Healthcare administration vs. management: which is right for you?

By: The Capella University Editorial Team with Dr. Ben Spedding, Academic Program Director, Health Administration, School of Business, Technology, Healthcare Administration

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In the rapidly evolving medical field, leadership is just as vital as clinical expertise. However, if you’re looking to enter the sector on the operational side, you may find yourself at a crossroads: should you pursue a degree in healthcare administration or healthcare management?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, the academic paths and potential career outcomes can differ significantly. To help you decide which direction aligns with your career aspirations, we turned to Dr. Ben Spedding, academic program director of health administration at Capella University, for his insights on these two distinct paths.

The business-first path: BS in Business, Health Care Management

If you’re looking for a versatile degree that combines core business principles with a specific lens on the provider industry, a Bachelor of Science in Business with a specialization in Health Care Management may be the right fit. Students gain a broad foundation in accounting, human resources and marketing that is applicable across many industries.

“This is a good approach for someone who’s not sure if they want to be in the clinical world specifically,” explains Spedding. “The specialization will give them skills to use in a medical setting, but those skills are general enough to be used in any kind of business.”

This degree is ideal for:

• Career changers who want to keep their options open
• Those interested in the big picture of business operations
• Individuals aiming to manage clinics, private practices or corporate medical offices

The health-first path: BS in Health Care Administration

For those who are certain that their career belongs within the wellness ecosystem, the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration provides a specialized, deep dive into the industry from the very start.

While a management degree applies general business principles to the field, an administration degree is built from the ground up to address the unique complexities of the industry. Depending on your specific interests, you can choose a path that fits your strengths:

• Health Care Administration Leadership: This specialization focuses on the human side of the industry – leading teams, strategic planning and organizational behavior.
• Health Information Management: This path focuses on the digital backbone of the industry, covering data governance, medical coding, electronic health records and the analysis of information to improve patient outcomes and organizational efficiency.

“If someone knows from the beginning that this field is where they want to work in an administrative role, then the healthcare administration degree is where they should start,” Spedding explains. “We don’t apply generic accounting principles – we do healthcare accounting.”

This degree is ideal for:

• Current front-line workers (like CNAs or lab techs) looking to pursue a management or a supervisory role
• Individuals committed to working in hospitals, long-term care facilities or health systems
• Those interested in health policy, specialized reimbursement models and patient-centered operations

Making your choice

Choosing between these two paths depends on where you see yourself in five to ten years. If you value the flexibility to move between the medical sector and the general corporate world, the business-rooted management path offers that portability. However, if you want to be a specialist who understands the intricate nuances of care delivery, the administration path provides the necessary depth.

Regardless of which direction you choose, the undergraduate level is an ideal time to explore. “Take a couple of courses,” Spedding recommends. “You really can’t go wrong at the undergrad level. See how the beginning courses feel. There’s room to move from one to the other if you change your mind.”

Whether you want to lead a team or optimize a health system, the right degree can help you get there. Explore Capella’s online health sciences and business programs and discover how we can help you fit school into your life.