Online Certificate in Long Term Care Administration

Become a Health Care Leader by Earning Your Long Term Care Administration Certificate Online

The Certificate in Long Term Care Administration at the University of Michigan-Flint offers a 100% online certificate that equips you with essential knowledge about older adults and the health entities that provide services for this expanding population.  

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We created our certificate to complement and enhance career opportunities for those working in a variety of health care fields, giving a broad orientation to the area of aging and effective administrative approaches to long-term care. Additionally, the Long Term Care Administration Certificate prepares you to sit for the Michigan Nursing Home Administrator Exam, which enables you to work as an administrator in a nursing home or long-term care facility.


Offered in a fully online format, the Certificate in Long-Term Care Administration empowers you to learn at your own pace. Take online courses and earn your certificate without disrupting your busy work schedule.

Our Long Term Care Administration Certificate, designed for students working within the health care industry, offers the proper preparation for the Michigan Nursing Home Licensure Exam. Obtaining state licensure enables you to pursue new career opportunities in nursing homes or long-term care facilities and put your valuable knowledge into practice.

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While you can pursue the long-term care administration certificate as a stand-alone credential, if you want to maximize your graduate education, you can use this certificate toward earning your Master of Science in Health Services Administration. With an MS in Health Services Administration, you can make professional progress by specializing your expertise to continue to further your knowledge and expand your health care career options.

Program Curriculum

UM-Flint’s Long Term Care Administration Certificate helps you gain a fundamental understanding of the nature, depth, and growth of the older adult population, their health service needs, as well as how to address those needs in long-term care settings and entities.

Our nine-credit certificate includes two required courses that provide comprehensive overviews of the various types of long-term care organizations and how they function within the health care industry, including ethical and legal considerations, reimbursement, quality mechanisms, and more. They also offer insight into the regulatory and policy side of long-term care, ensuring you have a firm basis for complying with state and federal laws.

In addition, you take a course in Chronic Illness and Aging or Health and Aging to build your knowledge of the human aging process and the acute and chronic health challenges individuals may face in their later years. 

Review our Long Term Care Administration Certificate courses.

Academic Advising

Need guidance as you work toward your Long Term Care Administration Certificate? UM-Flint’s expert academic advisors are ready to help! Committed to your success, our advisors can assist you with class selection, degree plan development, and much more. 

For more information, email [email protected].

Employment Outlook for LongTerm Care Administrators

With a rapidly growing population of aging adults, the demand for skilled nursing home administrators is also growing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical and health services managers, including long-term care administrators, to grow by 28% over the next decade, resulting in over 54,000 job openings per year. 

Because of the population’s broad need for health services managers, especially those with formal training in gerontology, professional opportunities open up in a variety of settings, such as local, state, federal, and private agencies providing services to older adults, hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities.

Additionally, working as a long-term care administrator offers an above-average earning potential, with an average annual salary of $104,830. However, the income for medical and health services managers ranges from $64,100 to $209,000, based on several factors like education, industry experience, and state of employment.

$104,830 median annual wage for medical and health services managers

UM-Flint’s Certificate in Long Term Care Administration program seeks applicants who meet the following requirements:

  • Holds one of the following baccalaureate degrees:
    • BS in a health-related field
    • BS or BBA in a business-related field
    • BS or BA in another field with at least two years of health sector work experience
  • Minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

In recent years, the federal government has emphasized the need for universities and colleges to comply with the distance education laws of each state. If you are an out-of-state student intending to enroll in an online program, please visit the State Authorization page to verify the status of UM-Flint with your state.


At UM-Flint, we make the application process straightforward. To apply to our certificate program, please submit the following materials:

  • Application for Graduate Admission.
  • $55 application fee (non-refundable).
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
  • Statement of Purpose: Describe your objectives for graduate study and reasons for selecting this program. You may submit statements online during the application process or email them to [email protected]
  • Résumé or curriculum vitae.
  • A minimum of two letters of recommendation. Recommendations should be from individuals familiar with your work in academic or professional contexts who can comment on your critical thinking skills, ability to undertake independent projects, and capacity for collaborating with colleagues. We send electronic recommendation requests as a part of the online application process.

Email additional application materials to [email protected] or deliver them to the Office of Graduate Programs

If you are outside the US but want to apply to the certificate program, UM-Flint encourages you to do so. For admission consideration, you must complete additional steps.

  • For any degree completed at a non-US institution, please submit official transcripts to an approved credentialing agency for credential review. You must submit your transcripts for a course-by-course evaluation. After your transcript evaluation, the credentialing agency must send your transcript course-by-course evaluation report to the University of Michigan-Flint. 
  • If English is not your native language, and if you are not from an exempt country, you must demonstrate English proficiency.
  • If you are applying from abroad, you must submit additional documentation.

Because this is a certificate program, admitted students are not eligible to obtain a student (F-1) visa to pursue this degree. However, students living outside of the US may complete this program online in their home country. For other nonimmigrant visa holders currently in the United States, please contact the Center for Global Engagement at [email protected].


Prospective students interested in the long-term care certificate online program must submit all application materials to the Office of Graduate Programs by 5 p.m. on the day of the application deadline. To be considered for admission, please submit all application materials on or before:

  • Fall – May 1 (guaranteed consideration)
  • Fall – August 1 (if space permits)
  • Winter – October 1 (guaranteed consideration)
  • Winter – December 1 (if space permits)

Estimated Tuition and Costs

At UM-Flint, we strive to make graduate education affordable by offering competitive tuition rates and useful financial aid resources that help cover costs. 

Learn more about UM-Flint’s tuition and financial aid.

Earn Your Certificate in Long-Term Care Administration Online to Serve Your Community

Transform your career by earning your Certificate in Long-Term Care Administration from the University of Michigan-Flint and elevate the quality of care your community receives. 

Ready to expand your health care industry expertise and be a part of shaping the future? Request information, or start your UM-Flint application today!