Online Healthcare Masters Degrees and Medical Programs

Online Healthcare Masters Degrees and Medical Programs offer busy working professionals the opportunity to advance their education while maintaining current responsibilities. Healthcare is perhaps the largest industry and requires a vast assortment of trained, licensed, and or specialized talent to work in all of its many fields. Online Healthcare Masters Degrees may be available in healthcare administration, public health, patient-centered disciplines such as nursing, technology and informatics or rehabilitation and therapeutic oriented practices. The nature of distance-learning is that you have more flexibility to schedule your own study than if you attended class onsite, making it an appealing option for those who have ongoing duties but are still hoping to build on their undergraduate degree.

Online Healthcare Masters Programs: Essentials

When we think about graduate healthcare and medicine degrees, we might expect these only focus on preparing students to work as medical doctors. This is definitely not the case. There are many potential career paths in healthcare that require individuals with master’s degrees. Furthermore, the advances of educational technology have made online study more mainstream. Is an Online Healthcare Masters Program for you? Here are a few things to consider:

INTERACTION LEVEL: Evaluate each Online Healthcare Masters program uniquely to determine whether you are going to be satisfied with web-based learning or whether you really need or prefer the interactive component of the college campus (e.g. some medical specialties, communication science, human services). Distance-learning does not mean you are out of contact with your faculty and fellow classmates but it does mean the interactions are digital (web cams, web chats, email, online group discussion boards)

FORMAT: Find out whether the program is 100% online or partially online, in which case there may be some on site requirements. If you are looking into a clinical and scientific program (e.g. biomedical science, nursing, pharmacology) where there are bound to be laboratory rotations or research, you may need to accommodate these requirements somehow, if you pursue an online format.

COURSE MATERIAL: Each Healthcare Masters program is going to have its own curriculum, textbooks and resources. Determine whether your course material is delivered vial live-streaming lectures (synchronous) or pre-recorded or video taped sessions (Asynchronous). If you know what you are getting into, it might help you create a workable schedule.

PERSONALITY: Do you have the self-discipline and motivation for distance-learning where you are often the one who makes your study timetable? If you tend to get distracted or don’t have a clear sense of where you can set up a virtual classroom for yourself, an online masters degree may not be for you. However, many online students prefer their own learning space, save time on the commute, and feel like they can study anywhere they have a computer and Internet.

ACCREDITATION: Since so many of the medical degrees and healthcare masters degrees are geared towards professions that have rigorous licensing requirements, you want to make sure that your online program and grad school meet the accreditation standards of their field (whether business oriented or patient-centered).

How to search for Online Masters Degrees in Healthcare

If you look through the GradSchools.com directory, you can get an idea of all the subjects that there are, but there are more beyond that as some categories contain potential areas of concentration. Here are a few examples: If you are searching for an Online Masters in Biomedical Science, you might also choose to further refine your search by looking specifically at Masters degrees in biotechnology or Immunology & Cancer Biology.

Or, if you are hoping to take your nursing care up to the next phase, Online Masters in Nursing programs leave a host of opportunities for you to pinpoint the right degree – from Accelerated Nursing Programs, BSN-MSN, Midwifery, MSN, Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Education, Nursing Administration, Nursing Informatics, or Nursing Specialties.

The good thing about GradSchools.com though is that if you don’t find what you are looking for under the online program format, you may find it under the campus or hybrid. Hybrid programs combine campus and online coursework to deliver a masters program that has the flexibility of online work with the social learning aspect of the college campus.

What Types of Online Masters Degrees in Healthcare are there?

There are a variety of Online Healthcare Masters programs to choose from. Bear in mind that if you aim to use your degree as a stepping-stone to a doctorate degree in healthcare or a medical degree, you should choose a degree that is considered the preparatory step. Also, research the academic path of the career you have in mind.

What are some Non-medical Online Masters in Healthcare Programs?

You might love health and fitness, but also have keen business instincts or leadership skills that you want to cultivate. Some of the more management-oriented Online Masters in healthcare Programs include:

Online Masters in Health Services Administration

Interested in exploring and solving complex issues related to health care? Online Masters programs in health services administration emphasize organizational skills and leadership.

Online Masters of Business Administration in Health Care

Are you interested in administration of human resource personnel? Do you want to ensure quality of service in health care facilities or function as the connecting point to insurance provider networks and government policy organizations? If so, an online MBA in health care teaches you to examine the business side of health care services, and learn how to build appropriate strategies for a well-managed health care organization.

Online Master of Public Administration in Health

Are you interested in working as a leader in non-profit or public service organizations? If so, an online Master of Public Administration degree with an emphasis in health might be a great fit.

Online Masters in Public Health

Are you fascinated by Epidemiology? MPH graduates often collaborate with organizations to improve the health of specific populations and to decrease health discrepancies between demographics.

What are Some Patient-Centered Online Masters in healthcare Programs?

If you are interested in rehabilitation, Physical Therapy and Occupational therapy, medical assisting and nutrition and fitness are some of the many and diverse options.

Online Master of Science in Nursing

One potential healthcare program option might be the Masters degrees in the field of healthcare is the MSN, since it is widely considered the path to a variety of potential careers in nursing that require a graduate degree. Nurses enrolled in an MSN program are trained to become experts in a specialty field or advanced practice nursing specialty, or for management or leadership roles.

Take the next step

Masters degrees might be valued by employers because some graduate degree programs include supervised work or fieldwork, and give students time to gain experience in their chosen academic discipline. If you hoping to establish yourself as a professional in your field, learn specialized skills and advanced knowledge, take the next step and see what Online Healthcare masters Programs are within your reach!

GradSchools.com offers 232 Online Healthcare Masters Degrees and Medical Programs