Public Health: Health Administration
Bachelor's
PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
Coordinate and manage the business side of healthcare organizations. Allow medical professionals to focus on giving quality patient care.
Health administrators are critical leaders in health care.
By focusing on the business functions of hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations, health administrators let medical professionals prioritize caring for patients.
Think of health administration as a healthcare-focused business administration field.
If you’re up for the challenge of helping health agencies and businesses work effectively, then check out the Public Health: Health Administration major at Winona State.
The Public Health: Health Administration program is designed for students who want to be successful in entry-level public health careers, graduate school, or even self-employment.
This major is available through WSU’s Department of Health, Exercise & Rehabilitative Sciences (HERS).
As a Public Health: Health Administration major, you’ll learn the essentials of effectively managing a healthcare organization.
You’ll also:
- gain skills and experience in managing staff and overseeing finances.
- navigate the complex legal and ethical issues surrounding healthcare practices.
- understand how physical, social, and economic factors all affect our health choices.
Your classes will prepare you for careers as a public health administrator and manager in health departments, hospitals, and clinics.
You’ll also be ready to start your own health-related business or non-profit organization.
Aside from major- or minor-specific requirements, you’ll need to complete additional requirements through the General Education Program (GEP) to earn your degree from Winona State University.
Learn More about the GEP
In the Classroom
Coursework is delivered primarily in person, but a few health leadership classes are offered entirely online.
This blended course delivery approach makes the Public Health: Health Administration major great for anyone who wants the traditional college experience with some flexibility to fit their education into their personal and professional lives.
Throughout this program, you’ll practice, brainstorm, plan, and evaluate public health programs.
You’ll also create projects and presentations that address current and emerging issues in public health and health administration—from human resources and management to information technology to health service quality and leadership.
During an upper-division program planning course, you’ll partner with community organizations to plan health promotion campaigns.
Recent campaigns that students have done include Mental Health & Marijuana Use, Season Affective Disorder, and Sun Safety.
And during an upper-division grant writing class, you’ll learn how to write grants for funding to support community health education programs
Get the real-world preparation you need to become a health administrator along with your degree.
Winona State offers students access to First Aid and CPR certification through the American Red Cross.
You can also earn Mental Health First Aid certification through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to recognize early signs or symptoms that someone with a mental health challenge may have and refer them to the right support services.
If you want to become a health administrator, you need a master’s degree.
You can earn your bachelor’s degree in Public Health: Health Administration from WSU and your Master of Public Health (MPH) from St. Ambrose University in only 5 years with the 3+2 path.
During your final undergraduate year, you’ll earn credits that count toward both degrees.
This saves you time and money and makes you a competitive job candidate.
Beyond Campus
As a Public Health: Health Administration major, you’ll complete a 600-hour hands-on internship before you graduate.
Students in this program have interned at American Red Cross, HealthPartners, Mayo Clinic, and more.
This field experience will give you supervised practice with a variety of communities and health promotion needs.
In addition to your internship, you’ll complete more than 60 practical hours in the community.
Your practicum allows you to gain experience developing health business plans based on organizational needs.
Students in this program have completed their practicum at Mayo Clinic, Gundersen Health System, and Winona Health.
Apply what you learn in the classroom by traveling the world. At WSU, you can earn credit that counts toward your degree while exploring the globe.
Learn about health promotion in Peru; food systems in Hawaii; and health, exercise, and medicine in England and Ireland.
Or dive into the business of health care in Paris and child welfare and health systems in Jamaica.
Complement your studies and meet other students who are passionate about community health through campus clubs and organizations.
Join the Public Health Club or LeadHERS for Winona State HERS Alumni.
Check out the Business Law Association or Society for Human Resource Management.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field for medical and health service managers is expected to grow 28% by 2031.
Bachelor's
Bachelor's, Degree Completion
Bachelor's