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Master of Science in Health Sciences

The MS in HSC degree provides a broad perspective of healthcare and associated competencies for advanced roles within an interdisciplinary environment. The core curriculum offers foundational knowledge in health care delivery and project management, as well as applied behavioral health, epidemiology and data analysis, health education, and global leadership. Three concentrations are available and further supplement the core knowledge.  A strong emphasis on healthcare policy and environmental influences, population-based health interventions, and a cross-cultural approach towards all individuals in the prevention of illness and promotion and management of their health is valuable in each. 

In support of the growing need for academic preparation as a healthcare educator, the degree is intended to provide the required courses to meet the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) standards.  Upon graduation, students will be eligible to pursue certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) or MCHES (Master Certified Health Education Specialist).

Program Competencies

In addition to the University’s graduate graduation competencies, graduates will be able to:

1. Analyze the needs of diverse populations and healthcare organizations utilizing an interdisciplinary framework to plan and implement evidence-based solutions;
2. Utilize effective leadership strategies to develop data-driven solutions to complex healthcare challenges utilizing a systems-based approach;
3. Demonstrate ethical and professional leadership in healthcare decision-making;
4. Synthesize data to inform decisions and develop recommendations to improve health outcomes;
5. Develop and appraise health education and promotion interventions;
6. Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion principles in the development and implementation of healthcare and health policy solutions;
7. Examine the social, environmental, and behavioral determinants of health of vulnerable populations. 

Pre-Requisite Course Requirements

All students are required to have a prerequisite 3-credit course in undergraduate algebra, calculus, or mathematics statistics OR MAT 110 or higher

If one of these courses has not been successfully completed, the following Â鶹ÊÓƵ course is recommended: 

MAT 308 - Inferential Statistics 

Program Design

Students must select one of three concentrations: Environmental Health, Higher Education, or Population Health. The program is interdisciplinary, with course work shared with the College of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Health Professions and Natural Sciences. Courses may be offered online, hybrid, or face-to-face. Students in all concentrations will complete a final culminating project in HSC 8900 Health Sciences Capstone/Guided Practicum. The program is usually completed within a two to three-year timeframe.

Students should contact the HSC Program Chair for pre-program planning and course sequencing.

Program Requirements

To fulfill the requirements of the MS in HSC program, students must complete all courses (33 credits) and maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Required Courses

Core Courses (21 Credits)

Health Care Delivery

Applied Behavioral Health

Epidemiology Health Professions

Global Leadership

Survey of Data Analytics

Foundations of Community and Health Education

Health Sciences Capstone/Guided Practicum

HSC 8900 is to be taken as a stand-alone course after all coursework is complete

Environmental Health Concentration Requirements (12 credits)

Students learn how environmental hazards affect human health at the individual, population and systems level by identifying illness and injury causing agents and assessing compliance with environmental and professional standards. This concentration targets the interaction of these factors also with the impact of environmental toxins, the use of geospatial analysis, and data science.

Human Health and the Environment

Environmental Toxicology

Geographic Information Systems

Data Science

Higher Education Concentration Requirements (12 Credits)

The coursework provided within this degree will provide a higher education framework for both professionals who teach within higher education organizations as well as those who have roles as educators within healthcare institutions. 

Teaching and Learning Theories in Higher Education

Teaching Strategies and the Adult Learner

Assessment and Evaluation

Curriculum Development

Population Health Concentration Requirements (12 Credits)

The primary goal of population health is to identify and group individuals by appropriate measures to identify risk levels while integrating data to drive decision making as well as leverage resources to improve health care across the lifetime. Students in the population health concentration are provided the tools and strategies to contribute to these initiatives in multiple populations in partnership with a variety of stakeholders.

Foundations of Population Health

Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness

Health Policy and Economics

Human Health and the Environment

This information applies to students who enter this degree program during the 2024-2025 Academic Year. If you entered this degree program before the Fall 2023 semester, please refer to the academic catalog for the year you began your degree program.