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Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor

Types of Degrees Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor Majors Are Earning

Those studying Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	38

What Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor Majors Need to Know

Programs in Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administration and Management — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Management of Personnel Resources — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.5 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Microsoft Visual Basic	Development environment software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
SAP Crystal Reports	Data base reporting software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
MEDITECH Medical and Practice Management MPM Suite	Medical software	—
Marketo Marketing Automation	Sales and marketing software	—
TeleTracking PreAdmit-Tracking	Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software	—
Misys Healthcare Systems Misys Tiger	Medical software	—
Sage 50 Accounting	Accounting software	—
PCC Pediatric Partner	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor graduates include:

• Medical Records Administrator
• Healthcare System Director
• Speech and Hearing Therapy Director
• Medical Information Manager
• Cancer Center Director
• Medicine and Health Services Manager
• Medical Office Coordinator
• Health Care Coordinator
• Clinical Director
• Medical Manager
• Laboratory Director (Lab Director)
• Hospital Administrator
• Hospice Plan Administrator
• Patient Services Coordinator
• Hospice Director

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	46.4%
Master’s degree	21.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.7%
Postsecondary certificate	7.1%
Some college courses	3.6%
Post-doctoral training	3.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.6%
First professional degree	3.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 97.4% of Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	37	97.4%
Men	1	2.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5	13.2%
Hispanic or Latino	4	10.5%
Black or African American	20	52.6%
Two or More Races	6	15.8%
Race Unknown	3	7.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,041
4 years	$36,054
5 years	$40,847

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,847 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor graduates earn a median of $36,054 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	28,347
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	11,963
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician	11,828
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder	10,171
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary	7,771
Medical Office Assistant/Specialist	4,419
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	3,494
Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other	3,168
Medical Office Management/Administration	2,900
Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator	2,781
Health Services Administration	2,629

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.