Medical Billing Path

Bachelor's Degree in Medical Billing and Coding? What Actually Exists (2026)

Updated September 2, 2026 · Medical Billing Path Editorial Team · BLS OEWS May 2025

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Key takeaway: There is no standard bachelor’s degree in medical billing and coding. The four-year degree that exists is health information management. Most people who want to code or bill do not need it. They need a certificate or an HIT associate degree and a certification exam.

If an ad implied four years of school for a billing job, that ad is selling the wrong product. A CAHIIM-accredited HIM bachelor’s is a real degree for a different job: HIM leadership and the RHIA track, not a detour around the CPC.

What to do instead

GoalTypical education
Clinic or billing-company coding jobCertificate plus CPC, CCA, or CBCS
Hospital HIM technician / RHITCAHIIM-accredited associate HIT
HIM leadership / RHIA trackCAHIIM-accredited HIM bachelor’s

BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical entry education for medical records specialists. Entry-level coding and billing jobs follow that, not a four-year HIM degree.

A bachelor’s does not skip the CPC-A period

A bachelor’s will not skip an on-site first job, and it will not create a BLS “bachelor’s coder” wage. If you already hold a bachelor’s in psychology or business, add a coding certificate. Do not collect a second bachelor’s to please an ad.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a bachelor's degree in medical billing and coding?
Not as a standard program title. The four-year degree in this family is health information management (HIM). Billing and coding at entry level is a certificate or an HIT associate degree.
Do I need a bachelor's to be a medical coder?
No. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical entry education. A bachelor’s is for HIM management, education, or some leadership tracks, not for a first CPC job.
What is a bachelor's in health information management?
A four-year HIM degree, often CAHIIM accredited, that typically prepares graduates for the RHIA credential and for supervising health information functions. It includes coding but is broader than a coding certificate.
Can I do HIM bachelor's online?
Many programs are online. Confirm CAHIIM accreditation and how the professional practice experience is placed.
Should I start with a certificate or go straight to a bachelor's?
If you want to code in a clinic, start with a certificate and a named exam. If you already know you want HIM leadership, look at CAHIIM bachelor’s programs and whether the associate stacks into them.
Does a bachelor's raise pay?
BLS does not publish pay by degree for this occupation. The published range for medical records specialists in May 2025 ran from a 10th percentile of $37,000 to a 90th of $81,150. Management roles sit outside that table.

Next steps

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