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.  

          

MSN Concentration in Nursing Administration

For nurses who want to assume key positions as nursing administrators and learn the many aspects of management, they will be interested in GSU’s Master of Science in Nursing Administration Concentration.  Since most of our students are working nurses and lead busy lives, the MSN programs are designed to be extremely flexible and offer full and part-time options as well as some coursework that is online.  We also have convenient scheduling for those courses taken in traditional classrooms.   

GSU’s MSN in Nursing Administration Concentration draws upon the expertise of our College of Nursing and Health Administration departments to provide our nursing students exceptional preparation to manage the best and most efficient care of patients.  The program also offers students excellent institutional resources.  The all-inclusive curriculum is comprised of the various aspects of management including marketing, negotiation strategies, and informatics and outcomes management. 

The program’s challenging classes include: Theoretical Perspectives for Advanced Practice Nursing, Healthcare Policy and Nursing, Introduction to Health Care Organization, and Research in Adult Health.  Students will also be presented with nursing administration courses such as Nursing Administration I, Nursing Financial Management and Nursing Administration II Seminar.  Please see the Department of Nursing’s website for the full course requirements and details.   

The Master of Science in Nursing Administration Concentration prepares nurse leaders who will address the challenges of local, regional, national and global healthcare reform; and demonstrate organizational, creative and solution-focused skills in actualizing the nurse administrator role.  In addition to our Nursing Administration concentration, we also offer degree programs in MSN Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Health and MSN Family Nurse Practitioner as well as a Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate. 

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 colleges in Illinois.

MSN Clinical Nurse Specialist

The organization for the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is dedicated to enhancing and promoting the unique, high value contribution of the clinical nurse specialist to the health and well-being of individuals, families, groups, and communities, and to promote and advance the practice of nursing.  Based on national studies they state that, “Research about Clinical Nurse Specialist practice demonstrates outcomes such as: reduced hospital costs and length of stay; reduced frequency of emergency room visits; improved pain management practices; increased patient satisfaction with nursing care; reduced medical complications in hospitalized patients.*

At Governors State University, we could not agree more.  This is why we offer an exceptional MSN with a specialty concentration in Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Healthcare. This track allows you to apply for certification and is designed to give you a thorough understanding of evidence-based practice and to learn how to integrate research into real-world, real-time applications to improve the level of care your patients receive.

The rigorous program provides our MSN Clinical Nurses the preparation to face the full range of patient care they will encounter upon graduation.  All of our MSN students are empowered with the knowledge, experience and education in readiness for the future challenges of nursing.   The coursework prepares you to teach the next generation of nurses in a community college setting or to become a leader in the world of healthcare. 

All applications for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Certificate programs are now done through the automated admissions system called NursingCAS.  NursingCAS is a national centralized application service for students applying to registered nursing programs across the U.S.  Application deadline for the Fall term is May 1 and deadline for the Spring term is Oct 1.  Please see the Department of Nursing website for all of the program’s requirements and details. 

Source: National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists http://www.nacns.org/

 

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.