With a range of program types available, colleges meet the needs of students looking for short-term training in health administration. State and private schools offer online two-year programs leading to degrees such as Associate of Arts in Health Administration, Associate of Business Administration in Health Administration and Associate of Science in Health Administration.

Distance learning and web-based formats allow you to complete all course requirements without attending classes at a campus. Associate-level programs teach core principles and competencies to prepare you for employment in medical offices, long-term care facilities and health services organizations.

Although most graduates will start in entry-level positions, some courses of study emphasize supervisory skills for managing staff in a medical group environment. Other programs enable you to pursue concentrations in emerging and highly specialized areas such as medical credentialing and healthcare reimbursement.

As government and private insurers play increasingly important roles in the healthcare industry, procedures for billing and reimbursement have evolved and demand for administrators with technical knowledge of coding systems has grown over the past ten years. Degree programs in the medical credentialing field, another rapidly expanding area of health administration, emphasize skills for verifying the educational and occupational credentials of medical staff in licensed facilities.