Overview
The Health Care Administration concentration is designed to further a student’s understanding of central concepts of health care systems as well as analyze and provide solutions to health care challenges. The program provides students with the essential skills and knowledge to work as health care administrators in hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and long-term care facilities.
This concentration will also assist those who are already employed in the health care field to fully develop management, legal, and behavioral skills for more effective job performance. UH West O‘ahu offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Health Care Administration, as well as a Health Care Administration certificate program. The Health Care Administration program is the only undergraduate degree of its kind in the state and is offered in-class and through distance learning.
Internships / Practicums
A variety of internships are available at public, private, and non-profit organizations. Health Care Administration students have completed administrative senior practicum projects at:
- The Queen’s Medical Center
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Kapiʻolani Medical Center
- HMSA
- Kaiser Permanente
- Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center
- Hawai‘i Pacific Health Systems
Careers and Earning Potential
The Health Care Administration program was developed to meet the workforce and career development needs for Hawai‘i and is aptly suited for positions including department heads or administrators of small hospitals, health or nursing care facilities, health information management personnel, and executive assistants and assistant department managers of large hospitals.
The median annual wage for medical and health services managers was $104,280 in May 2020. This median salary is higher in Hawaiʻi, at $139,651. Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 32 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.
For more information on careers and earning potential, visit the Hawaiʻi Career Explorer website.
