by our College Data Analytics TeamA major in Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality covers A Program That Focuses On The Application Of Transformative Mechanisms And Evidence-Based Protocols To Reduce Preventable Patient Harm And Improve Clinical Outcomes. Includes Instruction In Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, Research Methods, Program Evaluation, Epidemiology, Legal And Regulatory Compliance, Systems Thinking, Human Factors Engineering, And Risk Management. Read on to learn the key facts every patient safety and healthcare quality student should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering patient safety and healthcare quality programs.
Nationwide, patient safety and healthcare quality is a popular field of study, with 121 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality Schools ranking analyzes these 8 schools to determine the best overall colleges for patient safety and healthcare quality students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of patient safety and healthcare quality programs later in this article.
Coursework for Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality develop a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations patient safety and healthcare quality graduates commonly enter.
The skill set built by a patient safety and healthcare quality program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
Per O*NET surveys, a patient safety and healthcare quality major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several patient safety and healthcare quality degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 121 |
People currently working in careers related to patient safety and healthcare quality tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 43.9% |
| Master’s degree | 15.5% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 8.7% |
| Doctoral degree | 6.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 6.1% |
| Post-doctoral training | 5.8% |
| Some college courses | 4.7% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 4.4% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 3.0% |
| First professional degree | 0.8% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 0.3% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.2% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in patient safety and healthcare quality careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Studying patient safety and healthcare quality prepares you for numerous career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to patient safety and healthcare quality.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to patient safety and healthcare quality.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,335,407 | 10.7% |
| Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers | 735,120 | 1.8% |
| Environmental Compliance Inspectors | 674,467 | 10.0% |
| Coroners | 499,816 | -4.9% |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | 419,330 | 8.8% |
| Regulatory Affairs Specialists | 373,276 | 14.4% |
| Government Property Inspectors and Investigators | 370,977 | 3.7% |
| Customs Brokers | 249,561 | 5.2% |
The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of patient safety and healthcare quality graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $50,939 |
| 4 years | $60,432 |
| 5 years | $70,561 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for patient safety and healthcare quality graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers patient safety and healthcare quality grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $129,557 |
| Environmental Compliance Inspectors | $119,630 |
| Coroners | $110,095 |
| Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | $105,544 |
| Regulatory Affairs Specialists | $85,399 |
| Compliance Officers | $71,138 |
| Customs Brokers | $67,529 |
| Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers | $52,280 |
With 8 different patient safety and healthcare quality programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased patient safety and healthcare quality school rankings to help you.
Students interested in patient safety and healthcare quality, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Health, General | 25,004 |
| Public Health Education and Promotion | 3,785 |
| Public Health, Other | 2,803 |
| Health Services Administration | 2,629 |
| Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 2,571 |
| International Public Health/International Health | 1,500 |
| Environmental Health | 1,269 |
| Behavioral Aspects of Health | 623 |
| Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene | 313 |
| Health/Medical Physics | 288 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
