Master of Science in Health Care Informatics

at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee USA

Students in UWM's international studies program take courses in history, political science, economics, anthropology, comparative literature, and foreign languages to build a program around their own specialized interests in international relations, politics, economics, development, or culture and langauge. The International Studies (IS) major offers a number of special options designed to help students deepen their knowledge of international affairs.

Understanding the nuances of globalization in our personal and professional lives, speaking the languages of others, and appreciating cultural diversity are essential skills for living and working in the world today. UWM's International Studies program is based on the principles of the liberal arts with an emphasis in broad knowledge of people, places, and institutions, coupled with the skills to be an adaptable professional in a global marketplace. International studies majors have the ability to interact across cultures, converse in more than one language, analyze problems across cultural or national boundaries, adapt to new situations, appreciate differences in people and processes, and problem solve across different areas and formats.

The Department of Geography offers both master’s and doctoral programs of study across a range of systematic, regional, and technical fields, with innovative energy in the doctoral program for studying urban environments. The department’s overall strengths are aligned along a theme of “Changing Environments,” with three major axes, each responsive to areas with strong demand for new professionals:

• Urban Environments: This area emphasizes the spatial interactions of economic systems as well as political, social, cultural, environmental, technological, and other forces that influence the people, identities, landscape, development, and dynamics of urban areas. With the world’s population becoming increasingly urbanized and globalized, courses examine the continuing challenges of urban growth and change, race, ethnicity, and gender in the city, immigration and identity politics, and spatial aspects of urban planning processes and political decision-making.
• Physical Geography and Environmental Studies: This area addresses the interactions among natural forms and processes on the earth’s surface, the impact and implications of global climate change, and human connections with those natural phenomena. Courses discuss and analyze the distribution and processes of earth surface landforms (geomorphology), soils (pedology), plants and animals (biogeography), water (hydrology), and long-term atmospheric conditions (climatology). Overlapping emphases include phenology, water resources, conservation, natural hazards, natural resource scarcity, and the mounting challenges of global environmental change.
• Geographic Information Science (GIS): This area emphasizes using geospatial technology to further understanding of spatial interactions among natural and social forces at multiple scales across the Earth’s surface, and exploring the impacts of using such technology on social and cultural interactions. Courses examine geographic information collection (including remote sensing), data analysis and geocomputation (spatial analysis), information presentation (cartography), and societal implications. Our program emphasizes applications of GIS in urban, regional, and environmental planning, policy making, and public health.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Dance prepares students to teach participatory movement traditions in community settings, and to lead community groups in creating and performing their own dances and movement rituals. Community-based service-learning experiences provide many opportunities to realize these goals. Many Dance BA students pursue a double major at UWM; the service-learning component provides an opportunity to integrate the content of the two areas of study.

The Peck School of the Arts’ Kenilworth Square East (KSE) Gallery provides a year-round schedule of exhibitions, with galleries that are housed in the Kenilworth Square East building, a research facility approximately one mile from campus. The Department of Art and Design offers a schedule of workshops and special lectures each year. In addition, graduate student studios are located in the Kenilworth Square East building.

As the area's leader in executive education, the Lubar School of Business STEM-Designated Executive MBA (EMBA) program offers business professionals a transformative 17-month educational and life experience designed especially for the experienced manager. The Lubar EMBA builds deep professional relationships with corporate executives and managers, and with an active network of successful Lubar Executive MBA alumni.

The Helen Bader School of Social Welfare (HBSSW) offers a program of graduate studies in social work. As a department in an urban research university, the mission of the Department of Social Work is to promote positive change through social work research, scholarship, education, and community partnerships. The Department promotes the values of the social work profession through a commitment to social justice and diversity, a dedication to public service, and an emphasis on individual and community well-being. The goal of the MSW program is to prepare graduates with specialized knowledge and skills for advanced practice and leadership with diverse populations and communities.

The Urban Planning program at UWM is a professional, skills-oriented, master’s program designed to train students to perform a variety of planning-related jobs in either the public or private sector.

The program focuses on planning as a process for improving collective decisions in the public and private sectors. The planning process includes analyzing problems, designing alternative solutions and evaluating their consequences, developing strategies for action and participating in their implementation. This process is used in both government and business in developing policy for future action, so that today’s solutions do not become tomorrow’s problems.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theatre provides intensive specialized coursework for students seeking professional training in one of two separate tracks:

Performance

• The Performance BFA has two 130-credit tracks in either Acting or Musical Theatre.

Production

• The Production BFA is a singular 120-credit track embracing all the areas of production including design, costume, prop, scenery, lighting, sound, and stage management.

The BFA focuses on uncovering the potential of the individual student in the development of personal performance and/or production practices. The BFA curriculum supports student exploration of theatrical processes including new works as well as the established canon of dramatic literature. The program approaches the work in fresh and innovative ways, giving students a wide range of tools to speak to the contemporary moment both as actors on stage and as artists in production studios, rehearsal halls, and backstage.

The counseling program in the Department of Educational Psychology offers two distinct concentration areas:

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• School Counseling

Given UWM’s location in the largest urban area in Wisconsin, the counseling faculty is committed to training multiculturally competent community counselors and school counselors to serve clients in urban environments. Both concentrations share a core preparation in the areas of counseling and educational psychology. As students make progress in their program of studies, their focus will take on a more specialized training with content specific courses and field placements where they will refine their counseling skills in practical settings.

The concentrations train counselors to work with a diverse group of clients in urban settings and to deliver services in an ethical manner, as outlined by professional codes of conduct. They share in common courses comprising an Educational Psychology core of studies, a general Counseling core of studies, and a Concentration core. The Educational Psychology core provides knowledge for understanding research and professional scholarship, techniques of educational and psychological measurement, and typical human growth and development across the life-span. The Counseling core courses provide training in basic helping processes and relationships, career development, social and diversity issues in counseling, group work, appraisal of client issues, counseling theory, and the role of family systems. The Concentration core provides training in advanced strategies for helping clients change, and opportunities for increasing competency with specific populations through field placement. Pre-Practicum, Practicum I and Practicum II provide 700 hours of supervised clinical training which involves the refinement of more advanced and sophisticated counseling skills in placements in actual counseling settings.

Students are required to spend 20 hours each week during the semester at their placement site (an exception to this hour requirement is described below for students interested in seeking experience in dual concentrations).

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration prepares students for work in a variety of community settings such as mental health clinics, community agencies, counseling centers, colleges and universities, and business and industry. Students arrange their program of studies in consultation with their advisors so that the 60 credits earned toward a master’s degree will meet selected state certification requirements.

The School of Freshwater Sciences offers a graduate program of studies providing students with advanced training and education in four areas:

• Freshwater System Dynamics
• Human and Ecosystem Health
• Freshwater Technology
• Freshwater Policy and Economics

Each of these focus areas is interrelated with the others, and includes biologic, physical, technologic and policy aspects of freshwater.