CEHHS adds three new programs to meet rising demand for health professionals

Pictured above are Department of Health and Human Services professor Natalie Sampson and chair Julie Roddy.

University of Michigan-Dearborn has introduced three new degrees available for enrollment in Fall 2014, housed within the new College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS). Undergraduate degrees now are available in public health and community health education. In addition, a master’s degree in health information technology is the result of joint collaboration between UM-Dearborn’s College of Business (COB) and CEHHS. All three degrees respond to the growing demand for health professionals in Southeastern Michigan and nationwide.

The Bachelor of Science degree in public health prepares students to enter the workforce directly in either the clinical or administrative setting. In addition, UM-Dearborn’s public health program offers a track for those students who intend to enter graduate school for advanced degrees in public health, health professions, medicine and public policy. Students can customize their electives in order to prepare for careers or continuing education in:

• Environmental assessments of proposed public works
• Disease prevention advocacy efforts
• International health work in the Peace Corps or Americorps
• Research assistantships in epidemiology or social determinants investigation
• State and local government health agencies such as Michigan’s Department of Community Health, Detroit Wayne County Health Authority, the Population Health Institute and Detroit Health and Wellness Promotion

The Bachelor of Arts degree in community health education prepares students to educate community members in the protection of their own individual health. The degree offers internships that train students who are placed in community settings. Students enrolled in this degree can take advantage of elective options that allow them to specialize in early childhood or adult learners. The degree prepares students for entry-level positions in:

• Health communication
• Corporate, government and non profit employee wellness programs
• Hospital and community health clinic health education and outreach
• Research assistants
• Local public health agencies

The master’s degree in health information technology offers courses from UM-Dearborn’s College of Business and CEHHS’s Department of Health and Human Services. Information technology courses that emphasize state-of-the-art solutions to managing electronic information are housed within COB and are supplemented with courses that focus on the unique needs of health care organizations for timely, accurate and sensitive data. Students enrolled in this degree are in a position to take advantage of a growing job market. The degree prepares graduates for mid-level positions in:

• Hospital IT departments
• Community health care clinics’ medical records departments
• Public health agencies
• Government health departments (federal, state and local)
• Research departments for medical and health schools

For more information on the degree, visit the Department of Health and Human Services website or call 313-593-5090.