College of Health and Human Services offers new, redesigned programs for fall

Contact: Joel Krauss
August 10, 2022

KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擨n the summer of 2019, the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at 色色啦 Michigan University welcomed its first cohort of students, kicking off a period of growth in the college. In the last two years, the Department of Occupational Therapy launched a new Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, which replaced its long-running and well-regarded master鈥檚 degree program, as well as a new Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy.

Those programs illustrate 色色啦鈥檚 commitment to health care fields, creating pathways for 色色啦 students to highly rewarding careers in great demand. For the fall of 2022, the College of Health and Human Services is announcing new programs and redesigned certificates that show our commitment to growing and evolving to better support our students and the communities we serve.

Health Administration: a partnership with Haworth College of Business

Perhaps the most exciting interdisciplinary offering for fall will be the new Bachelor of Science in Health Administration. Offered through the School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs (SIHP), the program was developed with the Haworth College of Business to prepare graduates for leadership roles in health care organizations鈥攁 strong career market in a massive and growing business sector.

鈥淚t was a huge opportunity for 色色啦 to step up, identify this need and work efficiently across colleges to develop this program,鈥 says Dr. Ron Cisler, dean of the College of Health and Human Services. 鈥淭he University鈥檚 emphasis on interdisciplinarity helped us ramp this up relatively quickly. And the fact that we already have a number of interdisciplinary programs in our college helped us lead in this particular case.鈥

The program development team included Dr. Jan Hahn, director of healthcare services and sciences programs, and Dr. Devrim Yaman, associate dean for undergraduate programs at the Haworth College of Business. Also integral to the process were former SIHP Director Dr. Mark Kelley and a five-person faculty committee from Haworth College of Business. 

鈥淐areer growth and overall growth in the healthcare industry really clarifies the need for this program,鈥 says Dr. Tiffany Lee, interim SIHP director. 鈥淪o much of our healthcare services and sciences program is already pointing students in that direction. So working with the business college to design a program that incorporates specific business and healthcare skills and knowledge was incredibly rewarding for us. And I know it will be rewarding for our students.鈥 

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Dr. Jessica Cataldo joins 色色啦 this fall as director of the new health administration program.

The new program will be led by Dr. Jessica Cataldo, SIHP faculty specialist. Cataldo joined 色色啦 during the summer and was most recently part of the faculty at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Rethinking existing certificates

While the college has introduced several new degree programs in the last few years, two existing programs have reorganized their offerings to make them more relevant for today鈥檚 students.

The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences has established a formal undergraduate certificate to replace its 鈥減ost-baccalaureate prerequisite course sequence.鈥 Like its predecessor, the new Undergraduate Certificate in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences is primarily directed at students preparing to pursue a graduate degree in speech-language pathology or audiology. The courses in the certificate will satisfy prerequisite requirements for many such programs.

In addition, current 色色啦 students from any major may pursue this certificate to complement their bachelor's degree. The focus on communication sciences is broadly applicable in many careers, and all the required coursework in the certificate can be taken virtually. 

鈥淭he majority of students interested in a certificate like this will be getting ready to apply for graduate programs,鈥 says Dr. Alyssa Eminhizer, undergraduate program director in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. 鈥淲hile we have a popular bachelor's degree program in speech, language and hearing sciences here at 色色啦, many students discover these career paths later in their academic career, after they have chosen a different major. This certificate gives students with other backgrounds the coursework needed to continue on to graduate work in speech-language pathology or audiology, both of which are extremely rewarding careers."

Teaching nurses in classrooms and other settings requires a special set of skills. 鈥婽he 色色啦 Bronson School of Nursing will now offer a  to prepare post-graduate nurses, whether they have a BSN, MSN or doctorate, with necessary skills to be an effective educator in academic or staff development settings. 

鈥淥ne of the concentrations in our MSN program is nurse educator, so these are courses that we have offered for some time,鈥 says Dr. Lisa Singleterry, director of the 色色啦 Bronson School of Nursing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to offer these three courses as a certificate. It offers clinical experts an opportunity to learn the art of teaching.鈥

Rounding things out with two new minors

Throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, the field of public health has captured widespread and growing interest. The new public health minor allows students to add focused public health skills and concepts to their undergraduate degree. In the required courses, they will learn and practice the interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in areas associated with public health.

鈥淐areers in public health-related fields are growing,鈥 says Dr. Robert Bensley, program coordinator for the public health bachelor鈥檚 degree. 鈥淎nd the global pandemic continues to highlight the ways that public health impacts all sorts of careers. The concepts covered in this minor will definitely inform healthcare and social science workers in a number of jobs. But they can also be beneficial for students who plan to work in business, education, government and other fields.鈥

As Baby Boomers continue to age, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities continue to grow in number, creating another set of careers that are growing at a tremendous rate. SIHP has launched a 15-credit minor in long-term care administration to prepare students with skills and knowledge needed to oversee the daily operations of nursing facilities, adult day cares, home care organizations or assisted living facilities.

"Licensed nursing home administrators and trained managers at all levels of senior care are in high demand,鈥 says Hahn. 鈥淥nce students complete this minor, they鈥檒l meet the educational requirements to get certification as a nursing home administrator in the state of Michigan. We are pleased students have this new option to prepare them for a meaningful and challenging career options. This serves our aging community as well as our students."

More information about all of these programs can be found on the College of Health and Human Services website.

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