Bachelor of Science in Public Service and Public Policy (Health Policy)

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix Campus USA

The professional program leading to the MSW degree prepares social workers for advanced professional social work practice. The program is designed to prepare social workers to be capable of responding effectively to the needs of special populations, particularly in the American Southwest.

The first year of the standard program focuses on curriculum and skills that build a foundational knowledge in social work. The second year of the program allows students to focus their coursework in a specific area to build specialized practice knowledge.

Want to develop and implement innovative policy solutions to environmental problems facing society? Through this top-ranked specialty within the MPP program (#5 in Environmental Policy and Management, U.S. News & World Report), you will gain the analytic skills required to address environmental challenges from local pollution to global climate change.

The MPP program equips students with the analytical tools needed to understand and address public policy issues. Students also develop skills in managing the process of policy development, approval, implementation and evaluation.

Through a focused set of electives, the MPP concentration in environmental policy deepens student expertise in specific areas and issues, such as the greening of local governments and policy evaluation of public and private partnerships, and builds the knowledge base and skills to bring sustainability solutions to the government, corporate and nonprofit sectors. At the conclusion of the master's degree program, students are prepared to apply sustainability principles and approaches to careers in a variety of fields that address environmental and, inevitably, human challenges.

The MS in community resources and development with a concentration in parks and recreation management is a research-oriented master's degree program. Students learn to analyze and understand critical topics and issues pertinent to the fields of tourism, parks and recreation management, nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations, and sustainable communities.

The BS program in integrative health provides students with a foundation in integrative health, a holistic approach to wellness that focuses on the mind, body and spirit.

Through innovative and interprofessional approaches to serving and supporting diverse populations, students learn to understand and differentiate the ethics, legalities and standards of practice of integrative health and to think critically about different therapies, modalities and practitioners. Coursework and experiences include an emphasis on research and evidence-based practices and gaining an understanding of the historical and cultural foundations of the integrative health field.

This degree program has the same prerequisites as the nursing major; therefore, students may transition seamlessly to this program and obtain a bachelor's degree in a health-related field.

The Thunderbird MGM program with a concentration in sustainability solutions prepares students for the professions of the future. In this concentration, students earn a degree that benefits their career and the planet. There is an accelerating demand for leaders with a global mindset who possess expertise in sustainability, understand how to apply its principles and technology in approaching problems, and know how to work with and draw from different disciplines to develop practical solutions to the world's most urgent sustainability challenges.

The World Economic Forum reports that empathy and collaboration are two critical abilities for global manager success. These are equally critical for those seeking careers in sustainability solutions. These abilities rely on the development of social capital. This program is designed to develop a student's social capital through field-based action learning, team-based projects and stretch assignments. Students have the ability to build sustainable trusting relationships --- the basis of social capital ---with others from diverse parts of the world by learning techniques and methods of developing intercultural empathy, the ability to have interpersonal impact, and to act with diplomacy when influencing others. This concentration is offered in collaboration with ASU's School of Sustainability.

The MS program in physical activity and health offers a unique opportunity for advanced training with options to focus on exercise science, fitness and conditioning, or physical activity and health promotion alongside faculty who are immersed in the latest research.

This program prepares students to translate and apply evidence-based exercise science, fitness and lifestyle behavior change approaches to improve health and well-being and prevent chronic disease across the lifespan. It also prepares students to design fitness and conditioning programs for athletes.

Students in the program develop competencies in research design, statistical methods and the ethical conduct of research studies and they have the opportunity to conduct a mentored research project as part of a thesis, if desired. They also learn to apply theoretical models of behavior change for the development and implementation of interventions to facilitate the adoption and maintenance of physical activity and other health and wellness behaviors. Students develop and demonstrate their knowledge of the causes, risks factors and impact of exercise, physical activity and fitness on the disease process in cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cancer, musculoskeletal health and functional fitness through a critical examination of epidemiological research and exercise intervention studies.

The BA program in general studies offers students a flexible, innovative path to degree completion. Graduates of the program are informed and effective members of society who are well prepared for a changing global marketplace with its diverse cultures.

The theme of this degree is society and the individual. Students explore the tensions between individualism and collectivism, the public and private selves, domestic and global, and the interplay of culture and identity constructions.

Complementary to the nation's first BS degree in nonprofit leadership and management, the American Indian studies concentration empowers purpose-driven students to be culturally aware, competent, and ready for key roles that enable them to advance nonprofits that serve tribal lands, including those organized by tribal governments.

The nonprofit sector in the United States is unique in form and function. This sector includes institutions and individuals situated between government, public, business and commerce sectors. Students learn about the nonprofit sector through curriculum instruction and field experience. The concentration in American Indian studies familiarizes students with American Indian worldviews, current issues and tribal governance. Many students in the nonprofit sector work with American Indian populations.

Learn to understand complex public problems and develop and implement innovative policy solutions. Through coursework and real-world projects, you gain the analytic skills required to address society's most challenging problems.

The MPP program allows students to approach the study of public policy with a focus on public policy in the urban setting.

The program trains people to lead by making positive policy decisions, addressing the difficult questions associated with public policy, and managing the process of policy creation, approval, implementation and evaluation. Students also gain an understanding of policies addressing issues such as poverty, education, the environment and public safety. At the conclusion of the master's degree program, students are able to identify, analyze and interpret the challenges and dilemmas of public policies, especially those of urban areas. Students also are able to approach policy analysis with a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods and are prepared to develop innovative processes and tools to deal with changing realities of public policy and address issues on a global, regional and local scale.

The Master of Public Policy program with a concentration in science and technology policy provides knowledge and skills for students seeking or advancing careers in areas where science and technology are guided by public policy or where science and technology play an integral role in the policy process. This concentration emphasizes theories and research concerning the role of science in decision-making, complexity theory, institutional design of knowledge production organizations, national innovation systems, innovation and industrial policy, technology transfer and research evaluation.

Understanding the intersections between business and politics is more important than ever for managers and executives in the private, nonprofit and public sectors. The World Economic Forum's latest Future of Jobs Report and McKinsey Global Institute's Jobs of the Future report both have suggested that transdisciplinary, virtual collaboration and cross-cultural competence are extremely important job skills for the near future. Thunderbird's MGM program with a concentration in global affairs equips students with the knowledge base and hard skills needed to thrive in the growing job markets at the nexus of global business and international politics.

This concentration is designed for students who aspire to take on management and executive positions in government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, the State Department and the Treasury Department or similar roles in the government of a student's home country. The global affairs concentration also positions graduates for leadership roles in international organizations such as the World Bank or World Trade Organization and in major companies that require analysts to monitor policy trends, managers to oversee global supply chains and representatives to advance global business interests to governments, both domestic and foreign.