ECPI University offers an online Master of Science in Healthcare Administration with a Health Informatics track. The 36-credit program pairs 27 credits of healthcare administration coursework with a nine-credit informatics and analytics track, and it ends with a leadership capstone project.
Quick Facts
| School | ECPI University |
| Location | Virginia Beach, Virginia (main campus); program delivered online |
| Degree | Master of Science in Healthcare Administration – Health Informatics Track |
| Credits | 36 semester credits (27 core + 9 track) |
| Format | 100% online, asynchronous, in five-week courses |
| Typical Length | About 14 months (4 semesters, 60 weeks of instruction) |
| Estimated Tuition | $25,920 tuition ($720 per credit, 2026–27); about $27,265 with published fees |
| Admissions | Bachelor’s degree in health administration or a health-related field; 2.5 undergraduate GPA; resume and goal statement |
| Accreditation | SACSCOC (institutional); no programmatic accreditation listed for this degree |
Program Overview
The ECPI University Master of Science in Healthcare Administration is a healthcare administration degree with a nine-credit Health Informatics track. Students complete nine core courses in healthcare management and then three track courses in health data, predictive analysis, and analytic tools.
ECPI describes the degree as building on the skills of business and management professionals who want to lead healthcare organizations. The catalog says the program uses a competency-based model with industry-specific scenarios. The same degree also offers a Community Health track, so applicants choose one of the two tracks.
ECPI is headquartered in Virginia Beach and has Virginia campuses in Virginia Beach, Newport News, Northern Virginia (Manassas), Richmond, and Roanoke, plus its Culinary Institute of Virginia in Norfolk. The master’s in healthcare administration, however, is listed in the catalog only at the Online campus. Students do not attend classes at a Virginia campus for this degree.
Curriculum and Health Informatics Track
All students complete 27 credits of core coursework. The nine three-credit core courses are:
- Principles of Healthcare Administration
- Advanced Healthcare Delivery Systems
- Healthcare Law and Ethics
- Healthcare Statistics
- Human Resource Management Strategies
- Healthcare Performance Measures and Regulation
- Information Management in Healthcare
- Economic Policy and Procedure in Healthcare Organizations
- MHA Leadership Capstone
Two core courses touch on informatics directly. Information Management in Healthcare covers health informatics standards, electronic medical records, and interoperability. Healthcare Statistics covers descriptive and inferential statistics through t-tests, ANOVA, chi-square, and regression.
The Health Informatics track adds three courses:
- Advanced Health Informatics and Data Science, which includes data retrieval and extraction techniques such as natural language processing and text mining
- Predictive Analysis for Healthcare, which covers electronic health record standards and the use of statistical algorithms to identify trends
- Healthcare Analytic Tools, which focuses on data collection for quality improvement and evaluation of health record data
The final course, MHA Leadership Capstone, requires students to present a culminating project that applies technical and administrative skills to a current healthcare issue. Course titles and descriptions come from the ECPI University Catalog program page for Healthcare Administration (MS).
The track represents nine of the degree’s 36 credits. The degree remains centered on healthcare administration, so applicants who want extended study in programming, database design, or clinical informatics research should compare it with a dedicated MS in Health Informatics.
Admissions Requirements
ECPI’s general graduate admissions process includes a personal interview with an admissions advisor, which online students may complete by phone, and a graduate application with a nonrefundable $50 fee. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an institution recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and official transcripts must arrive within the first term.
The graduate standard is a 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA. Applicants below 2.5 may be asked to submit GMAT or GRE scores for review. For this program specifically, the bachelor’s degree should be in health administration or a health-related field, and applicants must submit a current resume and a personal goal statement.
ECPI graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business administration or organizational leadership must first complete a two-credit Fundamentals of Healthcare course with a grade of 80 or higher. Prospective students should confirm current requirements with ECPI University before applying.
Tuition, Fees, and Funding
ECPI’s graduate tuition schedule lists $720 per credit for the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration for the academic year effective May 26, 2026. As a private university, ECPI charges the same rate regardless of state residency. At that rate, 36 credits × $720 = $25,920 in tuition.
The technology fee schedule lists $315 per semester for master’s programs, or $1,260 across four semesters. Adding the $50 graduate application fee and the $35 graduate registration fee gives an estimated direct cost of about $27,265 ($25,920 + $1,260 + $50 + $35).
ECPI provides use of textbooks and electronic textbooks at no additional cost. Students who opt out and buy their own books receive a $50 credit per semester. The estimate excludes any required preparatory courses (billed at $250 per credit), certification exam fees, and personal costs such as a computer and internet service. Rates are reviewed each year.
Eligible students may use federal financial aid, scholarships, military and veterans education benefits, or employer tuition support. Final cost will depend on transfer credit, aid, and any changes in enrollment.
Online Format and Time to Completion
The online program page describes the degree as 100% online. ECPI’s online courses are asynchronous and run in the Canvas learning management system, and all students must complete an online orientation before their first class.
ECPI uses a semester system in which three consecutive five-week terms make up one semester. Full-time graduate students may take no more than nine credits per semester, which works out to one three-credit course in each five-week term. The catalog lists a minimum of four semesters, equal to 60 weeks or about 14 months of instruction.
Five-week terms begin year-round. The ECPI master calendar lists upcoming terms starting October 5, 2026; November 9, 2026; December 14, 2026; and January 25, 2027. Late registration is not available for graduate courses, and ECPI does not publish which terms admit new students to this program.
Career Preparation
The catalog frames the degree as preparation for medical and health services manager roles in acute care and community settings. For the Health Informatics track, it lists examples such as clinical informatics analyst, clinical informatics specialist, clinical informatics systems analyst, and nursing informatics specialist.
ECPI University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The catalog does not list programmatic accreditation for this degree, such as from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
Career results will depend on prior experience, technical skills, location, and employer requirements. Some of the nursing informatics roles ECPI lists typically require an RN license, which this degree does not provide, and the program does not promise a specific job, salary, or certification.
Who Is This Program For?
ECPI’s program may fit working adults with a health-related bachelor’s degree who want a fully online management degree with some exposure to health data and analytics. The one-course-at-a-time schedule and year-round terms may suit students who prefer a steady, focused workload.
Students who want most of their coursework devoted to health informatics, data science, or clinical systems may find a dedicated informatics master’s more suitable. Applicants who want a CAHME-accredited MHA or an on-campus experience should also compare other options.
Related Health Informatics Programs
- George Mason University - Fairfax
- Liberty University - Lynchburg
- Norfolk State University - Norfolk
- University of the Potomac - Falls Church
- Virginia Commonwealth University (Nursing Informatics) - Richmond