Master of Arts in Investigative Journalism

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

The BS in population health program integrates the fields of public health and health care delivery to teach students about the factors that impact health.

Students learn how social determinants of health, access to care and infrastructure influence the health of defined groups, as well as the roles of stakeholders and how to work across systems to improve health. Students benefit as the field of population health requires training in disciplines fundamental to the College of Health Solutions, including biomedical informatics, economics, social determinants of health, program and community assessment, program planning, and health care delivery.

The multidisciplinary program features experiential learning, including student engagement as citizen scientists, to better understand population health. Students can customize their learning by focusing on environmental health systems, food systems, mental health systems, compliance in the health care industry, health education programs, the design and improvement of population health systems, or health informatics.

The BA program in community development equips students with tools to collaborate with, empower and educate diverse community constituents by drawing on grassroots and inclusive frameworks such as sustainable development, social and environmental justice, participatory democracy, social and economic equity and social accounting.

The program prepares competent, entry-level recreational therapists with the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities needed to improve functional outcomes and increase participation in life activities for individuals experiencing health conditions. It is designed for students who want to learn to conduct assessments, develop service plans, implement therapeutic interventions, and evaluate and document outcomes of care. They gain skills to effectively provide comprehensive therapeutic recreation services that include program design and evaluation, individual and group service provision, and advocacy. The required fieldwork component of the program facilitates the development of competencies to provide quality recreational therapy services.

Students who choose this degree program are committed to improving people's lives and contributing to their communities. This degree program is one of two such programs in Arizona, both offered by the School of Community Resources and Development. This program has a heavier emphasis on healthcare settings such as hospitals and human service agencies while the Bachelor of Science in parks and recreation with a concentration in therapeutic recreation prepares students to provide recreational therapy services in community settings such as youth programs, adaptive sports, or parks and recreation.

The MGM program with a concentration in creative industries and design thinking teaches students critical skills with an interdisciplinary focus to meet a current need in the globally expanding field of creative industries. Additionally, providing students with an entrepreneurial skill set strengthens their ability to connect interdisciplinary knowledge of the cultural industries with design thinking methodology, building on management skills and the ability to apply entrepreneurial vision to the globally interconnected sector of art and design. Students are exposed to design-thinking pedagogy as they increase their capacity for interpersonal communication, public communication, opportunity recognition, network and systems thinking, problem recognition and creativity, as well as demonstrated abilities in cultural leadership, knowledge of the creative industries, distribution of creative products, the creative process and management of innovation in the creative industries.

This master's degree program empowers students to advance innovation in the cultural sector, support creative work and careers, harness social capital and design public and private enterprises that will strengthen arts and design in the future. The program prepares graduates to understand the complex economic, legal, political and social contexts that surrounds any innovation or enterprise.

The American Indian studies concentration within the BS program in public service and public policy provides students with specialized knowledge about the policy implications of American Indian-related decisions and actions. This concentration will focus on the latest policy implications and research impacting Indigenous communities across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

The BS program in community health develops leaders who are dedicated to addressing health challenges at their source while also creating partnerships to leverage resources. This program is designed for students who want to create healthy, sustainable communities.

Community health professionals work in partnership to address health needs of diverse populations. Students learn to understand the components of a healthy, sustainable community; advocate for diverse individuals, families and communities; and provide health education, health promotion and service coordination.

Graduates of this program provide health education, health promotion, care coordination, disease management, health care navigation and advocacy services for individuals, families and communities.

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.

Public health practitioners reduce the incidence of communicable disease and occupational illness among the public with sanitation, safety and disease mitigation practices. This degree is for students interested in working at state, local and territorial health departments where responsibilities could include injury prevention; communicable disease control; advising the public; planning public programs; regulating health standards in businesses, hospitals and public spaces; and coordinating screening services.

The BS in public health teaches students the scientific foundation of public health by focusing on public health domains, namely:

• Environmental health
• Ethical and cultural appropriateness in public health practice
• Infectious disease control
• National and local sanitation intervention implementation
• Occupational health and safety
• Urban and rural health procedures, statutes and regulations

An internship gives students practical experience in public health professions. Students are prepared for public health careers and graduate study in areas such as public health, population health and science of health care delivery.

The Master of Global Management program with a concentration in global health care delivery is designed for current or aspiring executives and managers in health care who would like to hone their leadership and business skills to position themselves for careers leading health care organizations around the world. Some health care practitioners, such as nurses and doctors, may also use the degree as a way to move from clinical practice into management roles.

The concentration in global health care delivery addresses the current and future needs of the management workforce in the health care industry globally, including C-suite executives and administrators, health care providers (physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses), frontline staff (respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and dietitians) and students in medical disciplines. Students master core and advanced skills in designing systems, processes and mechanisms used to optimize health care delivery anywhere in the world. In addition, students integrate evidence-based financial principles geared toward improved individual and population health outcomes, such as leadership strategies in change management, for example.

The core curriculum provides students with the intellectual tools to integrate their concentration areas, engage in transdisciplinary problem-solving and prepare for careers and graduate programs that increasingly cross disciplinary boundaries. An interdisciplinary studies student could choose to integrate concentrations like business and project management, psychology and social welfare, communication and justice studies, public administration and ethics, digital culture and computer gaming or many other unique combinations.

Interdisciplinary studies is an approach to answering questions, solving problems and addressing contemporary social issues from multiple perspectives. Interdisciplinary studies students take an active role in designing their educational plans and defining their career goals. The degree emphasizes written communication, versatility, self-assessment and critical thinking --- essential skills for today's dynamic world.

The School of Public Affairs offers a concentration in law and policy as part of the BS in public service and public policy.

Through this concentration, students who have an interest in public policy focus on legal issues and the policy implications, broadening their educational experience while concentrating in an area that is in high demand.