How do I pursue a career in healthcare administration?

Should I pursue my second bachelors in health care administration or get my MHA?

• I graduated in December 2010 with my Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a business minor. My plan was to go into corporate law, but during my last two semesters of my undergrad, I started thinking about whether or not law school was really for me. After thinking for some time, I decided to pursue my Masters in Healthcare Administration. I have applied to the University of Phoenix but I am also open to other programs in Savannah, GA or other accredited online programs. My other dilemma is whether it would be beneficial for me to get a second bachelors in health care administration and then go into the masters program or just pursue my masters. I am not sure if there is a monetary difference in having your bachelors in health care administration or the MHA. Another bit of information, I currently work at one of the colleges in Savannah, I am a full time staff member, and beginning in the summer, the state/university would pay for my classes. So there lies the question of would it be smarter to have my tuition paid for or just use student loans? I am also torn between attending the University of Phoenix or going to a traditional 4 year school. I know what I want to do in life, I just don't know the proper direction I should take. Any help would be greatly appreciated. -Confused yet driven...

• Answer:

  Well, you have a few things going on here. First, I would choose the MHA Degree rather than a second bachelor's degree in healthcare administration. Most MHA graduates do not have an undergraduate background in one specific area or another. So in my opinion, the undergraduate curriculum does not matter. Second, since the school will be paying for your degree, I understand why you are looking at an online program. Online programs are great, but make sure you do your research. With an MHA, the school does matter. University of Phoenix would not be bad if you already had been working in healthcare, however if not then you need to look at the best online schools. Here is a list of great online MHA programs. Penn State: http://mhaguide.com/mha-pennsylvania/penn-state-university-mha/ Ohio University: http://mhaguide.com/mha-ohio/ohio-university-mha/ University of Cincinnati: http://mhaguide.com/mha-ohio/university-of-cincinnati-mha/ George Washington MBA in Healthcare: http://mhaguide.com/mha-virginia/george-washington-university-mha-mba/ However, since you are in Savannah, you might have some nearby options for residential programs. Armstrong Atlantic: http://mhaguide.com/mha-georgia/armstrong-atlantic-state-mha/ Georgia Southern: http://mhaguide.com/mha-georgia/georgia-southern-mha/ Medical Univ. SC: http://mhaguide.com/mha-south-carolina/medical-university-sc-mha/ A bit farther but evening and weekend classes might be an option. I will say this, online and residential programs are very different. In the residential format, you will meet many other people who can connect you in the industry whether they are students, professors, or guest speakers. However, online programs are very flexible and arguably there are better (ranking wise) online programs that are available rather than the programs in your area. I hope this helps as I had to go through almost the exact same situation two years ago!