Health and Medical Administrative Services: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 1,293 college programs, at a typical net price.
On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.
What Health and Medical Administrative Services pays
Career outlook for Health and Medical Administrative Services graduates
The job market for the occupations Health and Medical Administrative Services graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers | 1,558,400 | -0.3% | $66,140 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Managers, all other | 1,333,700 | +4.5% | $136,550 | Bachelor's degree |
| Medical secretaries and administrative assistants | 850,000 | +4.2% | $44,640 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Medical assistants | 811,000 | +12.5% | $44,200 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Computer user support specialists | 729,500 | -3.7% | $60,340 | Some college, no degree |
| Medical and health services managers | 616,200 | +23.2% | $117,960 | Bachelor's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Health and Medical Administrative Services vs similar majors
How Health and Medical Administrative Services stacks up against the closest fields in Health Professions & Nursing on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Health and Medical Administrative Services Health Professions & Nursing · this major | Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences | Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | Medicine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 24 F | 80 A | 80 A | 80 A |
| ROI verdict | Poor return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $47,505 | $226,546 | $214,065 | $162,555 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $39,657 | $212,530 | $166,304 | $65,892 |
| ROI vs cost | -69% | +1,129% | +1,565% | +708% |
| Typical debt | $23,318 | $207,643 | $81,076 | $201,913 |
| Colleges offering it | 1,293 | 33 | 6 | 155 |
Health and Medical Administrative Services earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Health and Medical Administrative Services
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham Technical Community College Durham, NC | Certificate | $69,257 | — | +14,478% | Strong return |
| 2 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | Certificate | $169,078 | $47,411 | +4,119% | Strong return |
| 3 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | Certificate | $246,519 | — | +3,435% | Strong return |
| 4 | Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX | Certificate | $56,668 | — | +2,590% | Strong return |
| 5 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT | Associate's | $99,290 | — | +2,396% | Strong return |
| 6 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY | Certificate | $68,269 | — | +2,017% | Strong return |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Certificate | $313,615 | $41,000 | +1,971% | Strong return |
| 8 | University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT | Associate's | $99,290 | — | +1,866% | Strong return |
| 9 | Shoreline College Shoreline, WA | Certificate | $60,482 | — | +1,703% | Strong return |
| 10 | Indiana University-Northwest Gary, IN | Certificate | $53,970 | — | +1,649% | Strong return |
| 11 | University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT | Associate's | $99,290 | — | +1,555% | Strong return |
| 12 | Chattahoochee Technical College Marietta, GA | Certificate | $50,541 | — | +1,526% | Strong return |
| 13 | University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT | Associate's | $99,290 | — | +1,516% | Strong return |
| 14 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Certificate | $88,315 | $32,050 | +1,472% | Strong return |
| 15 | CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY | Associate's | $68,212 | $13,800 | +1,419% | Strong return |
| 16 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY | Associate's | $59,983 | $11,216 | +1,343% | Strong return |
| 17 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | Certificate | $177,317 | $78,044 | +1,341% | Strong return |
| 18 | California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA | Certificate | $97,258 | $27,404 | +1,273% | Strong return |
| 19 | University of St Francis Joliet, IL | Associate's | $89,742 | $20,827 | +1,232% | Strong return |
| 20 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Certificate | $105,472 | $54,485 | +1,214% | Strong return |
| 21 | Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, OR | Associate's | $85,088 | — | +1,176% | Strong return |
| 22 | Georgia State University Atlanta, GA | Certificate | $123,490 | — | +1,132% | Strong return |
| 23 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | Certificate | $133,890 | $57,100 | +1,112% | Strong return |
| 24 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | Certificate | $109,267 | $31,281 | +1,109% | Strong return |
| 25 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL | Certificate | $120,651 | $52,000 | +1,104% | Strong return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.