Healthcare Administration

Healthcare Administration

Healthcare Administration is Planning for the Future 

We are actively accepting new students into our Healthcare Administration program. Take classes virtually while utilizing our new state-of-the-art Health Sciences building on our Orchard Ridge Campus opening in 2026.  Why does this matter? It brings all of our programs together, just like you would experience in the field. Here, you’ll meet and work with expert caring faculty, staff, and students in all the healthcare fields. Check out the new facilities.

Start now and be a part of it!

Start your career in Healthcare Administration (HCA) with a degree from OCC.

Healthcare administrators work behind the scenes to ensure medical facilities run smoothly and provide excellent patient services. You may work with budgets, staff, labor contracts, computer systems, Medicare and Medicaid regulations, facility maintenance, accreditation visits, and patients and their families.

Healthcare administrators have much responsibility and earn high salaries, especially in larger or more regulated institutions. 

Explore Healthcare Careers: Join Us at OCC's Open House

Join us for a health sciences open house on Thursday, March 20, 2025, and learn how OCC can help you turn your passion for healthcare into a rewarding career. Reserve your spot today.

New Scholarship Opportunity

Are you a student studying Healthcare Administration who graduated in 2023? If so, you may be eligible for the Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship. Learn more.

A Career Making Health Care Better

So much happens when health care is provided. Before that annual flu shot, for example, someone managed the appointment software, set up insurance coding procedures, and juggled vacation schedules to make sure staff were in the clinic. As a Healthcare Administrator, you can be the glue that keeps everything running smoothly.

Your first job title might be: 

  • Administrative Assistant
  • Patient Services Representative
  • Medical Records Clerk
  • Human Resources Assistant
  • Intake Coordinator
  • Business Development Specialist
  • Operations Auditor

With more education and experience, your job title might be:

  • Medical Office Administrator
  • Human Resources Director
  • Database Administrator
  • Provider Network Director
  • Nursing Home Administrator

If you have the education and credentials in nursing, medicine, or another profession, you may also have career options that include:

  • Ambulatory Services Director
  • Discharge Coordinator
  • Medical Director
Job Market Outlook

Online Courses + An Externship = AAS

All courses in this associate of applied science are available online. Many are “asynchronous,” meaning you go to class when it fits your schedule. You also complete an externship, which is likely on-site. Work with the program coordinator to choose an externship site that makes sense for your life and your goals.

Your courses include introductions to the core responsibilities in healthcare administration: staffing, law and policy, patients, and business and financial administration. Your externship gives you a structured look inside healthcare administration.

You also study the skills that can be applied more broadly. Your general education includes communication, psychology, and sociology courses. This broader education gives you the needed background to transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree.

OCC Helps You Finish

Whichever program you choose, your key moment is finishing it. Sometimes, the many responsibilities you juggle may throw you off course. Or finding the right externship may be a challenge.

Your HCA Program Coordinator—a full-time faculty member at OCC—is committed to helping you find a way to finish your OCC degree. Please email, call, or reply when we reach out to you. “Done” is the start of everything else you hope for. OCC will also help you plan your transfer if your goals pull you toward a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Program 

Generally, the associate degree can be finished by full-time students in about two years, using summer terms to complete your general education courses. Speak with a faculty member to plan your course of study and the schedule that works for you.

Associate Degree

We offer an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Healthcare Administration (63-64 credits).

Continuing Education

Take any of our HCA courses as needed for your career.

  • OCC is accredited by Higher Learning Commission making the Healthcare Administration Program also accredited.
  • Our associate degree offers perfect preparation for first-time college students or career changers.
  • All of the Healthcare Administration students do externships to have real-world experience.
  • Special courses are taught by experienced Healthcare administration faculty members to provide in-depth insight into areas like nursing home operations, health labor practices, facility and personal management, and more.
  • OCC’s focus on support and success connects students with academic and personal counseling, personalized transfer planning, and more.
Did you know?

Take the Next Steps

Begin your studies with these steps:

  • Apply to OCC. If you’re not already an OCC student, create a profile and complete our online application.
  • On the application, select your Health Care Administration option.
  • Existing OCC students can update their academic program using the Student Update Information Request form.

Returning to OCC

If it’s been three years or more since your last OCC class: