What Are Career Options with a Health Administration Doctoral Degree?

<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutHealthAdministrationDoctoralDegreeCareerOptions">Important Facts About Health Administration Doctoral Degree Career Options</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><th> </th><th> Postsecondary Teacher </th><th> Health Care Leader</th></tr> <tr><td> Licensure </td><td> Typically voluntary, but may be required if teaching for an occupation </td><td> Mandatory for all nursing home administrators; some positions may require a registered nurse or social worker license; voluntary otherwise</td></tr> <tr><td> Profession Certification </td><td> Typically voluntary, but may be required if teaching for an occupation </td><td> Voluntary, but available for a variety of areas of practice; designations available from the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management, the American Health Information Management Association, and the American College of Health Care Administrators</td></tr> <tr><td> Key Skills </td><td> Critical thinking; ingenuity; clear writing and speaking ability; social nuance </td><td> Attention to detail; leadership; clear communication; critical thinking</td></tr> <tr><td> Similar Occupations </td><td> Career and technical education teachers; microbiologists; postsecondary education administrators; psychologists </td><td> Human resources managers; insurance underwriters; social and community service managers</td></tr> </table><h3 id="section---PostsecondaryTeacher">Postsecondary Teacher</h3><p>A doctoral degree in health administration qualifies you for faculty positions in academia. Those fresh out of graduate school begin their academic careers as assistant professors in a college or university's department of health administration. They teach undergraduate and graduate courses, such as health policy, healthcare finance and public health. They also do research and publish the results in academic journals. Universities often emphasize both teaching and research and prefer candidates with experience in both. </p><p>After several years (usually seven), an assistant professor goes through a tenure review and, if successful, is awarded tenure and promoted to the position of associate professor. A career in academia can ultimately lead to a position as head of a department, director of an academic program, dean of a school and other higher-level university positions. </p><h3 id="section---JobOutlook">Job Outlook</h3><p>According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job growth for postsecondary teachers is expected to be much faster-than-average, with 24% growth from 2021-2031 (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). This is due to more people pursuing postsecondary education, and the BLS notes that health teachers will have stronger job growth than teachers of other subjects. Part-time teachers are particularly expected to have good prospects. </p><h3 id="section---Salary">Salary</h3><p>In January 2023, <i>PayScale.com</i> reported that professors in general earned a median wage of $89,572, with most salaries falling between $55,000 and $166,000. Assistant professors, on the other hand, earned a lower median wage of $71,88, and most made between $51,000 and $111,000. Adjunct professors made the lowest median wage of $36,523, with most of these workers making between $15,000 and $76,000 a year. </p><h3 id="section---HealthCareLeader">Health Care Leader</h3><p>Those with doctorate degrees in health administration are qualified for top administrator positions in hospitals and other health care organizations such as nursing home corporations. These positions involve directing and planning the operations of the organization. Top-level health administrators work to improve the quality of the health care provided and the efficiency of the organization. They develop policy and usually manage assistant administrators. </p><p>Those with doctorate degrees can also pursue management and leadership positions in federal, state, and local government healthcare agencies. They may also become healthcare consultants, helping private and public health organizations improve their delivery of health services. </p><h3 id="section---JobOutlook-2">Job Outlook</h3><p>The BLS reported that medical and health services managers would have job growth that is much faster than average, at a rate of 28% from 2021-2031. On the other hand, top executives of all industries will experience average job growth of 6% during the same period. There will be competition for top executive jobs, although having experience and an advanced degree can help. </p><h3 id="section---Salary-2">Salary</h3><p>In May 2021, the BLS reported that medical and health services managers were paid a median wage of $101,340, with most of them making between $60,780 and $205,620. Earnings varied by industry. Those working in general hospitals earned $129,410 on average, while those working in physicians' offices made less at $116,520 on average. </p><p>The BLS also reported that chief executives made a median wage of $179,520 in May 2021. The bottom 10% of these top executives made $60,300 or less a year, while the top 25% made more than $208,000 a year. In addition, <i>PayScale.com</i> reported that the median wage of a health care consultant was $81,661 in January 2023, with most making $57,000-$125,000.</p>