25 Best Online Healthcare Degrees [2024 Guide]

Looking for online healthcare degrees? Compare schools and see what concentrations are available.

To spend your career in the field of health and wellness, look into online healthcare degrees. Through online study, you can learn the skills you’ll need to succeed in helping others improve their wellbeing.

You can get started by earning an online healthcare certificate, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree.

Types of Online Healthcare Degrees

Here are the types of healthcare degrees you can get online. Click on one that interests you to jump to that part of the page.

Certificates

• Online Alternative Medicine Degree
• Online Dental Assistance Degree
• Online Sports Medicine/Physical Therapy Degree

Associates

• Online Medical Assisting Degree
• Online Medical Coding Degree
• Online Medical Office Administration Degree
• Online Pharmacy Degree

Bachelors

• Online Health Informatics Degree
• Online Health Science Degree
• Online Health Services Degree
• Online Healthcare Administration Degree
• Online Mental Health Counseling Degree
• Online Nursing Degree
• Online Nutritional Sciences Degree
• Online Public Health Degree

Remember that you can always earn an associate’s degree and then use it to complete your bachelor’s degree later.

Certificates

Online Alternative Medicine Degree

If mainstream medicine isn’t your thing, you might prefer to focus your studies on alternative practices and treatments. A certificate program in alternative medicine can help you demonstrate your competence in treating others using holistic or complementary approaches.

Alternative medicine includes a wide variety of practices and disciplines. Your certificate program may introduce you to massage, Chinese medicine, aromatherapy, acupuncture, yoga, qigong, or meditation. You may also learn about homeopathic medicines or natural midwifery practices.

The program may also include components on anatomy and physiology, biology and chemistry, or legal and ethical issues in alternative medicine.

Your future career path may depend on the contents of your program. You could look into being a wellness coach, a massage therapist, or a yoga instructor.

If you have additional training, an alternative medicine certificate may enhance your work as a nurse, an occupational therapist, a doctor, a mental health counselor, or a midwife.

Online Dental Assistance Degree

As a dental assistant, you can contribute to helping people’s smiles gleam. Dental assistants support dentists and hygienists by taking x-rays, preparing supply trays, and getting patients ready for procedures. They may also take care of office work.

Classes in this field cover the anatomy and structure of the mouth and teeth. You may learn about dental appliances, such as dentures and dental tools.

The courses can help you learn safe practices when taking x-rays and teach you to maintain a sanitary environment so that you can reduce the spread of infections among staff or patients. You may also learn to use dental software and imaging tools.

After completing your program, which may take up to a year, you can take a certification exam. Once you meet your state’s requirements, you can practice as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA).

Dental assistants make an average of $41,180 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Online Sports Medicine/Physical Therapy Degree

Are you curious about sports medicine and physical therapy and wondering if this is the right line of work for you? Instead of jumping right into a program to become a physical therapist, consider enrolling in a certificate program.

The courses can provide the training you need to work as an aide in a physical therapy or sports medicine office.

Your program should familiarize you with the basics of what happens in a medical office. For example, you may study privacy laws, billing practices, and record maintenance. You’ll also need to learn about human anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology.

As a physical therapy aide, you may earn about $28,450 each year (Bureau of Labor Statistics). You could stick with this line of work or choose to advance your career with more education.

Getting an associate’s degree is the next step to moving into an assistant role. To become a full-fledged physical therapist, you’ll need a doctoral degree.

Associates

Online Medical Assisting Degree

To get started as a patient caregiver and keeper of records, consider earning a two-year degree in medical assisting. This associate’s degree can qualify you to carry out essential tasks that support the work of the doctors and nurses in your medical practice.

You’ll need to study human anatomy, health procedures, and medications. Your coursework will probably include requirements for hands-on experiences so that you can practice your clinical skills.

In addition to helping with patient care and procedures, medical assistants often do office work, so you’ll need to study insurance, billing, and coding. You may get to try out some common database systems for recording patient data and organizing records.

Medical assistants can work in doctor’s offices, healthcare clinics, hospitals, and surgical centers. The average salary for this job is $35,850 per year, and the number of positions is projected to rise at a rate of about 19% over the next 10 years (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Online Medical Coding Degree

Medical coders are responsible for maintaining accurate patient records and billing documents. If you are detail-oriented, good with computers, and interested in working in a medical setting, then a degree in medical coding could be for you.

Coursework in this field typically start with foundational classes that introduce terms used in healthcare settings and basic information about procedures, treatments, and medications.

You should also study classifications and codes for medical procedures and explore the systems that are used for recording them. Lessons on patient privacy and healthcare ethics are likely to be important parts of your program as well.

After completing your program, you’ll need to take the Certified Coding Associate exam. Medical coders often work in the office of healthcare offices or hospitals, but some may work from home.

The average salary for medical records and health information technicians is $44,090 per year. Jobs in this field have a projected growth rate of about 8% for the next decade (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Online Medical Office Administration Degree

When a medical office is staffed by competent, efficient professionals, it can help operations throughout the facility run more smoothly. To take on this important responsibility, you can earn a two-year online degree in medical office administration.

You’ll need to take classes like Medical Office Terminology, Insurance and Reimbursement, and Billing Practices. The courses may include practice sessions with medical database software.

Additionally, you may have classes on other software programs, such as applications for word processing or bookkeeping. Learning to use legal and ethical business practices should be a key part of your curriculum, and you may have a whole class focused on patient privacy.

Your studies may qualify you to take the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant exam. With your training, you could become a medical secretary, making an average annual salary of around $37,350 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Other potential job titles include billing secretary, intake clerk, medical receptionist, or administrative assistant.

Online Pharmacy Degree

If you’d like to provide a friendly face and helpful services for patients who are picking up prescriptions, then consider a career as a pharmacy tech.

When you study for a pharmacy technician associate’s degree, you can acquire skills for assisting pharmacists and taking care of many of the jobs that go on behind a pharmacy counter.

Your first classes for this major should provide introductions to medical terminology, pharmacy practices, and tech responsibilities.

After that, you need to study drug categories, pharmacy structures, ethical issues, and safe and hygienic practices. You’ll need to use math skills to calculate medication dosages. The program may include clinical experiences so you can try out your skills in a real pharmacy.

After completing your associate’s degree, you may be eligible to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam. Working as a pharmacy tech, you might earn a salary of about $35,100 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Bachelors

Online Health Informatics Degree

Thanks to technology, healthcare facilities, companies, and even individuals have more medical data at their fingertips than ever before.

Making good use of that data requires trained professionals who know how to store, organize, and retrieve information. With a degree in health informatics, you can become that expert.

The curriculum for this program involves both business and healthcare classes. On the business side, you may study information technology, spreadsheets, accounting, and management.

To prepare you for jobs in the healthcare system, you’ll likely take classes on anatomy, medical terminology, medical coding, pharmacology, health insurance, privacy laws, and public health.

After graduation, you could become an informatics specialist in a healthcare organization. You might be able to work as a medical or health services manager, which commands an average annual salary of $104,280 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Instead of working for a medical organization, you might be hired by an insurance, healthcare technology, or pharmaceutical company.

Online Health Science Degree

For a flexible healthcare bachelor’s degree, consider studying health sciences. This program can set you up for success in clinical or administrative healthcare roles, or it can lay a good foundation for further professional training.

As the program name implies, you can expect this to be a science-heavy program; you may need to take chemistry, microbiology, physics, and anatomy. You’ll also need to study medical terminology, health insurance reimbursement, nutrition, and psychology.

Health sciences majors have many career options. You might become a health services manager or a medical administrator. Other ideas include health education, medical supply sales, or insurance work.

To work directly with patients, you could become a registrar at a treatment facility or take a technician or assistant role.

Alternatively, many students choose to continue their education after earning this degree; you might enter a professional program for becoming a physician assistant, an audiologist, a pharmacist, or a dentist.

Online Health Services Degree

Health services majors are capable of handling many of the behind-the-scenes, administrative, or research tasks in medical or community organizations.

You could choose this major if your goal is to get a versatile overview of the healthcare system. It can also be a good choice if you already have professional medical training — for example, a medical assistant associate’s degree — and want to take your education to the next level.

The classes for this program may cover topics like global health and healthcare delivery systems. The curriculum can help you develop your management and project-development skills.

You may be able to choose a specialty area to enhance your expertise in a particular aspect of the healthcare field; options may include gerontology, administration, or community health.

With this degree, you could be a health educator or run community health programs. You could also work as an administrator in a medical or long-term care facility.

Online Healthcare Administration Degree

Healthcare administrators keep medical facilities running smoothly. Their work ensures that there is coordination among staff members, office tasks are efficiently accomplished, quality is maintained throughout the practice, and the organization is moving in a positive direction.

You can prepare for such a position by earning a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration online.

For this degree, you may take multiple courses about the business of healthcare; the topics may include finance, economics, insurance, human relations, communication, and marketing.

Other classes may address epidemiology, public health, data collection, and health policies. You may have the option to select a concentration like leadership, information management, or quality assurance.

After graduation, you could become a medical services administrator in a hospital, a clinic, a residential facility, or a government agency. Seeking a higher administrative role could be more rewarding and could make pursuing a master’s degree in healthcare administration worth it.

You could also perform administrative duties for a pharmaceutical company. Another path to consider is working as a community health manager who oversees outreach programs.

Online Mental Health Counseling Degree

If you’re interested in helping people keep their minds healthy, then you should think about studying mental health counseling. This degree program can serve as a stepping stone toward becoming a licensed mental health counselor.

This degree involves the study of various branches of psychology, such as social, cognitive, and abnormal psychology. It also introduces counseling techniques and assessment procedures and may discuss working among diverse or multicultural populations.

You may learn to work with statistics and conduct research as well.

Once you have this degree, you may be able to work as a mental health technician who performs supportive services under the supervision of a licensed counselor. Other ideas are working as a caregiver in a residential facility or coordinating cases for social-services clients.

If you want to become a licensed counselor, you’ll need to continue on for a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling or a related field.

Online Nursing Degree

Do you dream of becoming a nurse? Getting your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) can prepare you to enter this field and set you up for future advancement.

The curriculum should cover the basics of nursing practice and clinical care. Common topics of study include wellness, diseases, injuries, medications, and treatment procedures.

Other courses may cover health informatics, ethical practices, and leadership in nursing. You’ll probably need to gain hands-on experience by doing practicum work in a healthcare facility near you.

After graduation, you’ll need to take the National Council Licensure Examination. As a licensed nurse, you might earn around $75,330 annually (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

If you’re already an RN, don’t rule out the idea of getting your BSN. Earning your bachelor’s degree can help you move up in your field and secure positions of greater responsibility. You can fast-track your degree by seeking out an online program designed specifically for RN-to-BSN study.

Online Nutritional Sciences Degree

If eating well-balanced meals and helping others achieve optimal health through food is important to you, then you might make a great nutritionist or dietitian. Get ready for these careers by earning an online bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences.

You may take classes like Chemistry, which relates to the composition of food, and Behavioral Science, which can help you understand the basis for people’s food choices.

You can study how to evaluate the health benefits of various foods and discuss ways that dietary needs change throughout the lifetime. Other courses can teach you to provide nutritional counseling for clients. Some schools require an internship experience.

After graduation, you may be eligible to take the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist exam or pursue state licensure. With the proper credentials, you could become a dietician or nutritionist in a hospital, a senior-living facility, or a community agency. The average annual salary is $63,090 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Online Public Health Degree

While some people want to help individual patients, others are focused on improving health on a community-wide scale. If the latter describes you, then you might be a great candidate for studying public health.

Students in this program learn about wellness and healthcare around the world; equitable access to medical care may be one focus of your studies. You may also talk about ways that the environment and culture can affect people’s health.

Classes on health education and program management can equip you with tools to improve the wellbeing of a community. You may be able to choose a concentration like epidemiology, health promotion, global health, or healthcare management.

Your many career options may include becoming a health educator in a public health department, a wellness director in a corporation, a program director for an overseas agency, or a research associate for clinical trials. With further education, you could become an epidemiologist.

Accreditation for Online Degrees in Healthcare

When you’re searching for a school for your online healthcare degree, be sure to choose one that holds regional accreditation. Colleges earn this distinction by offering solid academic programs throughout their many departments.

Attending a regionally accredited school is important so that you’ll graduate with a worthwhile degree. Employers and other colleges look more favorably on accredited degrees. Accreditation is also important when using government financial aid.

To ensure that you’re getting a solid healthcare education, it’s smart to find a program that holds programmatic accreditation as well. That means that it’s been approved by an official organization that sets standards for college healthcare programs.

• Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES): This organization is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit allied health programs at the certificate, associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree levels.
• Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME): The Council for Higher Education Accreditation gives this group the authority to accredit healthcare management master’s degree programs.
• Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH): For a degree in public health at the bachelor’s level or above, look for accreditation from this organization, which is approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

Depending on your specialty, you may need to look for a different type of programmatic accreditation; for example, accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is valuable for nursing students.

Financial Aid for Healthcare Degree

Getting a college education is easier when you have financial aid to help you out. You may qualify for both government and private assistance.

Submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step to getting started with government assistance. The federal government may support your studies by giving you grants or low-interest loans. Similar programs from your state may be available to you as well.

You can supplement government assistance with scholarship money. Scholarships may range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. Some are one-time gifts, but others are renewable for each year of your program.

You can apply for scholarships from private institutions, community groups, or your school.

If furthering your education will benefit your workplace, you can talk to your employer about helping fund your studies. Some companies have money set aside for that purpose.

For more help, discuss funding options with your school’s financial aid office.

Questions Related to Earning a Healthcare Degree Online

Here are our answers to a few more questions you might have.

What Healthcare Degrees Can You Get Online?

There are many healthcare degrees that you can earn by studying online. Consider taking online classes in one of the following healthcare fields.

• Alternative Medicine
• Dental Assistance
• Health Informatics
• Health Science
• Health Services
• Medical Assisting
• Medical Coding
• Medical Office Administration
• Mental Health Counseling
• Nursing
• Nutritional Science
• Pharmacy Tech
• Physical Therapy
• Public Health

Keep in mind that, although classes are offered online, you may need to earn clinical hours through in-person experiences.

What Healthcare Jobs Are in Demand?

Positions for medical assistants have a projected growth rate of 19% over the next decade. Jobs for health information technicians have a projected growth rate of 8% rate.

Other job categories that are experiencing significant growth include nursing, home health, mental health counseling, and health service management. Nutritionists, dental assistants, paramedics, and occupational therapy assistants may also have increased opportunities.

What Are the Best Healthcare Degrees?

The best degree for you will depend on your interests and ambitions. If you want to work directly with patients, consider studying medical assisting or nursing. For an administrative position, you might do well with medical coding or healthcare administration.

Two popular healthcare degrees are healthcare administration and healthcare management online degrees. Both degrees are closely related, and they compare very closely when looking at the healthcare administration or healthcare management salary. Having a bachelors in either degree is a great start, but an online PhD in healthcare management or healthcare administration is a popular choice for those looking to expand their studies in this field.

No matter which healthcare degree you choose, you’re likely to be entering a growing field with many job opportunities.

Can Med School Be Done Online?

Many healthcare degrees, including health science, medical assisting, mental health counseling, and nursing, can be earned with online classes.

To become a medical doctor, though, you’re going to need to enroll in an on-campus program and complete an in-person residency. But someday, online med school classes may be available as well!

List of Schools Offering Online Healthcare Degrees

Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.