DMU’s master of health care administration (M.H.A.) and master of public health (M.P.H.) degree programs will become more affordable for some individuals beginning this fall: DMU alumni, members of the American Osteopathic Association, active members of the military and veterans will receive a 10 percent tuition discount for either program.
In addition, both programs can now be completed entirely online.
Previously, the 48-credit-hour M.H.A. program required three on-campus professional development courses. That option will continue, but students will be able to complete those courses online. Either way, students will be required to achieve the same competencies.
“The online option will create greater opportunities for people across the country to gain skills and knowledge and advance their careers in health care,” says Rachel Reimer, M.S., Ph.D., chair of DMU’s public health department. “But whether they complete the program online or with the on-campus courses, they will have a faculty adviser and the same academic rigor, professional development opportunities and access to educational resources and student clubs.”
The M.H.A. program prepares students to lead and succeed in the growing health care industry and equips them to work more effectively in complex health care organizations. The 46-credit-hour M.P.H. degree gives students the knowledge, strategy and skills needed to promote and protect the health of people, communities and populations. Public health professionals work to prevent and address disease outbreaks and educate people and organizations about healthy behaviors. They conduct research that leads to health improvements and advocate for policies and laws that promote wellness and safety.
The M.P.H. program offers three concentrations – public health practice, which offers broad training in all the core areas of public health practice; public health administration and policy, which focuses on the financing and administration of a wide variety of public health and health services in public and private sectors; and health education and promotion, in which students learn to apply theory and research to plan, implement and evaluate efforts to enhance health, tackle chronic disease, and design and offer health education in interpersonal, organizational, community and policy-level settings.
