Most instruction is conducted in Asheville and on the World Wide Web. Participants do not have to commute to classes in Asheville every week to receive instruction.
Students log into their “virtual classroom” several times a week during the term to receive instruction, discuss and complete assignments with their classmates. Course work and assignments can be accessed at any time and from any location where Web access is available.
Participants schedule their online instructional activities to fit business and personal schedules. For added convenience, schedules can vary from week to week. Faculty are available by telephone and on-line email and chat.
The program is developed for full-time employed health professionals who wish to study part-time. Instruction is designed specifically to be integrated into the student’s work activities. Participants typically complete three to six semester hours of credit in each 15-week term. Ten-week summer courses are available. It is possible to complete the degree program in two years if enrolled full time.
MHS faculty, students and alumni engage in a variety of research activities in collaboration with the health care delivery and public health organizations. Many of these research activities lead to awards, scholarships, presentations to professional organizations and publication in peer-reviewed journals. Sharing this information helps prospective students see the value of research in the MHS program and serves to communicate program activities to members of the university community.
The program has three areas of coursework:
1) Core courses: A group of basic foundation courses (systems and policy, research methodology, and research seminar) that each student completes.
2) Concentrations: You’ll select one from the following:
- Health Education: including training and development strategies, theoretical foundations, program design, evaluation of program effectiveness, use of technology in education activities.
- Emergency Medical Care: including medical skill & competency evaluation, ethics, quality management, reimbursement & finance strategies, community & public health response
- Environmental Health: Designed for students with a background or experience in environmental health who are seeking to advance their career options from the practitioner-level to the management/supervision-level. A few of the career path for this concentration are environmental health supervisor, environmental health director, and middle-management positions within corporations.
- Gerontology: including psychosocial, spiritual and environmental issues, optimal physical functioning, end of life and palliative care, counseling older adults. We also offer a 15-hour Gerontology Certificate.
- Health Management: including law and ethics, accreditation and compliance, interpersonal and communication skills, supervision and budgeting, customer service and project management
- Nutrition: including advanced nutrition concepts, professional practice/community nutrition, life cycle issues in nutrition practicum in dietetics.
3) Completion options: You’ll select ONE of the following options:
- Research Project: Research study conducted by the student for application purposes, administered through the School of Health Sciences, supervised by a faculty member, and presented to the graduate faculty.
- Thesis: Research study conducted by the student for scholarly purposes, administered through the Graduate School and Research, supervised by a faculty committee, defended before the committee and the graduate faculty, and bound and filed with our school and Hunter Library.
Come learn more about the program—read about admission and graduation, review the curriculum, browse program FAQs, and meet our faculty. For more information, contact the MHS Program.