Master of Science in Physical Activity and Health

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

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.

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior. This diverse field includes mental health and counseling as well as child development, neuroscience and brain function, memory and decision-making, behavior analysis, statistics and crosses into other disciplines such as medicine, law, business and economics.

Emphasizing critical thinking and reasoning, and quantitative research methods and writing, this BS program in psychology goes beyond the classroom with practical experiences through internships, service-learning and faculty-supervised research. (Some opportunities are not available to students enrolled in the degree offered through ASU Online.)

The Bachelor of Science degree differs from the Bachelor of Arts degree in that it requires two additional lab courses and advanced statistical training, providing a greater depth of knowledge in the biological and neuroscientific aspects of psychology that are increasingly important both for research and for clinical practice. The advanced statistical training further prepares students for careers and graduate training involving psychological research, clinical research and legal policy research.

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

This concentration establishes a core business curriculum while allowing students the flexibility to pursue their passion, from entrepreneurial opportunities to working for a Fortune 500 company. Coursework teaches lasting business concepts.

The MS program in science of health care delivery focuses on the study and design of systems, processes, leadership and management approaches used to optimize health care delivery and health for all. This degree program is for individuals interested in a career in the health care industry. It provides students with the knowledge and competencies they will need for contributing in a patient-centered, safe and cost-effective health care system.

The curriculum is centered on achieving high-value care through leadership, population health, informatics, systems engineering, health care management, and health economics and policy. Students learn Lean Six Sigma principles and apply them to health care delivery issues.

The program challenges students to work on innovative solutions to improve the U.S. health care system by simultaneously improving the health of the population, enhancing the patient experience and reducing per capita cost of care. Students apply concepts through case studies and team-based projects to facilitate integration of knowledge and competencies. Participating students work in a cohort through the program and are able to complete the degree in nine months (one academic year). Students are paired with leading health care delivery organizations to complete an applied capstone project during the program.

Become a global leader with a higher purpose. Build on Thunderbird's No. 1-ranked MGM degree (Times Higher Education/Wall Street Journal, 2019) with a concentration in integrated health care. Learn to develop, implement, evaluate and sustain integrated care programs in diverse health care settings globally to respond to increasing worldwide demand.

The World Economic Forum reports that empathy and collaboration are two critical abilities for a global manager's success. These skills are equally critical for those seeking careers in integrated health care. Capacity for these key abilities relies on the development of social capital. This program is designed to develop social capital through field-based action learning, team-based projects and stretch assignments. Students become experts in building sustainable, trusting relationships --- the basis of social capital --- with others from diverse parts of the world by mastering intercultural empathy, the skill set to have an interpersonal impact and the business acumen to act with diplomacy.

Delivering care with global reach
The MGM program in global management with a concentration in integrated health care is designed for current or aspiring managers in health care who would like to develop, implement, evaluate and sustain integrated care programs in diverse health care settings globally. Students gain perspectives on both global management and integrated health care in this program.

Doing well by doing good with a specialized master's degree
Students in this program master the ability to apply foundational business concepts and analytics of health care and integrated care to transform health care management practices. Students learn to leverage key aspects of health care systems, organizational cultures and populations, and workforce issues necessary to implement, evaluate and sustain integrated care delivery globally. Graduates position themselves to enter the workforce in leadership roles in which they can make a difference. Graduates achieve a demonstrated proficiency in cross-cultural leadership, interdisciplinary teamwork, change management and health care technologies, empowering them to develop innovative clinical, operational and financial strategies and techniques.

Thunderbird School of Global Management has produced unique leaders for more than 70 years, leaders in every sector capable of tackling the world's greatest challenges. The alumni network comprises 45,000 graduates and 170 chapters around the globe.

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.

The BS program in public service and public policy prepares students for work in government at all levels and in nonprofit organizations through comprehensive coverage of topics in public policy, public leadership and management, and urban studies.

Students discover the challenges of management and learn how to lead a public organization and understand the process of policy development. This program examines the public sector and addresses, in a practical way, the challenges facing the public. The program is unique because it enables students to study public service, policy and administration with a professional focus.

Students select one of the following concentrations areas to supplement their core courses, including; American Indian studies, business, criminology, emergency management, health policy, law and policy, nonprofit leadership and management, parks and recreation management, public leadership and management, science and technology, social services delivery, sustainability, or urban and metropolitan studies.

The MS in clinical exercise physiology degree program prepares students for careers as clinical exercise physiologists. Students learn how to use primary and secondary prevention strategies to improve, maintain or attenuate declines in fitness and health in populations ranging from children to older adults. They learn to collaborate with medical professionals to guide exercise and rehabilitation programs for at-risk clients and clients with chronic diseases.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the national association responsible for establishing guidelines and recommendations for exercise testing, prescription and evaluation of research for both healthy populations and those with chronic disease. The ACSM certification is deemed the organization's most prestigious credential for clinical professionals with a master's degree and 600 hours of hands-on clinical experience. This program provides the knowledge, clinical experience and skills needed by individuals preparing for successful completion of the registration examination for the registered clinical exercise physiologist certification.

Nonprofit organizations around the world are poised to meet the double-bottom line mentality of millennials. Thunderbird has created the nonprofit leadership and management concentration within the MGM degree program to prepare students for these impactful roles.

Because the lines between the functions of nonprofit and for-profit organizations are increasingly blurry, Thunderbird's renowned faculty has designed a curriculum that is cross-sectoral and transdisciplinary in nature, tailored for students aspiring to leadership roles in global nonprofit institutions in which they can leverage their business and global management expertise in their work.

This unique concentration in nonprofit leadership and management within the Master of Global Management program provides students with a deep understanding of the nonprofit sector's role in the global economy and with the knowledge and skills to lead and manage transnational nonprofit organizations

The MS in community resources and development with a concentration in sustainable communities is a research-oriented master's degree program designed to prepare students for their future careers by teaching them 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.