the 146 certificates, 61 come from 31 schools with a CAHME-covered master’s. Check a school’s master’s in the CAHME checker.
If you’re leaning toward the full degree, compare the online MHA programs and the most affordable online MHA programs against the cost of a certificate plus a master’s later.
FACHE and Hospital Administrator Certification
For healthcare executives, ACHE awards board certification as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, or FACHE. The BLS says certification isn’t required for medical and health services managers, though some choose to earn a professional credential.
FACHE has its own bar, and a graduate certificate doesn’t clear it by itself. According to ACHE, you need:
- a master’s or other post-baccalaureate degree
- a current healthcare management position and five years of healthcare management experience
- one year of ACHE membership
- at least 36 continuing education credits in the past three years
- four volunteer activities, two civic and two in healthcare, in the past three years
- two references, including an interview with a current Fellow
- a passing score on the Board of Governors Exam, with a $250 application fee and a $225 exam fee
The FACHE certification guide walks through each step.
How to Choose a Healthcare Administration Certificate
- Match the specialty to the job. Finance, quality, long-term care and analytics certificates all exist, so pick the one that fits the role you want.
- Check the credit count. Anything from 7.5 to 18 credits appears on the list, so compare the course list, not only the name.
- Confirm the format. 81 certificates list an online option, Seton Hall’s run hybrid and USF’s runs on campus.
- Look at the school’s master’s. If you might continue, a school with a CAHME-covered master’s, such as UAB with four certificates, keeps that path open.
- For nursing home work, check your state. Licensing rules vary by state.
Ready to compare the full degrees too? The program matcher filters 452 master’s programs by format, cost and residency, and the MHA programs list ranks them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does a Healthcare Administration Certificate Take?
Most run 12 to 15 credits, and the shortest on this list are 7.5 credits at the University of Rochester. The longest run 18 credits, such as Wilmington University's online Graduate Certificate in Health Care Administration.
Do You Need a Bachelor's for a Healthcare Administration Certificate?
For a graduate certificate, yes. Several schools say so in the program name, such as Saint Louis University's post-baccalaureate certificates and Loma Linda's post-baccalaureate Health-Care Administration Certificate.
Is a Healthcare Administration Certificate Enough to Become a Manager?
It can help, but the BLS names a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education for medical and health services managers, and some employers prefer a master's. A certificate adds management coursework on top of the degree you have.
Is FACHE the Same as a Healthcare Administration Certificate?
No. FACHE is board certification from the American College of Healthcare Executives. It requires a master's or other post-baccalaureate degree, a current healthcare management position with five years of experience, 36 continuing education credits in the past three years and a passing score on the Board of Governors Exam.
Can a Certificate Help You Become a Nursing Home Administrator?
It can be part of the route. All states require a license for nursing home administrators, with requirements that vary by state, and schools such as Utica University and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse offer certificates built for that job.
Are There Post-Master's Healthcare Administration Certificates?
Yes. Examples include University of Phoenix's Health Administration Post-Master's Certificate, Molloy University's 18-credit Post-Master's Advanced Certificate and Saint Joseph's College of Maine's 18-credit Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Health Administration.
Keep Reading
- Healthcare Administration Degree LevelsAssociate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in healthcare administration and what each qualifies you for
- MHA vs MBAThe MHA and the healthcare MBA compared on curriculum, cost, accreditation, admissions and career paths
- MHA vs MPHThe Master of Health Administration and the Master of Public Health compared, and when a joint MHA/MPH makes sense
- MHA/MBA Dual DegreesEvery verified MHA/MBA and other dual degree with a health administration master's, by school
- MHA Admission RequirementsWhat MHA programs require for admission, with counts from verified program pages
- Is an MHA Worth It?MHA costs from verified programs set against BLS pay for health services managers
Sources
- ACHE: FACHE requirements
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Medical and Health Services Managers
- CAHME: About CAHME
- Official program pages of each school listed, reviewed September 2026