AABA in Healthcare Administration from American Intercontinental University

Degree Requirements: American Intercontinental University offers a degree program that incorporates both practical business concepts and applications with the basic foundations of medical practices in order to formulate a curriculum tailored for those wanting to pursue the business side of the healthcare industry. This program is also designed for those who want to pursue their bachelor’s degree in healthcare management. Students will initially be required to take general education courses such as humanities, social sciences and especially mathematics, since most healthcare administration positions require the proficiency of finance and accounting. But to obtain a specific degree in healthcare administration, students will be required to complete courses that will help them become efficient and successful leaders in the medical world, such as medical terminology, medical office procedures, medical records, and fundamentals of healthcare technology, just to name a few. Students must complete a total of 90 credit hours, all taken at the university, to earn this degree. The cost is $260 per credit hour. Financial aid is available for eligible students and may reduce costs. This degree should take full-time students about two to three years to earn.

Degree Benefits: Students who pursue this degree do so because they have a passion for the healthcare industry but may not necessarily want to work directly with patients. While most high-dollar management positions at surgical or general hospitals go to bachelor’s and master’s degree holders, those who possess an associate degree typically find career opportunities in smaller physician offices and outpatient care centers as medical office managers, administrative managers and health information technologists. The healthcare industry as a whole is expected to prosper greatly within the next decade due to the constant and ever- increasing demand for healthcare professionals, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Career opportunities for health information technologists and medical records alone are expected increase by 20 percent, creating 35,100 new jobs during the 2008-18 decade, the Bureau states.