There's more than just one educational path to earn a masters degree and career in healthcare administration (MHA), but whichever one you choose to take as an undergraduate will generally depend on your specific plans for the kind of specialization you'd prefer to have once fully recognized as a licensed professional in the field.

As is the case with most graduate school degrees, the kind of work that an MHA certifies you as prepared to perform can be accomplished with a diverse host of personal and professional qualities cultivated in multiple fields. A well-informed choice in undergraduate program can be especially valuable for preparing you to earn your Master's in Healthcare Administration successfully, and the following are just a few examples of what some of these programs may be.

Resource: Top 10 MHA Online Programs 2016-2017

Biological Sciences

Major programs in the biological sciences can cover concepts such as human biology, developmental biology, molecular and cell biology and immunology. Through coursework in the biological sciences, you'll give yourself an edge in terms your familiarity with how the human body naturally operates and sustains itself. An MHA program will be dense with material concerning the complex ways that the human body interacts with pathogens and medicinal treatments, making experience in advanced biological studies a very valuable thing to have under your belt.

Chemistry

Chemistry major programs can include topics such as clinical laboratory science, chemical engineering, forensic chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences. For those with ambitions of working in a laboratory to test and develop new medicinal innovations, being well-educated and trained in chemistry can be absolutely invaluable.

Physics

Physics majors can get involved in coursework related to concepts such as engineering, optical physics, geophysics, molecular science and more. Through extensive education in physics and engineering experience, a valuable ability to contribute knowledge about energy and matter to the medical field is attained. Departments overseen by medical healthcare administrators can have a very real and prominent need for professionals with insight into the ways that physical science deeply impacts healthcare.

The Humanities

While not explicitly focused on the biological, chemical or physical sciences, certain humanities major programs such as psychology, math, anthropology and sociology can be surprisingly useful for developing useful windows of perspective into the medical field. Even without coursework that doubles down the molecular processes of the body, humanities studies can give pre-med students the kind of education that allows them to more clearly interpret the ways that people and society at large respond to health disasters, medical science and emergent forms of treatment.

A Demonstration of Genuine Drive

Regardless of what major it is that you choose as an undergraduate student, the overarching priority should be to do whatever you can that demonstrates the initiative of a professional and the willingness to collaborate with your peers in the medical industry.

Investing time into conducting your own independent research to contribute to the field, getting in touch with actively working healthcare administrators, and building up a valuable amount of experience with performing supervised work in a professional setting as an intern will be extremely helpful for making yourself a truly competitive and MHA-ready applicant.

Not only will these enterprising behaviors give MHA admissions coordinators a powerful impression of your commitment to the field, but you'll also be better prepared to take on the challenges of the MHA program on a fundamental level.