If this is your goal, you may be a prime candidate to pursue your MBA in Healthcare Management.

In order for healthcare organizations to remain successful, they need to be led by highly skilled managers with an advanced understanding of everything from operations management and data-driven decision-making to accounting, marketing, and ethical leadership.

The MBA in Healthcare Management curriculum specifically addresses current and anticipated needs for mid- to upper-level management professionals in hospitals, health system management, consulting, physician practices, and government and non-government agencies.

This program is designed for those targeting an array of leadership roles in healthcare. It is also ideally suited for those transitioning into healthcare from a different industry.

As a graduate of this program, you’ll be prepared to work in a variety of industries, including healthcare organizations, government agencies, nonprofits and more. Within these industries, you’ll also be equipped to pursue roles such as CEO, VP, administrative director, CFO, and COO.

This degree is for you if you want to make sure you have the business acumen and the healthcare experience to manage a healthcare center, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), health department, or any related institution in the healthcare industry. You'll be prepared to lead your workplace into the 21st century to ensure it will not only survive but thrive in this dynamic, ever-changing healthcare environment.

Note: Applicants to this degree program must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized, accredited institution. Clinical experience is not required to be successful in this program.

If you envision yourself as a change agent committed to fostering innovation and quality improvement across the landscape of modern healthcare, WGU’s Master of Health Leadership will challenge you to explore the healthcare industry through comparison research, application of disruptive leadership concepts, and advanced technology applications.

This multidimensional master’s degree focuses on preparing you to become a transformational leader, value innovator, tactical manager, analyst, and integrated systems expert in healthcare by using a variety of real-world scenarios.

Through the MHL program, you will collaborate with leaders in the healthcare industry to identify opportunities for improvement in healthcare, propose a solution, and perform a business analysis to evaluate its feasibility. You’ll also examine the use of technology in data analysis and applications to improve outcomes in a patient-centered care environment.

This degree is for you if you want to change the landscape of the healthcare industry. It's ideal if you want to develop innovations that will not only address the current needs but also anticipate challenges and proactively create an environment that allows your healthcare experience and leadership skills to establish trends to promote a new frontier in healthcare.

Wondering what kind of jobs a Master of Health Leadership graduate can pursue? Here are a few:

• CEO
• COO
• Chief administrator
• Provider network executive
• Home health agency president
• Health system vice president
• Ambulatory services executive
• Department or division director 
• Behavioral health director
• Clinical director
• Managed care analyst

Note: To be considered for this master's degree program, you must be able to demonstrate healthcare experience through one of the following methods: Possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and experience in healthcare or healthcare-related industry OR possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and obtain Master of Health Leadership program chair approval. Clinical experience is not required to be successful in this program.

If you are currently a nurse seeking a way to combine your nursing knowledge, skills, and expertise with strong leadership and business management skills, a career in nursing administration is within your reach. WGU’s CCNE-accredited* MSN–Leadership and Management is designed to prepare you to be an effective transformational leader in diverse healthcare settings.

In the MSN–Leadership and Management program, you’ll build competencies to lead people and manage resources to achieve organizational goals by focusing on the critical analysis of the impact of nursing care on healthcare outcomes. You’ll be prepared to promote efforts and work collaboratively to achieve healthcare organizational goals in a hospital, long-term care facility, community service agency, government facility, or corporation. This role will also prepare you to lead efforts to achieve Magnet Recognition status by supporting and implementing management policies and practices that ensure the very best care delivered by the very best nurses.

This curriculum will challenge you to develop the expertise required of nurse leaders to manage and improve operational performance in healthcare organizations. Coursework focuses on helping you build competencies in strategic planning, financial and human resource management, data management, and interprofessional collaboration. This program will give you the confidence to lead efforts to improve the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improve the health of populations, and reduce the cost of healthcare. You’ll also earn an important industry certification, the CPHQ (NAHQ Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality) that can help you boost your résumé before you even graduate. WGU has recently become the first academic institution to align its CPHQ program with industry standards developed by NAHQ. 

As a graduate of the MSN–Leadership and Management program, you’ll be prepared for plenty of career options, including director of nursing, chief nursing officer, quality director, clinical nurse leader, and project manager, just to name a few. 

Note: Applicants to this degree program must have a B.S. in nursing degree (BSN), a current, unencumbered registered nurse (RN) license at the time of application and enrollment. 

*The bachelor's and master's nursing degree programs at WGU are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791).