The Best Associate's in Healthcare Administration Programs in Florida for 2027
Key Points: Best Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida
- Ultimate Medical Academy ranks #1 in Florida on a 90.8 Program Score, with a 55% graduation rate.
- Public schools hold most of the places on this list.
- Cost and quality are not opposites here: the lowest-tuition program on the list, Pensacola State College, ranks #10.
- Programs analyzed
- 11
- In-state tuition range
- $1,884-$3,292
- Average graduation rate
- 44%
- Median salary (BLS)
- $123,860
We analyzed 11 programs to rank the best associate's in healthcare administration in Florida for 2027, scoring each school on graduation rate, admissions selectivity, in-state tuition, and reported outcomes using U.S. Department of Education and BLS data, not marketing copy, to see which healthcare administration programs actually deliver.
In-state tuition among the public colleges on this list spans $1,884 to $3,292 a year, a gap of about $1,400. Pensacola State College is the cheapest option in the state at $1,884, and it isn't an anomaly: nine other public colleges on this list charge between $1,892 and $3,292. Ultimate Medical Academy, the one private nonprofit on the list, has no in-state tuition figure in this ranking. There is no single "typical" tuition worth quoting here, so the range matters more than any average sticker price.
The average graduation rate across these 11 programs is 44%, well below the 55% posted by Ultimate Medical Academy, the top-ranked school, and well above the 36% posted by Pensacola State College, the cheapest option. This guide breaks down what these programs cost against national pay data, how licensure and accreditation work at this level, why this ranking treats the associate's as its own category, and where online and accelerated programs fit for a working adult.
Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida, Compared by Score
Ultimate Medical Academy leads at 90.8, and Pensacola State College closes the chart at 77.8. Longer bars rank higher.
Our Methodology for Ranking Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida
Each Program Score runs from 0 to 100: outcomes count for 44%, selectivity and academics for 38%, and scale and value for 18%, all from federal data. See how the weights work.
The 11 Best Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida, Ranked for 2027
The 11 best Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida, ranked by outcomes.
Ultimate Medical Academy
Clearwater, FL · Nonprofit · online option
- Grad rate
- 55%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- Tuition
- Priced per program
Top-ranked in this Florida associate's group with a 90.8 Program Score, and the only fully online, rolling-admissions path that starts a new class every 2 to 3 weeks.
- 90.8 Program Score
- 55% graduation rate
- 18-month AS/AAS timeline with rolling admissions
- 100% online, private nonprofit
Ultimate Medical Academy's online Health and Human Services program awards an Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science degree in as little as 18 months, with rolling admissions and new class starts every 2 to 3 weeks. Coursework blends field-specific and general education classes to prepare graduates for entry-level roles such as member or customer advocate, behavioral health or mental health technician, community support services associate, case worker, and caregiver or home health aide, working inside nonprofits, foundations, public health departments, and behavioral health facilities.
UMA carries the top Program Score in this group at 90.8, built on a 55% graduation rate across an enrollment of 8,932 students, all delivered online through a private nonprofit institution. The program does not publish an admit rate or an in-state versus out-of-state tuition split, since it operates as a national online provider rather than a state college, so cost comparisons here work differently than at Florida's public two-year schools. It fits a reader who needs to start immediately, wants a compressed 18-month timeline, and is aiming for entry-level human-services work rather than a facility-management track.
UMA cites its own labor-market sourcing, drawn from the earlier 2024-34 projections round, to note the field is projected to grow 6%, with about 50,600 openings a year nationally, a figure that comes from the school's page rather than an independent calculation of ours.
Miami Dade College
Miami, FL · Public
- Grad rate
- 46%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $1,987
- Out-of-state
- $7,947
In-state students pay $1,987 a year, a fourth of the $7,947 out-of-state rate, for a 60-credit AS that ends in a required clinical internship.
- 89.6 Program Score
- $1,987 in-state tuition vs $7,947 out-of-state
- 46% graduation rate
- 60-credit AS with required clinical internship
Miami Dade College's Health Service Management Associate in Science trains students for healthcare administrator, health services management, and medical office manager roles. The 60-credit, two-year program is built around evening and weekend classes and covers human anatomy and physiology, legal aspects of health care, medical terminology, and health care quality management, closing with a required internship in HSC 2810 Professional Practice Experience at a health care facility the student must secure at least four months in advance.
The program carries a Program Score of 89.6, second highest in this Florida associate's group, on a 46% graduation rate across a total college enrollment of 58,941. In-state tuition runs $1,987 a year against $7,947 out-of-state, a gap of nearly 4 to 1 that rewards Florida residency. Miami Dade's own program page separately quotes an estimated total cost of $7,093.20 for the full credential, a figure that reflects the whole 60-credit sequence and fees rather than a single year of the IPEDS in-state rate. The college warns the courseload is demanding and recommends students cap outside work at 20 hours a week, so it suits a reader who can commit real study time around evening or weekend classes rather than someone juggling full-time employment.
Saint Johns River State College
Palatka, FL · Public · online option
- Grad rate
- 49%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $1,892
- Out-of-state
- $7,572
A fully online $1,892-a-year AS that converts directly into a bachelor's degree at the same college, no transfer application required.
- 83.3 Program Score
- $1,892 in-state tuition
- 49% graduation rate
- 100% online with built-in pathway to a BAS in Health Care Administration
Saint Johns River State College delivers its Health Services Management Associate in Science entirely online, program code 0133, with fall, spring, and summer starts. The two-year, full-time sequence ends in a capstone course, HSC 2930, that carries a required block of internship hours. Students who want a faster credential first can take the optional Health Care Services Specialist College Credit Certificate, completable in about one year as an intermediate step, and A.S. graduates can continue directly into SJR State's own Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Management with a specialization in Health Care Administration rather than transferring to a different school.
SJR State posts a Program Score of 83.3, third in this group, with a 49% graduation rate and 7,927 total enrollment. In-state tuition is $1,892 a year versus $7,572 out-of-state, roughly a 4 to 1 gap that makes Florida residency the single biggest cost lever for this program. It fits a reader who wants a fully online associate's degree with a pre-built path to a bachelor's and, optionally, a one-year certificate as a fallback credential along the way.
Seminole State College of Florida
Sanford, FL · Public · online option
- Grad rate
- 41%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $2,393
- Out-of-state
- $2,393
Tuition is $2,393 flat, the same for in-state and out-of-state students, and current fees run $2,823 a year cheaper than UCF's.
- 82.2 Program Score
- $2,393 tuition, same for in-state and out-of-state
- 41% graduation rate
- guaranteed transfer to UCF via DirectConnect
Seminole State College of Florida's Health Services Management Associate in Science runs in classes capped at 30 students, offered both in person and online, and articulates directly into a bachelor's degree at Seminole State or at the University of Central Florida through the DirectConnect to UCF agreement. The college reports that most of its A.S. programs post job placement rates above 90%, based on state data, though that figure covers Seminole State's A.S. programs broadly rather than this program alone.
The program's Program Score is 82.2, ranking fourth of the 12 programs here and just ahead of a three-way tie at 82.1 for ranks five through seven, on a 41% graduation rate and 15,390 total enrollment. Tuition is $2,393 a year, identical for in-state and out-of-state students, the only Florida public college in this ranking with no residency premium; Florida Institute of Technology-Online, a private school, is the only other flat-rate program here, at $12,480. Seminole State's own tuition comparison table quotes current tuition and fees at $3,131 a year, still $2,823 less than UCF's $5,954, before counting UCF's estimated $13,412 in room and board that a commuter student at Seminole State does not pay at all. That combination, small classes, a guaranteed transfer path, and a lower bill than the state universities even before housing costs, fits a reader planning to finish a bachelor's degree without leaving the Seminole State to UCF pipeline.
Broward College
Fort Lauderdale, FL · Public
- Grad rate
- 39%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $1,968
- Out-of-state
- $7,402
Broward College gets you into healthcare administration coursework for $1,968 a year in-state, a straight low-cost pipeline into a bachelor's in Health Services Administration.
- 39% graduation rate
- $1,968 in-state tuition
- Program Score 82.1
- Built to transfer directly into a bachelor's in Health Services Administration
Broward College's Associate in Science in Health Services Management trains students for the administrative side of health care rather than direct patient care. The program's own page lists the target work explicitly: improving efficiency in healthcare delivery, developing departmental goals, keeping a facility compliant with regulations, recruiting and supervising staff, managing patient fees and billing, and building budgets. It is designed to place graduates in hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and doctor's offices, and the curriculum is built to feed directly into the upper-division classes of a bachelor's in Health Services Administration.
The numbers back a low-risk entry point: 39% of students graduate, in-state tuition runs $1,968 a year against $7,402 for out-of-state students, a nearly fourfold gap that rewards Florida residency. Broward enrolls 30,728 students total, giving it the scale to run a broad health-sciences curriculum. Its Program Score of 82.1 places it fifth among Florida's ranked associate's programs in health services administration. It fits a Florida resident who wants a low-cost on-ramp into hospital or clinic administration and plans to transfer into a four-year HSA program afterward.
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL · Public · online option
- Grad rate
- 45%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $2,496
- Out-of-state
- $9,360
Indian River State College graduates 45% of its Health Services Management students, the best completion rate among the three programs tied at an 82.1 Program Score in this ranking, for $2,496 a year in-state.
- 45% graduation rate, the highest of the three tied at 82.1
- $2,496 in-state tuition
- Program Score 82.1
- Fully online delivery
Indian River State College's Associate in Science in Health Services Management is built for front-office work in a medical clinic or doctor's practice: the program page names scheduling appointments, maintaining confidential medical records, and handling billing and accounting as the day-to-day tasks graduates step into. IRSC frames the degree as a two-way door, either an entry-level job right after graduation or a launch pad into a bachelor's degree program at IRSC itself or another Florida public university. The college also points prospective students to HOSA, its student health-occupations organization.
Of the three community colleges in this set, IRSC posts the strongest completion number: a 45% graduation rate, six points above Broward and seven above St. Petersburg. In-state tuition is $2,496 a year, out-of-state runs $9,360, a gap of roughly 3.75 times. Enrollment sits at 15,429. Its Program Score of 82.1 ties it with Broward and St. Petersburg for this cohort, ranking sixth. IRSC suits a Florida resident who wants the online flexibility the page advertises and the best graduation track record among the three schools tied at this Program Score.
St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Public · online option
- Grad rate
- 38%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $1,943
- Out-of-state
- $7,774
St. Petersburg College charges the lowest in-state tuition of the three programs tied at an 82.1 Program Score, $1,943 a year, and throws in an embedded Certificate in Health Care Services.
- 38% graduation rate
- $1,943 in-state tuition, the lowest of the three tied at 82.1
- Program Score 82.1
- Embedded Certificate in Health Care Services included in the AS
St. Petersburg College's Associate in Science in Health Sciences is a broader on-ramp than a dedicated health-services-management degree. It builds general workplace preparedness for the non-clinical, administrative side of health care, and graduates receive an embedded Certificate in Health Care Services on top of the AS. The college states the degree transfers directly into its bachelor's in Health Services Administration, and all six core Health Sciences courses can be taken online, which matters for students who need to work while they finish gen-eds before specializing.
SPC posts a 38% graduation rate and the lowest in-state tuition of the three programs tied at this 82.1 Program Score, $1,943 a year, against $7,774 out-of-state, a four-times spread. Enrollment is 23,936. Its Program Score of 82.1 puts it seventh in this ranking, effectively tied with Broward and IRSC. SPC fits a student who wants the lowest price tag among the three schools tied at its Program Score and is not yet locked into a management track, since the Health Sciences AS keeps focus areas like dental hygiene, EMS, and health information technology open before the transfer point.
South Florida State College
Avon Park, FL · Public
- Grad rate
- 48%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $3,135
- Out-of-state
- $11,829
South Florida State College runs its AS in Health Services Management fully online for $3,135 in-state, less than a third of the $11,829 out-of-state rate, backing a Program Score of 79.5.
- 48% graduation rate
- $3,135 in-state tuition
- Program Score 79.5
- Fully online, with a 1-year CCC on-ramp
South Florida State College's Health Services program centers on the Associate in Science in Health Services Management, a two-year fully online degree built to train students for the business side of health care: physicians' offices, hospitals, health care agencies, insurance companies, and nursing homes. The college also offers a one-year College Career Certificate in Health Care Services that aligns directly with the AS, letting students claim a workforce-ready credential before finishing the full degree, and the AS shares general education coursework with the college's limited-access Nursing, Radiography, and Dental programs.
The program carries a 48% graduation rate and a Program Score of 79.5, good for rank 9 in this group. In-state tuition of $3,135 sits far below the $11,829 out-of-state rate, a gap of roughly $8,700 that makes residency the single biggest cost variable here. Enrollment across the college is 2,880 students. This program fits a Florida resident who wants a low-cost, fully online administrative track into health care and who may value the option to exit early with the one-year CCC.
Lake-Sumter State College
Leesburg, FL · Public
- Grad rate
- 48%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $3,292
- Out-of-state
- $13,276
Lake-Sumter State College's AS in Health Services Management pairs a 50-hour internship with a direct transfer path into its own BAS in Leadership, Health Services Administration, at $109.73 per credit hour.
- 48% graduation rate
- $3,292 in-state tuition
- Program Score 79.1
- 50-hour internship, direct BAS transfer path
Lake-Sumter State College's AS in Health Services Management is a 60-credit-hour program, completed in two years full time, offered fully online with hybrid course options. Coursework covers healthcare systems, healthcare law and ethics, patient experience, human resources, and revenue cycle management, and the program includes a 50-hour internship for hands-on experience. The college states that graduates are prepared for the PAHCOM Certified Medical Manager (CMM) and HITCM-PP exams, and the degree's credits transfer directly into LSSC's B.A.S. in Leadership, Health Services Administration.
Graduation rate is 48%, matching South Florida State College for the highest among the four programs ranked 9 through 12 here, and the Program Score of 79.1 puts it at rank 10. Tuition runs $3,292 in-state versus $13,276 out-of-state, a difference of just over $9,900, on an enrollment base of 5,810 students. This program fits a Florida resident who wants a clear, built-in pathway from associate's to bachelor's without transferring schools, plus applied experience through the internship before graduating.
Pensacola State College
Pensacola, FL · Public
- Grad rate
- 36%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $1,884
- Out-of-state
- $7,536
Pensacola State College charges just $1,884 in-state for its AS in Health Services Management, the lowest tuition of all 12 programs here, edging out Saint Johns River State College's $1,892 by just $8.
- 36% graduation rate
- $1,884 in-state tuition, lowest of all 12 programs here
- Program Score 77.8
- Embedded Health Care Services Specialist certificate
Pensacola State College's Health Services Management program trains students for administrative, behind-the-scenes roles in health care rather than direct patient care: managing insurance, payroll, patient admissions, billing, regulatory reports, marketing, and auxiliary services in hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and doctor's offices. The Associate in Science includes an embedded College Credit Certificate in Health Care Services Specialist, and the college notes students are encouraged to apply for that certificate once its requirements are satisfied, giving them a credential milestone partway through the degree.
The program's graduation rate is 36%, the lowest graduation rate among all 12 programs in this ranking, and its Program Score of 77.8 ranks it 11th. Tuition is the cheapest in this group at $1,884 in-state against $7,536 out-of-state, a 4x spread, on an enrollment of 9,491 students. This is the option for a cost-first student who wants the lowest sticker price for an administrative-track health care credential and is comfortable with a lower on-time completion rate than the schools ranked just above it.
Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL · Public
- Grad rate
- 41%
- Admit rate
- Open admission
- In-state
- $3,030
- Out-of-state
- $10,890
Palm Beach State College's Health Sciences pathway guarantees A.A. graduates admission to a Florida public university, serving the largest enrollment among the four programs ranked 9 through 12 here at 25,916 students.
- 41% graduation rate
- $3,030 in-state tuition
- Program Score 77.5
- A.A. guarantees transfer to FL public universities
Palm Beach State College's Health Sciences Career Pathway is built around the Associate in Arts, a transfer degree the college states guarantees admission to a Florida public university on completion, with specific tracks such as Community Public Health, Exercise Science & Health Promotion, and Health Sciences. The pathway page also lays out career-focused alternatives, an Associate in Science for direct workforce entry or transfer into PBSC's own bachelor's programs, plus a BSN track for licensed RNs moving into administrative and supervisory roles, along with stackable College Credit Certificates and Applied Technology Diplomas that count toward the associate's degree.
Graduation rate stands at 41% and the Program Score of 77.5 places the program at rank 12. In-state tuition is $3,030 against $10,890 out-of-state, a gap of about $7,860, spread across a much larger student body than the other three programs ranked 9 through 11 in this list: 25,916 total enrollment. This program fits a Florida student who wants a guaranteed transfer path into a four-year public university and has not yet committed to a specific health administration specialty.
Open admission: the school admits every qualified applicant, so it reports no admit rate.
Graduation Rates at the Ranked Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida
The median school on this list graduates 45% of its students. The highest rates belong to Ultimate Medical Academy (55%) and Saint Johns River State College (49%). The school with the highest rate is also ranked #1.
- #1 Ultimate Medical Academy55% graduation rate
- #3 Saint Johns River State College49% graduation rate
- #8 South Florida State College48% graduation rate
Institution-wide graduation rates reported to IPEDS. They describe the whole school, not this program alone.
Public and Private Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida
This list holds 10 public and 1 private nonprofit schools.
Control (public, private nonprofit, for-profit) as reported to IPEDS. Public schools usually charge residents less; private schools charge everyone the same rate.
Campus Size Across the Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida
Enrollment on this list runs from 2,880 at South Florida State College to 58,941 at Miami Dade College. Of the 11, 4 enroll 20,000 students or more and 1 enrolls fewer than 5,000.
Total institution enrollment reported to IPEDS, all levels and programs.
What Graduates of the Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida Earn
| Rank | School | Median earnings, 4 years outEarnings, 4 yrs | Average net priceNet price |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ultimate Medical AcademyUltimate Medical Academy | $30,765 | $23,657 |
| #2 | Miami Dade CollegeMiami Dade College | $103,137 | $3,814 |
| #3 | Saint Johns River State CollegeSaint Johns River State College | $47,220 | $7,955 |
| #4 | Seminole State College of FloridaSeminole State College of Florida | $38,887 | $3,904 |
| #6 | Indian River State CollegeIndian River State College | $54,287 | $2,617 |
| #7 | St Petersburg CollegeSt Petersburg College | $53,014 | $1,079 |
Four years out, medians on this list run from $30,765 at Ultimate Medical Academy to $103,137 at Miami Dade College.
The highest-ranked school in the table, Ultimate Medical Academy (#1), reports $30,765, so the highest score and the highest pay are not the same school.
After grants, the average undergraduate pays least at St Petersburg College, $1,079 a year, and most at Ultimate Medical Academy, $23,657.
College Scorecard, October 2026 release. Earnings cover each school's programs in this field at this degree level; net price is for full-time first-time undergraduates receiving aid.
What Associate's in Healthcare Administration Programs Cost in Florida
Cost is tightly bunched among Florida's ranked healthcare administration programs. Public two-year colleges charge $1,884 to $3,292 a year in state tuition: Pensacola State College ($1,884), Saint Johns River State College ($1,892), St Petersburg College ($1,943), Broward College ($1,968), Miami Dade College ($1,987), Seminole State College of Florida ($2,393), Indian River State College ($2,496), Palm Beach State College ($3,030), South Florida State College ($3,135), and Lake-Sumter State College ($3,292). Ultimate Medical Academy, the one private nonprofit, has no in-state tuition figure in this ranking, so ask it directly for its published price.
Run those figures against national pay data and the payback gap is real. The BLS OEWS median for medical and health services managers is $123,860 a year. Pensacola State College's $1,884 annual tuition equals about 1.5% of that median, roughly 5.5 days of pay at that annual rate; two years there totals $3,768, still just 11 days of median pay. Lake-Sumter State College's $3,292 a year equals about 2.7% of that same median, roughly 10 days of at-median pay for one year of tuition alone. That comparison assumes two graduates land the identical title, and the BLS occupation description generally calls for a bachelor's degree or higher, so an associate's from any of these schools is typically a bridge into medical office administration, health information, or patient access roles first, not straight into that six-figure median.
That gap is why the best associate's in healthcare administration in Florida isn't automatically the cheapest option. Pensacola State College's low tuition comes with the lowest graduation rate in this ranking, 36%, a reminder to ask a program directly about completion data before choosing on price alone.
Published annual tuition and required fees reported to IPEDS. Private schools charge one rate regardless of residency; public schools charge non-residents the out-of-state rate shown on each card.
Licensure, Certification, and What Passing Actually Means
Healthcare administration programs at the associate's level don't funnel into a single state license the way nursing leads to the NCLEX or physical therapy leads to a state board exam. None of the 11 ranked Florida schools report a licensure pass rate, because no universal exam applies at this level; the field runs on coursework and credential, not a licensing number.
That absence shifts weight onto what a program actually teaches. Employers hiring for medical office administration, health information, patient access, and medical billing and coding roles look for curriculum aligned with recognized standards, not a state license. Graduates who want to move up into a role the BLS classifies under medical and health services managers, described on the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, generally need a bachelor's degree first; the BLS also notes that nursing home administrators, one segment of this broader occupation, must hold a state license in every state, while most other segments do not.
Some graduates pursue portable certifications on top of their associate's, such as medical administrative assistant or health information technician credentials, though specific requirements vary by employer and are worth confirming directly rather than assuming they're universal. That's why accreditation, not a licensing exam, is the real quality signal to check before enrolling in a healthcare administration degree at this level.
The Accreditation That Actually Matters for Associate's in Healthcare Administration Programs
Two organizations set the standard for healthcare administration programs at the college level. CAHME, the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (cahme.org), accredits graduate-level healthcare management education, mostly master's programs, so it doesn't apply directly to any of the 11 associate's programs ranked here. AUPHA, the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (aupha.org), is the body that certifies undergraduate health administration curricula, including associate's and bachelor's programs, and is the more relevant check at this level.
Before enrolling in any of these healthcare administration programs, ask directly whether the school holds AUPHA affiliation or certification, since that status isn't always obvious on an admissions page, and confirm it independently rather than taking a single marketing page's word for it. Every school on this list is accredited enough to award federal financial aid, verifiable on the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS system, but that baseline regional accreditation is a different, lower bar than a specialty AUPHA or CAHME review.
For a Florida student planning to stack a bachelor's or a CAHME-accredited master's on top of this associate's later, checking whether credits transfer into a four-year healthcare administration degree at a public Florida university is worth doing before enrollment, not after.
Associate's vs. Bachelor's: Why This Ranking Stays at Two Years
The best associate's in healthcare administration in Florida exists as its own category because a two-year credential does a different job than a bachelor's or master's. An associate's typically runs four semesters full-time and centers on medical office administration, billing and coding, health information basics, and healthcare law and ethics; it's built to get a graduate into paid work fast and cheap, not to hand them a department-head title on day one.
A bachelor's adds two more years of coursework in finance, health policy, and operations, and is generally the minimum credential for the BLS "medical and health services manager" title, the occupation carrying that $123,860 national median wage. A master's, often a CAHME-accredited healthcare administration degree, targets director and executive roles at larger health systems. Ranking these three levels together on one scale would understate what an associate's is actually for: speed and cost control, not an immediate management title.
That's also why this ranking doesn't penalize Florida's public two-year colleges for lacking a university's four-year footprint. Miami Dade College and Broward College aren't competing with a bachelor's-granting university's resources; they're competing on getting a student into paid work in about two years for a small fraction of the cost, $1,987 and $1,968 a year respectively.
Online and Accelerated Associate's in Healthcare Administration Programs: Who They Fit
Online and accelerated healthcare administration programs suit working adults and career changers more than first-time college students who benefit from in-person structure and a fixed weekly schedule. Ultimate Medical Academy, the top-ranked school in this Florida list with a 90.8 Program Score, is the clearest online-native option, running its program fully online, with rolling admissions that start new classes every two to three weeks rather than making a student wait on a fall or spring semester calendar.
UMA also posts the highest graduation rate in this Florida ranking, 55%, so the flexibility doesn't come at the expense of completion here.
Public community and state colleges, by contrast, mostly run on a traditional semester calendar, often with some online or hybrid course options, at a lower published cost. But completion rates trail there: St Petersburg College (38%), Pensacola State College (36%), and Broward College (39%) all post graduation rates under 40%, well below the 44% average across all 11 programs. Choosing between the two paths means weighing a flexible, sometimes pricier private timeline against a cheaper public one with a real completion-rate tradeoff attached.
- #1 Ultimate Medical AcademyClearwater, FL
- #3 Saint Johns River State CollegePalatka, FL
- #4 Seminole State College of FloridaSanford, FL
- #6 Indian River State CollegeFort Pierce, FL
- #7 St Petersburg CollegeSt. Petersburg, FL
Based on each school reporting distance-education offerings to IPEDS. Whether this specific degree is fully online varies, so confirm the format with the school.
Careers, Salary, and the BLS Outlook for Graduates
Every graduate of the programs here enters the same national labor market. The BLS tracks the broader field under medical and health services managers, reporting a $123,860 median annual wage (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). That figure is a national number, identical no matter which of these 11 Florida schools a graduate attended; it describes the field these programs feed into, not a specific outcome any single school can promise.
For an associate's graduate specifically, the realistic first jobs sit in medical office administration, patient access coordination, medical billing and coding, and health information support, entry-level roles that pay below the $123,860 management median. BLS OEWS wage data is the source to check for a specific job title and Florida metro area rather than relying on the management figure alone; Miami, Tampa, and Orlando each report their own local wage figures for health services roles that can differ meaningfully from the national number.
The honest read here: an associate's is a fast, affordable entry point into health services work, not a shortcut to a six-figure management median. Graduates chasing that $123,860 ceiling typically stack a bachelor's, and often a CAHME-accredited master's, on top of the associate's foundation these Florida programs provide. Even so, for a reader weighing this two-year path against a four-year commitment, the $1,884 to $3,292 tuition range gets a graduate earning inside health services sooner, not years down the road.
Keep Exploring
Common Questions About Healthcare Administration Associate's Programs in Florida
How long does an associate's in healthcare administration take in Florida?
Is an online associate's in healthcare administration respected by employers?
How much do associate's in healthcare administration programs cost in Florida?
What graduation rate is good for an associate's in healthcare administration?
Do I need to pass a licensing exam after an associate's in healthcare administration?
Data Sources
- U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS)
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Medical and Health Services Managers
- BLS wage data (OEWS)
- CAHME (Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education)
- AUPHA (Association of University Programs in Health Administration)
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (earnings by field of study; net price)