Health Science, M.S.

Valerie V. Rowland, M.S., R.T.(R), Department Chair

Thomas D. Baxter, Ed.D, RRT, Graduate Program Director

Introduction

The Master of Science in Health Science (MSHS) degree program is an interdisciplinary, post-professional program designed specifically for health care professionals with a bachelor’s degree to continue their education at the graduate level. The curriculum is broad-based, with a common core and three categories of guided electives that students can select based upon their career goals. Categories of electives include education, management/leadership, and health informatics, allowing students to tailor their program to meet individual needs. This flexibility will be appealing to mature, self-guided students and could potentially lead to a broader variety of employment opportunities than would a more narrowly focused discipline-specific degree.

Program mission: To provide an innovative and interdisciplinary education that promotes comprehensive healthcare that continually improves the quality of care for the community through leadership, teamwork and standards of excellence.

Program Options

All students applying to this program must complete all core requirements. In addition, students must also identify an area of guided electives, based upon career goals. All classes are offered in the online format to accommodate those who are working a variety of clinical schedules. For more information on distance education, go to dl.nku.edu.

Students are admitted to the program in the fall and spring semesters and have the option of enrolling as a part-time or full-time student. Courses in this program may only be offered once each year and therefore program planning with an advisor is critical to successful completion of the program in the desired time frame. Students who “stop out” for any reason may have to wait a year or more to complete all program requirements depending on course offerings. According to university policy, students have up to six years to complete a master’s degree program.

In the event the minimum requirement for enrollment is not met for a guided elective, that course will be canceled. If this should happen, students have the option of enrolling in the course during a later semester or changing the selected area for the guided electives in order to avoid the disruption of course sequencing for your program.

Student Advising

Upon admission to the program, students will be assigned to an academic advisor and must complete an online orientation for the program. A course registration hold will be placed in the system if the student has not completed the online orientation by the start of the first semester in the graduate program. Students are expected to maintain close contact with their advisor throughout the program.

Application Deadline

Admission to the MSHS program is competitive; the maximum number of students admitted each fall and spring is approximately 20-25 students. To be considered for admission, a completed application and all required accompanying materials must be received by the application deadline. Applications will be objectively evaluated and ranked.

Admission

MSHS Program Admission Requirements

A selective admission procedure will be followed to ensure that students have the best possibility for academic success. An admission committee, composed of the program director, faculty, and advisors, will review applications to determine whether the applicants possess the prerequisites necessary for the success in the program. Admission criteria include the following:

1. Application for admission and application fee.
2. Bachelor’s degree; final official transcript from each regionally accredited institution must be sent to the Office of Graduate Education.
3. Minimum 3.0 GPA on the last 40 hours of undergraduate coursework.
4. Student letter of intent and career goals - this is a 1-2 page description, single spaced with 12 point Times New Roman and no more than 1” margins, of how the program will help the student to apply knowledge learned relative to career goals; letter of intent should indicate the category of guided electives.
5. Professional resume.
6. Undergraduate course in statistical methods with a grade C or higher is required (equivalent to STA 205 or STA 212 at NKU).
7. International students must demonstrate English proficiency by earning an acceptable score on the TOEFL or IELTS exam.
8. Interview with graduate program faculty may be required; this could be in person or via phone or Skype.
9. Applicants with transcripts or undergraduate degrees from international institutions must provide an official copy of a third party course by course evaluation.

♦ Indicates prerequisite.