10 Top Double Majors With a Healthcare Management Degree

Individuals who are passionate about healthcare may already be considering a career working within a medical facility. While you may be familiar with the responsibilities of doctors, nurses, and the professionals who handle administrative functions, it's important to understand the management-level positions within healthcare.

If you have a passion for management, then you can certainly find these kinds of roles while still kindling your interest in patient care and support.

In this article, we'll discuss how a double major can benefit your degree in healthcare management and will include the top 10 double major pairings. We'll also get into some frequently asked questions and their answers.

Healthcare Management Double Majors

Get started in healthcare management by earning a double major in a related field. Not only will this increase your chances of higher ability, but it will build your skills for other career options down the line.

Business Administration

Healthcare management and business administration are a natural combination that works perfectly for building managerial-level skills. Business administration is the study of maintaining a business. This includes everything from strategic planning, financial analysis, and improving profitability, among many other things.

People in healthcare management will certainly benefit from these skills. Not only will it provide a strong business and management foundation, you'll also learn the essential nuances for running an effective healthcare organization.

Public Health

Public health is the study of maintaining and managing optimal health in the overall population. For those who are working in healthcare management, your role is to keep patients healthy in your facility.

This study will merge public health principles with managerial skills. You might take courses like epidemiology, biostatistics, and health systems that will further educate you on how to stop the spread of diseases.

Healthcare Administration

The study of administration is beneficial, even if you don't necessarily want to become an administrator in a health setting. Having a healthcare administration degree can help with the necessary functions of running a healthcare office. You may be responsible for coordinating appointments, overseeing billing, and purchasing office supplies.

At the administrative level, you may train and develop certain new hires, so it helps to have strong experience in the systems within the office.

Medical Billing and Coding

Medical billing and coding is the study of properly handling data management and how that information ties into accounts receivable. A medical biller will oversee all payments to the organization and ensure patients pay their bills on time.

They may also have to conduct patient audits to make sure there are no outstanding payments. These skills are essential for a healthcare manager, who may need to step in and perform these functions from time to time.

Computer Science

As offices in nearly every industry become more technically robust, so does the increased need for individuals who understand those systems. Computer science is the study of software and computers that may be used on a daily basis in a healthcare office.

For example, a scheduling and billing system is used to handle all incoming and outgoing payments, as well as make sure patients are scheduled at appropriate times. A complex data management system may be in place to keep patient records safe.

Earning a double major in computer science may provide you with the technological expertise essential for managing the healthcare systems in place.

Foreign Language

Just as strong business administration skills are necessary for managers, having language literacy from a foreign language degree is also important. As the head of the office, you will need to make sure that you can communicate with many different professionals and offer the best support and care to patients.

Being able to speak more than one language fluently will ensure you can build relationships with different people in your health office, regardless of their background.

Human Resource Management

Healthcare management and human resource management go hand-in-hand because without a doubt you will be overseeing the hiring and maintenance of employees in the front office.

A double major in human resource management can provide the contextual background for understanding labor laws, complying with regulations, and improving the organizational culture.

Psychology

Psychology can benefit a number of different managers throughout their careers because it helps develop an understanding of human behavior. If your company deals with people, then understanding psychology is the first step to being a better steward for patients.

As you gain insight into human behavior, you may be better equipped with skills for staff management and providing mental health services to patients who are enrolled.

Supply Chain Management

You might be wondering how you could employ a supply chain management degree in your future healthcare position, but in reality logistics is at the forefront of many thriving businesses.

If your healthcare facility requires frequent inbound shipments of equipment and medications, then someone in the office is responsible for taking stock of the current inventory and ordering the items that are close to depletion.

Public Administration

While public administration is typically related to governmental departments, earning a public administration degree can help you as a healthcare business. You will gain an understanding of policy-making processes that could affect your organization. You might also learn about patient advocacy and how to strategically plan in healthcare.

What Is a Double Major?

A double major is when you combine two majors under one degree. This may take place in a standard four-year undergraduate program and is intended to help you gain insight into two related study areas.

A double major is particularly valuable to someone who may want to pivot in their career or finds the learning material of two majors to be valuable for the career they have in mind.

Double Major vs. Dual Degree

While a double major and a dual degree may seem like the same thing, they differ in two primary ways. A dual degree is considered a completely separate degree that you can even earn at different educational institutions.

On the other hand, a major is one degree earned at a single institution that consists of two majors. Students who decide to double major typically combine coursework from both of these programs and graduate either on time or within five years.

Alternatively, a dual degree can take a significantly longer time as these are two separate full-time degrees.

FAQs About Double Majoring With Healthcare Management

If you think going for a double major in healthcare management is the right choice, you may have some additional questions about the work volume and the expected benefits. Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions.

Can You Double Major With Healthcare Management?

Yes, but this largely depends on the university you choose to attend. Many universities give their students the option to double major, but not all. This may have to do with the programs they have available and if your double major program is in their curriculum.

When looking for universities, make sure to check their course offerings and see if your intended double major is listed. You can also contact administrative counselors via email who can give you more information about the program.

Is a Double Major With Healthcare Management Worth It?

Yes, a double major can be worth it depending on your area of interest and what you want to achieve in your career. Having a double major gives you the opportunity to gain expertise in two related fields within the same time frame as you would just one.

Additionally, you have the opportunity to gain interdisciplinary skills that may have multiple applications in a specific industry.

What Are the Benefits of Double Majoring With Healthcare Management?

The benefits of double majoring in healthcare management include building skills in a number of different areas that will relate to the job. Managers are typically expected to take on different roles throughout the office as well as have the ability to oversee different departments.

If you interested in management, then you may also have to take part in financial planning, or even patient records in the database. Having these foundational skills can help prepare you for no matter what comes your way on the job.

Will a Double Major With Healthcare Management Improve My Career Outlook?

For the reasons mentioned above, having a double major can certainly improve your career outlook because it improves your foundational knowledge for many areas of expertise.

Having more knowledge ultimately gives you a leg up from the competition and makes it possible for you to pick up responsibilities quickly. Should you decide to go into healthcare management, you may expect many different operational duties throughout the day, from patient intake, to scheduling nurses, and even handling company finance. Choosing a double major is one way way to understand a culmination of these different skills.