Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

at Grand Valley State University USA

Health information management (HIM) is the practice of managing medical information that is vital to providing quality patient care. HIM organizes health data by ensuring its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security. Managers regularly communicate with health care professionals to clarify diagnoses or to obtain additional information.

The HIM program is a secondary admission program. Students pursuing this degree will also complete a minor in health care information systems through the School of Computing and Information Systems (CIS). All HIM and CIS (major and minor) classes are fully online. Completed applications are due March 1. Minimum criteria:

• Minimum GPA of 2.5
• Completion of 45 semester hours, which includes current enrollment, verified by transcript
• No grade less than a C in BMS 250, BMS 251, and AHS 100

Why Study Health Information Management At Grand Valley?

• Students can expect individualized attention with class sizes no larger than 30 students.
• The minor in health care information systems is unique to the HIM degree at GVSU, providing additional employment opportunities for students after graduation
• Software technology used in curriculum is paid for by the Allied Health Sciences department.
• Graduates are key players in interprofessional health care organizations. High job placement offers the potential for maximum return on investment.
• Students are able to sit for the Registered Health Information Administrator certification exam

Grand Valley's French major focuses on all areas of French language and culture, preparing students for many careers. We also offer a specialized major or minor for those seeking to teach French. Most students embark on study-abroad programs in France and beyond, whether at one of our sister schools, on our faculty-led summer program in Bordeaux, or in an approved program of their choice. If you are majoring in another field, our French minor offers an opportunity to broaden your principal field by adding a cultural and linguistic dimension.

Why Study French At Grand Valley?

• France is spoken natively by over 300 million people in 56 countries on five continents, and is the most commonly learned second language in the world. It is also one of the working languages, along with English, of the United Nations and is an official language of many international organizations like NATO, International Red Cross, and more).
• French is a language of the arts and literature; of medical research, technology, and sustainability; of fashion and food; and of social and political institutions that promote multiculturalism, free thought, and the expression of ideas.
• French-language cinema ranks number 2 in the world, with hundreds of French-language films are produced each year in dozens of countries.
• Knowing French enables one to understand and appreciate cultural diversity, which not only enhances one's competitive advantage abroad and helps maintain political and security interests, but also promotes a better understanding of cultural diversity right here in the USA.
• French at GVSU is a dynamic program with an active community of students who get together regularly to take their passion for French beyond the classroom through films, game nights, and other activities.

 Students earn a B.A. or B.S. in GSI by taking courses organized around interdisciplinary global themes. Students also choose two world regions to study in more depth. 

Why Pursue Global Studies And Social Impact At Grand Valley?

• Plan a course of study around global and social justice issues such as immigration, human trafficking, and geotourism.
• Learn to think in an integrated, interdisciplinary way about issues affecting people across the globe.
• Develop aptitude in intercultural competency and communication through experiential learning.
• Gain important foreign language capabilities.
• Build skills in research methods and statistics.

Students will learn to act ethically and effectively in leading and managing philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, and to transcend traditional boundaries in the pursuit of prosperous, safe, and healthy communities.

The M.P.N.L. degree is for professionals with at least three years of full-time experience in management, and/or employment within the nonprofit sector. It consists of 36 credit hours of coursework. Students can pursue the following emphases:

• Community impact
• Mission advancement
• Nonprofit healthcare
• Customized with approval of advisor

Why Study Philanthropy And Nonprofit Leadership At Grand Valley?

• The program meets the needs of part- and full-time students with evening and weekend courses, workshops, and Web-enhanced learning.
• Grand Valley library's endowed Johnson Collection for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership is one of the country's most comprehensive collections of books, journals, and audiovisuals on the nonprofit sector.
• There are opportunities for students to collaborate with faculty on field-related research projects.
• Students develop skills in effective, ethical leadership and management through real-world learning opportunities.
• Grand Valley's innovative nonprofit leadership curriculum is designed to meet the diverse educational needs of today's job market.

The Master of Science (M.S.) degree in health informatics and bioinformatics is a Professional Science Masters (PSM) program. The medical and bioinformatics program has strong data analytics, teamwork, business, communication, project management, and ethics components, and includes an intensive health or life science internship.

Why Study Health Informatics And Bioinformatics At Grand Valley?

• One of five professional science masters (PSM) programs at Grand Valley. The demand for professionals working in all of the PSM fields is high, with income and job projections continuing to trend upward in the coming years.
• The program is tailored toward working professionals, offering flexible class schedules with evening meetings.
• Innovative program designed to integrate university coursework with business and health industry internships to educate informatics professionals for the future.
• Access to a high-performance computing lab for health informatics and bioinformatics needs.
• Qualified faculty members with a breadth of industry experience lead in the classroom and collaborate in ongoing research.

Students explore the ways interconnected physical, institutional, and cultural systems shape our attitudes and behavior toward the environment. The program emphasizes practical approaches to issues through collaborative problem-solving and involvement in research, internships, and community-based projects.

Students pursuing a major in ENS may choose a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree and complete 35 to 37 credits, plus the B.A. or B.S. program requirements. Students select interdisciplinary coursework from at least one of four focus areas: sustainable food systems, energy, water resources, and culture and the built environment.

The ENS major is designed with the intention for students to easily combine and supplement it with another major, minor, or certificate to further expand knowledge and career options.

Why Study Environmental And Sustainability Studies At Grand Valley?

• Make connections to pursue a career as an environmental and sustainability professional in industry, government, and non-profit organizations.
• Develop skills in communication, advocacy, outreach, education, and research.
• Acquire first-hand experience addressing complex environmental problems through community-based learning, internships, and research projects.
• Engage in campus sustainability activities at Michigan's top-rated green university.
• Gain the broad educational background needed to create positive change as leaders, decision-makers, and citizens.

The BS in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences prepares you for careers in this highly-relevant field to the Grat Lakes region. The program features a breadth and depth of knowledge that includes the study of stream ecology, fisheries biology, lake ecology, wetland ecology, aquatic invertebrates, and aquatic plants, among others. This curriculum will give graduates a highly desirable skill set which will make them well qualified for a range of career paths.

If you are interested in fisheries biology, you will be prepared to apply for Associate Fisheries Professional certification offered by the American Fisheries Society. Associate Fisheries Professional certification helps you qualify for jobs with state and federal agencies, and with environmental consulting firms.

Students interested in marine biology should plan on taking additional coursework in math and chemistry and complete summer coursework at a marine field station.

Why Study Fisheries And Aquatic Sciences At Grand Valley?

• The degree combines the highly technical expertise spanning the study of chemistry, physics, statistics, geology, natural resource management and biology with a liberal education component, creating a professional with a broad skill set required for success in this high demand profession.
• Flexibility within the curriculum provides you with a broad set of elective courses and opportunities for specialization.
• Authentic experiential learning in field and in laboratory learning environments.
• Opportunities for internships, international and domestic field study, and mentor-guided student research to complement coursework.
• A broad range of research opportunities provide undergraduate students the chance to engage in real-world projects

The communications studies program stresses skills, such as the analysis of written and visual communication, designing clear and informative messages, building persuasive appeals, and critically analyzing the persuasive appeals of others. The curriculum covers a wide variety of topics, including courses from other major programs within and outside the School of Communications relevant to communication studies.

It is possible to combine communication studies with other major or minor programs, such as advertising and public relations, business, marketing, health communication, multimedia journalism, writing, photography, philosophy, sociology, political science, digital studies, and more.

Why Study Communication At Grand Valley?

• Communication studies majors have flexibility, options, and electives within their curriculum.
• Faculty members are engaged teachers and active scholars with various and complementary areas of academic and professional expertise.
• There are many opportunities to develop talents and gain professional experience through the campus newspaper (Lanthorn), student-run television (GVTV), and radio (Whale), as well as with the visual and performing arts, and internships in professional settings (PBS/NPR) both on and off campus.
• Coursework trains students to apply communication theories and concepts in a variety of work settings, while demonstrating the ability to think strategically, solve problems, and act ethically and legally.
• Career opportunities are varied and wide-ranging for communications professionals.

Coursework is in history, economics, geography, and political science as well as in the social studies specific pedagogy.

Students choose from a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Those seeking the B.A. must demonstrate third-semester proficiency in a foreign language.

Students seeking teacher certification also complete the professional program offered by the College of Education. The major meets State of Michigan content standards for teacher preparation in social studies.

Why Study Social Studies At Grand Valley?

• Students study the world from a variety of perspectives, giving them strong interdisciplinary training and skills.
• Our majors are trained to research problems and engage in problem solving through written and verbal communication.
• The curriculum prepares students to teach a complex subject in a changing world.
• Students have the opportunity to work closely with faculty members to learn the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching social studies.
• Social studies majors are highly sought after by schools that want to hire teachers capable of teaching a variety of courses.

Finance is a very interesting and dynamic field that affects all areas of business and many areas of personal life. Finance majors gain specialization in a specific field by taking advanced courses in that area. Study abroad opportunities also exist to prepare students for a global society.

There is secondary admission to this program.

Why Study Finance At Grand Valley?

• All courses are taught by faculty who have strong academic credentials and are experts in the finance field.
• Current technology (Excel®, financial simulation, etc.) is used in the classroom and integrated into courses.
• Internships allow students to earn money and gain valuable business experience. An annual expo is held to make students aware of internship opportunities.
• The active portfolio management course offers students the opportunity to manage a stock portfolio of more than $250,000.
• The Gary L. Tilkin Finance Markets Center provides students with experiential learning opportunities utilizing databases such as WRDS (including CRSP and Capital IQ) and application-based exercises.