When looking to join the field of healthcare administration, interested parties usually weigh the merits and disadvantages of two types of education: a degree and a certificate. Each option offers a different level of knowledge and opportunities to those who complete them.
What are the pros and cons of obtaining a certificate in healthcare administration vs a degree?
Healthcare certificates take less time to finish than a degree and are more affordable. However, certificates only focus on one specific area of study, and while they give an entry-level understanding, they cannot produce career growth on their own. On the other hand, degrees are more expensive and time-consuming, but they provide more opportunities.
Continue below to learn more about healthcare administration certificates and degrees.
What Are The Differences and Similarities Between Healthcare Certificates and Degrees?
Before we can highlight the pros and cons of healthcare administration certificates and degrees, we have to understand how they are the same and what sets them apart.
Healthcare administration certificates and degrees are both viable options for those looking to join the healthcare administration industry. In this section, the audience, time to completion, curriculum, cost, and career opportunities for each will be discussed.
Audience
Who are healthcare administration certificates and degrees for? Each has a target audience that the curriculum is built to engage.
Healthcare Administration Certificates
Certificates are available for both people looking for entry-level roles and seasoned professionals who want to gain new skills. Certificates also allow those in the industry to stay up to date on the latest industry knowledge.
Healthcare Administration Degrees
On the other hand, degrees are the most common way that those who want to change fields break into the healthcare administration industry. Bachelor’s degrees are more aimed at first-time college students. Master’s degrees are for those with undergraduate degrees seeking further knowledge or a career change.
Time to Completion
The time to completion for a degree is the average amount of time it takes a student to complete coursework from the first day of enrollment to the last day of classes.
Healthcare Administration Certificates
Healthcare administration certificates take less time to finish, and they offer a quick way to gain helpful industry skills. Many of them take a year or less to complete. The coursework is delivered online, making certificates more accessible and a better option for those with busy lives.
The shortest time to complete a healthcare administration certificate is 4 weeks and the longest is 12 months.
Healthcare Administration Degrees
Degrees can take anywhere from 2 to 4 years to complete, depending on whether it is an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree. Although some degrees are offered online, many programs require students to attend classes on campus.
Curriculum
Healthcare Administration Certificates
Healthcare administration certificates tend to focus on a specific subject area, like medical billing and coding or data analytics. As a result, the coursework focuses on topics within these areas.
The goal of certificates is to give learners comprehensive knowledge of the certificate subject matter. Sometimes there will be exams at the end or projects to complete, but most certificates just present students with printable proof of completion at the end.
Healthcare Administration Degrees
Degrees in healthcare administration, regardless of type, give students a broad range of industry knowledge in healthcare administration, such as healthcare ethics, finance, and compliance. At the end of degree programs, students are often required to complete an internship, capstone, or thesis project. They are designed to prepare students for success in the industry.
Cost
Healthcare Administration Certificates
Since they take less time to compete and have less coursework, certificates are an affordable option for those who need something budget-friendly. The study materials and textbooks for certificates are included with the course, removing that barrier as well.
The costs of certificates vary greatly, but you can find many different ones for $1000 or less. You can pay for the program’s cost in installments by term or by course. The type of institution hosting the program, such as a community college or two-year university, also affects the cost of the certificate.
Healthcare Administration Degrees
Degrees are longer and cover more subjects, so they carry a larger cost. Students often have to rent or buy the required textbooks and class materials as well. Many students have to save, receive scholarships, or take out loans to afford degrees.
The cost for degrees varies from $3,000 to $40,000 or more. However, people see degrees as investments in self-growth and leap to pursue them. The overall cost varies depending on whether the student is in or out of the state the institution is in and if they are taking classes on a full-time or part-time basis.
Career Opportunities and Growth
Both healthcare administration certificates and degrees lead to opportunities in the healthcare administration industry.
Healthcare Administration Certificates
As mentioned before, since certificates build on a specific skill or set of them, the career opportunities that come from a certificate are less broad. They don’t give much flexibility if you want to change fields within healthcare. If you want to work in a different area than what your certificate is in, you will have to spend more money and time to get that education.
The specific, skill-based nature of a certificate can inhibit your ability to climb the corporate career ladder. You may have to seek out a degree or more education for a higher-paying, more rigorous role, unless you have enough practical work experience for hiring managers to see your aptitude.
Healthcare Administration Degrees
There are more career opportunities available as a result of the extensive yet thorough course of study that healthcare administration degrees offer. However, if you decide to specialize in your degree program, the number of jobs you can take on will be limited to your specialty.
Degree programs are designed to prepare students for and encourage career growth and advancement. Employers show favoritism toward degree program graduates because they know the rigors they experience. Degrees have weight and the wide range of applicable industry knowledge gained is valuable in the long term.
Furthermore, the internships and projects included in degree programs show employers that degree earners can handle the fast-paced and ever-changing demands of the healthcare industry.
Pros and Cons of Healthcare Administration Certificates and Degrees
Based on the above findings about healthcare administration certificates and degrees, here are the pros and cons of each option.
Healthcare Administration Certificates
Certificates are a great way to learn more about the healthcare administration field quickly and on your schedule. There are both upsides and downsides to earning certificates, as seen below:
Pros
- Affordable
- Shorter time to complete and more flexibility
- Specific knowledge in an area
- It is good for those who want to learn a particular skill
Cons
- Narrow range of career opportunities and less growth potential
- Less weight than a formal degree program
- No projects or experiential learning
Healthcare Administration Degrees
Degrees are the more common choice for healthcare administration education. They have been a desired credential in the healthcare industry for years. Here are the benefits and disadvantages of earning one:
Pros
- A broad knowledge base offers more career paths
- Designed for career growth and expansion
- Have greater weight to employers because of course rigors
- Experiential learning and projects show off practical knowledge
Cons
- Expensive
- Longer time to completion
- Less flexibility in some degree programs
Conclusion
Healthcare administration certificates are great for specific knowledge, broaden the skill set of healthcare administrators, and provide an affordable education despite not carrying as much weight for career growth. On the other hand, degrees offer a lot of knowledge in different areas and provide more opportunities on their own, but they are expensive to earn and take a lot of time.
Regardless of which one you pursue, you will be prepared for the field of healthcare administration.