Master of Business Administration, Specialization in Healthcare Administration

at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville USA

Do you want a society where people live long, healthy lives? Public health works to address health disparities, injuries and premature deaths. Our Bachelor of Science in public health program provides a foundation in social and behavioral sciences, educational strategies, epidemiology, health policy, grant writing, and occupational and environmental health sciences.

Why Public Health?
While healthcare practitioners treat diseases and injuries often one individual at a time, in public health we:

• Promote healthy behaviors, social and physical environments
• Conduct health promotion and education campaigns
• Improve health policies
• Monitor and prevent the spread of diseases
• Use data to improve the health of communities

In essence, public health focuses on the four "Ps":

• Prevention
• Promotion
• Protection
• Population health

What can I do with a degree in Public Health?
There are many careers for those with a degree in public health, including:

• Community Health Educator
• Disaster Preparedness Coordinator
• Environmental Specialist
• Injury Prevention Specialist
• Patient Navigator
• Outreach Educator
• Health Communication Specialist

Undergraduate courses in speech-language pathology and audiology within the Department of Applied Health provide students with a scientific background for understanding communication disorders. Students acquire knowledge in speech and hearing science, normal processes and the development of speech, language and hearing. Students also study disorders of speech, language and hearing, and review assessment methods and procedures in communication disorders.

The field of speech-language pathology and audiology is broad, and there are many opportunities to further support and expand students’ experiences. In the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior at SIUE, students are encouraged to pursue minors and take elective courses that will establish a strong science and liberal arts background. Complementary minors include psychology, linguistics, foreign language and health science, among others. This diverse background provides students with a competitive edge in graduate school and in the workforce.

What can I do with a degree in Speech-language Pathology and Audiology?
Many of our students choose to continue their education and pursue a graduate degree in speech-language pathology and audiology, which leads to certification and the opportunity to practice as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist.

With a projected growth rate of 19% through 2022, certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists are in high-demand and are employed in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community clinics, schools, private practice, colleges and universities, state and federal agencies, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes. Some certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists enter public-school settings, while others establish private practices or become affiliated with physicians.

The fast change of pace in our society is creating new career opportunities for individuals trained in multiple disciplines. The Master of Science in integrative studies allows students to access expertise from two or three areas and integrate courses into a degree that meets the needs of an emerging career field.

Consider integrative studies if:

• You have diverse interests that span two or three academic disciplines and you want to blend these interests into one cohesive program
• You have a career interest in an emerging field that crosses academic disciplines, such as cultural heritage and resources management or marketing communications
• You want to advance in a non-traditional sector or start your own business

What can I do with a degree in Integrative Studies?
A Master of Science in integrative studies can lead to a multitude of career paths as well as entry into doctoral programs. The degree will meet the needs of students seeking knowledge for advancement in a specific industry, looking to move to an emerging field that is multidisciplinary or starting their own business. Employment outlook and salary information for these careers vary widely. A carefully designed plan of study will provide students with a unique combination of skills and knowledge that will be advantageous in the job market.

Organizational Design Thinking
The integrative studies degree with a focus area in organizational design thinking combines courses in applied communication studies with courses from instructional technology. Through this course work, you will learn to apply design thinking methodology at the nexus of communication, technology, and organizational training.

Your coursework will teach you how to effectively redefine organizational problems, ideate to envision possibilities, facilitate processes to bring those ideations to fruition, and test your solutions to ensure meaningful results. And, what’s more, you will learn to do all of these within a design process that helps you create a culture of empathy among all stakeholders.

The mission of the environmental sciences graduate program is to cultivate students’ perspectives of environmental issues and provide students with refined knowledge of environmental issues at the local, regional and global scale. The program will increase the student’s technical competence in addressing and analyzing these issues, their origins, ramifications and resolutions. The environmental sciences graduate program at SIUE is designed to enhance and promote professional education and career opportunities in a wide area of interests.

What can I do with a degree in Environmental Sciences?
Students completing the graduate program in environmental sciences have career opportunities with governmental agencies, private industries, consulting firms and educational institutions. Areas of responsibility may include environmental field or laboratory research and analysis, environmental policy and law, environmental remediation, solid and hazardous waste management, groundwater pollution control, water management, air quality management, environmental and ecological risk assessments, and restoration environmental engineering.

While pharmacists work to manage patient care with emphasis on therapies using existing drugs, pharmaceutical scientists are engaged in the discovery and development of new drugs. The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences provides a multidisciplinary approach to not only determine the detailed biological mechanism of disease, but develop the molecular interventions that can provide the treatment or cure. Students in SIUE's School of Pharmacy are taught in state-of-the-art laboratories by an internationally recognized faculty with many years of both academic and pharmaceutical industry experience.

Economics is a social science that examines the decision-making process regarding the use of scarce resources such as land, raw materials, labor, machinery, physical structures, etc. At SIUE, students choosing to major in economics will pursue a core program of courses designed to provide a thorough grounding in economic theory. This core program of study is followed by more specialized study in such areas as money and banking, labor and industrial relations, international economics, public finance, industrial organization, and antitrust policy. Our economics students also receive strong training in data analysis, and most upper-level courses involve a project in which students solidify their economics knowledge and research skills. Students develop their programs with the counsel of a faculty advisor.

Students pursuing economics at SIUE will complete a course of study designed to lay a foundation in both microeconomics and macroeconomics. Supply and demand, pricing, and the tools utilized to predict the effects of government interventions and regulations on the markets are only a few of the questions that can be answered through the study of microeconomics. The examination of the national economy, including economic growth, unemployment, and factors that affect inflation, fall under the area of macroeconomics. Also included in the study of macroeconomics are domestic factors, such as monetary and fiscal policies, as well as international factors, such as trade and exchange rates.

What can I do with a degree in Economics?
Many career opportunities are available to students graduating with a degree in economics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that opportunities for well-prepared economists will grow 14% through 2022. Career opportunities will be best for students with strong analytical skills, related work experience, and those who choose to further their education and attend graduate school or pursue a PhD. Although most students will go on to pursue graduate and doctoral education, some entry-level opportunities, primarily in the federal government, are available for those with a bachelor’s degree.

The biochemistry specialization at SIUE, housed in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, prepares students for successful employment in the St. Louis metropolitan area and across the United States. Faculty members in the Department of Chemistry have research interests that cover all the traditional areas of chemistry. However, there is strong representation among biochemistry-related fields. The biochemistry specialization at SIUE is also compatible with the two-year pre-pharmacy curriculum allowing our students flexibility in their career choices.

What can I do with a degree in Biochemistry?
In the past decade, there has been, and continues to be, demand for capable graduates in fields such as biotechnology, medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry, as well as industry and academic and government settings. The Department of Chemistry is contacted regularly by companies seeking new SIUE graduates.

The mass communications program in the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE prepares students to succeed in careers in one of the fastest growing and most dynamic areas: the mass media.

The Department of Mass Communications at SIUE is accredited by the highly selective Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). This means our students get one-on-one attention from their instructors due to small class sizes and curriculum that keeps with changes in the media industry. Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities and faculty members who dedicate themselves to serving the professional and intellectual needs of the students.

The Department of Mass Communications offers three sequences: journalism, media production, and advertising and strategic media. While most of the curriculum is a shared experience by all majors, students take advanced courses specific to their chosen sequence. This approach is in keeping with the converged nature of today’s media industries. At its heart, our department is all about teaching students how to tell stories, whether in the form of advertising campaigns, news stories, documentaries, or any of an almost limitless use of this major. Students who major in mass communications but choose not to enter the media industry will be well-prepared, thoughtful and effective communicators.

What can I do with a degree in Mass Communications?
Graduates of the Department of Mass Communications choose various career paths. Our graduates have become reporters, editors and photojournalists for newspapers, magazines, and online publications. Others work in radio and television, for advertising agencies, and in marketing and communications positions at major corporations and non-profits; many become the social media experts in their positions. Some graduates take an entrepreneurial approach and create careers as independent videographers, event planners, graphic designers, web developers, and freelance communications specialists.

Our comprehensive program, offered through the School of Engineering, allows students to pursue a graduate degree in civil engineering while gaining expertise in the field. Students may choose a concentration in environmental/water resources, geotechnical, structural or transportation engineering. Whether students are working professionals or full-time students, the graduate program introduces them to the skills and knowledge they need for professional advancement. Students will have opportunities to conduct field and lab-based research, and learn from highly qualified faculty who are experts in their respective fields.

Why earn a master's in Civil Engineering?
Future professional engineering (PE) licenses might require a Master of Science. Our program prepares students to meet engineering education requirements established by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Improve your ability to take and pass the Practices and Principles of Engineering exam.

• Our graduate program allows you to complete one year of experience toward your PE license, a benefit that does not apply to an MBA. (Learn more.)
• Learn materials relevant to the PE exam.
• Take advantage of courses to refine your study skills for preparing to take the PE exam.
• Textbooks from your master’s courses are useful references for the PE exam and to build your personal library.

What can I do with a degree in Civil Engineering?
A graduate degree in civil engineering from SIUE opens doors for students in a variety of areas. Potential employers consist of consulting engineering companies, government agencies, industries, or academia. With the right experience and advanced education, students can become self-employed consultants. An education from SIUE prepares students for advancement opportunities and places them in a better position to get the job they want in a competitive employment market.

The study of communication involves the development of theories and research tools to analyze, explain and improve human interaction. The applied communication studies program is offered in the College of Arts and Sciences through the Department of Applied Communication Studies. Departmental courses focus on two-person interaction, small-group decision making, communication patterns in organizations and other complex systems, public relations, and speaker-audience interaction in public speaking.

What can I do with a degree in Applied Communication Studies?
In America, employers increasingly recognize the need for more effective communication. As a result, job opportunities for graduates trained in applied communication studies are prevalent in business and industry, government agencies, educational systems, nonprofit organizations, and community-based resource centers. Graduates often have several career choices. Examples of communication careers departmental graduates have entered are: teaching and administration; management, training and consulting in organizations; public relations; human relations and employee assistance programs; sales; and government service. Graduates find employment in various types of for-profit and nonprofit organizations locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Applied communication is also an in-demand minor for students majoring in areas such as, business, mass communications, political science and sociology. Our graduates are also well-prepared for graduate school.

Track Option: Public Relations
Students in the public relations track will study under a model program, designed to meet and exceed national guidelines for undergraduate public relations education described in Public Relations Education for the 21st Century: A Port of Entry, sponsored by the Commission on Public Relations Education. This track stresses written, oral, graphic, and technological applications of communication skills. Elements of the program are designed to keep entry-level students in touch with upper-division students, and past graduates in touch with all students. In addition, students will experience the "paired course" concept, an idea that helps students integrate materials across their sequence of study. And finally, students may join SIUE's award-winning chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which is affiliated with the national professional association, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).