May 13, 2014

SIU offers online health care management degree

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale is once again expanding its online education program and is offering students the ability to earn a bachelor’s degree in health care management.  The program is completely online except for a required internship. 

“The new online program is a great opportunity for those who aren’t able to attend classes on campus or at one of our military sites to earn their degree in a growing field where they can really make a difference,” Sandra Collins, associate professor and Health Care Management program director, said.  “This is the same top-notch program that has produced more than 4,600 graduates in the last 30 years through our on-campus location and our sites on six military bases around the country.” 

The online program incorporates 120 credit hours, with all health care management courses available via the Internet.  A unique, accelerated, flexible format allows degree completion within two years after students finish their core coursework. The health care management courses are offered as eight-week-long classes that students can begin whenever they choose, taking one or more courses at any given time.  The same experienced faculty members that provide instruction for the campus program teach the online program. 

The degree requires a three-credit-hour internship in a health care facility of the student’s choice that meets university approval.  There are some geographic restrictions for program admission and internships that academic advisers can clarify with students, but the internships allow students to have a hands-on learning experience that fits his or her specific interests. 

Degrees in health care management support careers in the health care management or health policy fields including positions in hospitals, consulting firms, human resources, finance, health insurance occupations, nursing homes, health care associations, physician practices and clinics, mental health organizations, public health departments, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities and universities and research institutions.  The program also prepares students for graduate study in health care, business and other related fields of study. 

The multi-disciplinary curriculum covers the technical aspects of health care management and related theories, as well as the complex interactions involving the economic, financial, political and social aspects of managing and delivering health care service. 

To learn more about the baccalaureate health care management program and the new online program option, contact the School of Allied Health in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts at 618/453-7211, visit the website at www.sah.siu.edu/undergraduate/health-care-management or email Collins at skcollin@siu.edu