Explore the College of Health and Human Services

If you are a prospective GSU undergraduate or graduate student seeking more information about the College of Health and Human Services degree and certificate programs, check out our website for details or take advantage of our online request form.  Along with providing lots of information about our programs, we also offer several Summer and Fall Term introductory courses from a number of our departments.  This provides a great way to explore new pathways and career options, even if you are not ready to commit to a new major or program. 

Our selection of introductory Summer classes includes courses from our Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health degree programs.  Students will have the opportunity to take the Substance Abuse Current Concepts course online or several other courses from the department offered in a traditional classroom setting.  We are also offering several courses from the Community Health/Health Science program and the Communication Disorders Department. 

From our Health Administration Department, we are offering the course, An Introduction to Health Disparities.  In Occupational Therapy, students have the choice of two online courses, Intro to Occupational Therapy and Medical Terminology.  For anyone interested in exploring the Physical Therapy profession, the department is offering an online Orientation to Physical Therapy course in both Summer and Fall.   Please see our website for details regarding all of the CHHS’ Summer/Fall programs.  

 

If you plan to take a summer course at GSU, you will need to get registered.  Registration ends May 26^th.  As a student, you will not find a better group of individuals who are more dedicated to your future success than the Faculty and Staff of CHHS.   With seven academic departments, we are certain to have a program that meets your needs. 

Academic excellence and innovation are natural partners. At Governors State University, you’ll find an abundance of both.  We have a highly diverse student body and our courses are taught by gifted professors. Our rich history, cultural amenities and a beautiful campus all contribute to making us one of the best universities in Illinois.

Learn More about CHHS’ Programs

Making the decision about something as important as your college major, or considering whether the time is right to move your career forward by pursuing your master’s or doctoral degree is difficult.  This is why GSU’s College of Health and Human Services regularly holds information sessions and open houses. 

Our information sessions present a perfect opportunity for prospective students or someone just starting the process of exploring their options, to learn more about our many degree and certificate programs.  During these sessions, you will get the chance to meet the faculty who are teaching the courses and find out more information about the prerequisites, degree requirements and the profession. 

In response to new research on evidence-based practices, the Department of Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health has added a new 60-hour Addictions Counseling Concentration to its Master of Health Science in Addictions Studies degree program.   To properly introduce the program to our students, we are offering two informational sessions on the following dates:  Wednesday, June 17, 2015, at 11 a.m. and on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, at 3 p.m.  For additional information, contact the Program Coordinator, Serena Wadhwa at swadhwa@govst.edu.

Another information session and open house taking place this summer is for our Bachelor and Master of Health Science in Communication Disorders degree programs.  We invite all interested students who wish to learn more about these programs to schedule an Informational Meeting with the Chair of the Department of Communication Disorders.  For Summer Term, 2015, meeting times for prospective undergraduate students are: GSU Open House, Saturday, July 11, 10-11 a.m.  For prospective graduate students, dates are: GSU Open House, Saturday, July 11, 11 a.m. -12 p.m.  See our website to schedule an appointment and to see additional dates for the Fall Term. 

With seven departments that include Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health, Communication Disorders, Health Administration, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Social Work, we are sure to have a program that meets your needs.   Please visit our website to learn more. 

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors, all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  We look forward to helping you achieve your educational and career goals.

Health and Human Services Professionals

While health and human services professions include a broad range of careers in a variety of work environments, they all provide a valuable public service.  The National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) defines the field of human services as “uniquely approaching the objective of meeting human needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life of service populations.” 

Services are designed to meet the most basic needs of a community and provide care for individuals and families, assistance for social services when required, and work to prevent and solve problems.  As a professional, you will work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, government agencies, halfway houses and group homes and private practices.  Jobs include rewarding careers in nursing, health administration, social work, occupational or physical therapy and drug counseling, among others.  

As it is a service oriented profession, it is important that anyone considering a career in the field have a real desire to help others. You need to be a patient, understanding person who has good communication skills and a strong sense of responsibility.  The area you work in will depend on the educational path you chose.   

For those interested in a career in the field, the employment outlook is continuing to grow.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that jobs such as social workers, rehabilitation counselors, marriage and family therapists and health educators are among the health and human services careers that are expected to see better than average employment growth in 2012 through 2022.  

At GSU, our College of Health and Human Services includes the following seven departments:  Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health; Communication Disorders; Health Administration; Nursing; Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Social Work.  Please see our website for information on all of our programs.   

Sources:

nationalhumanservices.org/what-is-human-services

publichealthonline.org/human-services/

 

If your passion is to make someone’s life better, the degrees and certificates we offer in the College of Health and Human Services are your perfect fit.   Learn more about the rich history, cultural amenities and beautiful campus that contributes to making us one of the top universities in Illinois.

GSU’s College of Health and Human Services

If your passion is to help make someone’s life better, the degree and certificate programs offered by GSU’s College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) should be a perfect fit.  Our mission is to: provide accessible and quality health and human services professions education; foster a commitment to lifelong learning, scholarship, professional ethics, diversity, and social justice; and infuse its programs into community partnerships for the health, well-being and economic development of the region. 

At the CHHS, we have earned a national reputation for our occupational and physical therapy programs, based in part on the excellent reputation of our professors, many of whom serve as national chairpersons of their professional organizations.  Also, our Department of Nursing was one of the first colleges in the country to offer a clinical doctorate degree program.   This excellent DNP program has been offered by GSU since 2008.

Another proud accomplishment at CHHS is the recent honor from the website, topmastersinhealthcare.com, which named our Department of Health Administration as one of the “Top 50 Most Innovative University Healthcare Administration Departments.”  In addition, they named our Master of Health Administration degree program among the “Top 20 Affordable Master's Degrees in Healthcare Administration for 2015.” 

We recognize that many of our students are working professionals, and to accommodate that, you will find flexible scheduling with full-and part-time programs, online and hybrid courses, as well as evening classes.  Moreover, you can rest assured that every program in the college that requires accreditation for licensure or certification is properly accredited. For information regarding each department’s accreditation, please refer to our website.  Also check out our website for all of the information and requirements regarding our large selection of degree and certification programs at CHHS. 

Academic excellence and innovation are natural partners. At Governors State University, you’ll find an abundance of both.  We have a highly diverse student body and our courses are taught by gifted professors. Our rich history, cultural amenities and a beautiful campus all contribute to making us one of the best universities in Illinois.

CHHS Offers a Selection of Master’s and Certificate Programs

GSU’s College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) is made up of seven academic departments that include: Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health, Communication Disorders, Health Administration, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Social Work.  Among those departments, we offer a large selection of masters and doctoral programs. 

In our Nursing Department alone, the array of graduate programs include: a Master of Science in Nursing — Nursing Administration Concentration; Master of Science in Nursing — Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Healthcare; Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Concentration; and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).  Not to mention for those who still need to earn their BSN, we offer our fully online RN to BSN Completion Program.  In addition to all that, the Nursing Department has two certificate programs, the Family Nursing Practitioner Certificate and the Substance Abuse Intervention in Healthcare.

For those more interested in the managerial aspects of healthcare, our Master of Health Administration Degree program has been named among the Top 20 Affordable Master's Degrees in Healthcare Administration for 2015, according to TopMastersInHealthcare.com.  Taught by an award-winning faculty, the comprehensive curriculum is based on cutting-edge research to ensure you are ready for future challenges.  In addition, the department has an undergraduate degree in Health Administration, as well as three certificate programs. 

The department’s Certificate in Health Care Informatics is a part-time, graduate-level certificate. The course work has been selected by the faculty to prepare health care professionals to work with information management systems within health care settings.  The Health Services Research Certificate teaches students how to conduct research effectively, as well as how to use the research to impact real healthcare issues.  Finally, our Certificate in Long-Term Care Administration is a six-course sequence that provides a theoretical and practical foundation in long-term care administration.

These are just a few of the offerings from GSU’s College of Health and Human Services.  Please see our website to learn about all of our programs and their requirements.

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors, all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  We look forward to helping you achieve your educational and career goals.

Opportunities to Serve as Addiction Professionals

Substance abuse and addiction are serious problems; research indicates that one in four Americans will have an alcohol or drug problem at some point in their lives. Furthermore, almost a quarter of a trillion dollars of the nation's yearly healthcare costs are attributable to the problem.  Through GSU’s College of Health and Human Services, we offer several exceptional programs that will prepare you to become a leader in the field of addictions treatment. 

The Department of Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health has a Master of Health Science in Addictions Studies degree program that provides an excellent foundation to serve as a treatment professional.  Also, for students interested in the counseling aspect, we now offer a Master of Science in Addiction Studies - Addictions Counseling Concentration degree.   Graduates are provided with a challenging curriculum that emphasizes state-of-the-art, evidence-based approaches to addictions.

Along with our master programs, we have two certificate programs that are designed to give you the skills to recognize individuals with addictions and how to get them the necessary interventions.  Conveniently offered online, the Addictions Screening, Assessment and Referral Certificate will teach you about the technique known as "brief intervention," how it works and why it is so effective in helping people change their behavior.

The Certificate in Substance Abuse Intervention in Healthcare is our other certificate program and is open to licensed nurses.  Funded by a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration, students can enter this online program at either the master's or undergraduate level.

GSU’s Master of Health Science in Addictions Studies program is accredited by the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association, Inc. (IAODAPCA) and satisfies the academic requirements toward the Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) professional credential.  Please see our website for all of the details and requirements regarding these programs. 

 

If your passion is to make someone’s life better, the degrees and certificates we offer in the College of Health and Human Services are your perfect fit.   Learn more about the rich history, cultural amenities and beautiful campus that contributes to making us one of the top universities in Illinois.  

Careers Opportunities for Master of Health Administration Graduates

In a Forbes’ article from June 2012 regarding the best career opportunities for a master’s degree, a Master of Health Administration (MHA) was rated number 8^th with a projected employment growth of 22%.  They cite the mid-career median pay as $87,800.  In May 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics listed the average yearly salary for medical and health services managers as $101,340.   

The MHA Degree.org website, an organization that advocates for healthcare administration worldwide, states that professionals with an MHA degree find careers in the following areas:  “Hospitals – state, local and private: 39%; Doctors’ offices: 9%; Nursing homes: 7%; Home health care organizations: 6%; and Outpatient care centers: 5%.”   They explain that the projected growth rate for jobs of 22% by the year 2020 is faster than average when compared with other occupations.  This is in part due to the aging population of baby boomers that are remaining active for a longer period of time than previous retirees and demanding more treatment and surgeries in order to do so.  

We understand that salary and job security are not the only reasons for pursuing a particular field.  Job satisfaction and meaningful work is also an important consideration and earning a MHA degree rated number 12 on a payscale.com survey of Majors That Change the World.  Working as a healthcare manager can be a fulfilling experience and offers the opportunity for management careers in a wide range of healthcare-related organizations and settings. 

The Master of Health Administration program at GSU prepares graduates with the confidence and skills they need to meet the challenges that organizations need and employers demand.  Please see the GSU College of Health and Human Services’ website for the requirements and details regarding our exceptional MHA program. 

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efkk45ifij/no-8-best-masters-degree-for-jobs-health-care-administration/

http://mhadegree.org/health-administration-salary/

http://education-portal.com/articles/Salary_and_Career_Outlook_for_a_Masters_in_Health_Administration.html

http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2014/majors-that-change-the-world

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors; all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  Learn more about the rich history, cultural amenities and beautiful campus that contributes to making us one of top colleges in Illinois.