Applied Health Science

Graduate Programs

Description

Applied Health Science focuses on improving individual and community health through a variety of applied methods, with an emphasis on preventive measures as well as health promotion.  Interprofessional collaboration is essential to Applied Health Science and to the overall health and wellbeing of populations served. 

The field of Applied Health Science is vast, offering an array of career options.  Examples of employment settings include community and public health, healthcare, business and non-profits, schools, and universities. 

Applied Health Science students can be eligible to become nationally Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES®) or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES®), which provides an advantage when seeking employment and/or graduate education.

Majors

 Program Locations Major / Total Credits
Applied Health Science MS MS - Master of Science
  • Mankato
  • Online
 34 / 34

Policies & Faculty

Policies

Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited university with a minimum GPA of 2.85.
  • A personal statement indicating purpose for pursuing a graduate degree in the department here at Minnesota State Mankato.
  • Three letters of recommendation from professors or professional colleagues.
  • A resume.

Additional Admission Requirements for International Applicants:

  • Minimum TOEFL iBT score of 79 or a minimum IELTS score of 6.5.
  • Credential Evaluation prepared by a National Association of Credentials Evaluation Service member.

Progression Requirements-Time Limits:

  • All work, including approved transfer credits, must be completed with a 6 year period.
  • The time limit begins with the first course taken that applies to the program.
  • The time limit applies to transfer credits.

Progression Requirements- Graduate Enrollment:

  • Graduate students must be registered for at least one graduate-level credit (500 level and above) during the semester they intend to graduate.
  • Finishing a previous course with an ‘IP’ does not fulfill this requirement. Courses must have final grades assigned.

Graduation Requirements:

  • Only graduate-level courses (500 level and above) will be counted toward a graduate degree.
  • At least one-half of the credits counted for the degree, excluding thesis and APP credit, earned in courses restricted to graduate students (600-699 level).
  • A 3.0 grade point average minimum must be maintained for all graduate work being counted toward the fulfillment of the degree.
  • Courses taken at Minnesota State University, Mankato that are assigned a "C-“ or below will not be counted toward graduation credit.
  • Transfer credits assigned a "B-" or below will not be accepted.
  • If a dual number course is taken at the undergraduate level, it cannot be taken at the graduate-level and counted toward the degree.
  • Graduate courses may be repeated but credit for the course is applicable toward the degree only once. However, all grades earned for that course shall be used in calculating the grade point average.
  • HLTH 630: Research Techniques in Health (3) or an equivalent graduate-level research methods course.
  • HLTH 675: Advanced Biostatistics (3) or an equivalent graduate-level statistics course.
  • A maximum of 6 credits of independent/individual study.
  • A minimum of 3 thesis credits must be earned by a student following a thesis plan.
  • A maximum of 6 credits of thesis credits may be earned by a student following a thesis plan.

Note: All other Minnesota State University, Mankato College of Graduate Studies and Research policies apply to this program.

Contact Information

213 Highland Center North

Graduate Coordinator (507) 389-1711
Chair (507) 389-2757
https://ahn.mnsu.edu/healthscience

Faculty

Chair
  • Joseph Visker, Ph.D, MCHES®
Graduate Coordinator
  • Autumn Hamilton, HSD
Faculty

500 Level

Credits: 3

This course will explore current issues, controversies, and concerns affecting women's health. Relationships between social, cultural, psychological, environmental, and physical factors of women's health status will be examined.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

The focus of this course is on the foundations of ethics and professionalism for addictions professionals. The course will cover professional and ethical codes as well as topics related to continued development as a professional.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course provides information on characteristic and classifying information, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, behavioral effects, and pharacotherapy options for drugs of abuse. The course will focus on application of topics in alcohol and drug professional settings.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course explores counseling theories and strategies and how they can be applied to clients in alcohol and drug treatment programs. The course also provides an overview of primary functions of addiction professionals and methods to deliver effective services.

Prerequisites: HLTH 225

Credits: 3

An in-depth review of significant current health concerns and controversies in health science, using the elements of reasoning as the framework for critiquing the issues.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Explores the relationship of death concerns to the process of meaningful living. Utilizes a variety of learning strategies to examine death attitudes, values ,and related behaviors.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

To promote identification and analysis of environmental influences upon health status. Health concerns related to residential, occupational, and other environments are explored. Problems pertaining to air, water, solid waste, housing, land use, toxic waste, and sanitation are addressed.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

The course examines the foundations of emotional health and explores methods for promoting and maintaining emotional health. Emphasis is on recognition of, and enhancing awareness about, how stress affects human health and performance. Stress management techniques such as relaxation, effective communication, cognitive-behavioral approaches, eating behaviors, regular exercise, and time management are explored.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

The purpose of this course is to develop the knowledge and understanding of the causes, symptoms and methods of controlling and preventing chronic and infectious diseases. Primary and secondary prevention strategies will be identified. Emphasis will be placed on those behaviors that foster and those that hinder well-being.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course investigates the physical and mental health concerns of the aging process. Explores specific health problems confronting older persons, and examines preventive health behaviors and health maintenance practices.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course is designed to provide students with practical knowledge and application techniques in assessing an individual with a chemical use/dependency problem. Various assessment techniques will be presented and discusses as to appropriate utilization. This course meets the criteria for Rule 25 training in Chemical Dependency Assessment.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

An in-depth study of specific topics of current interest in the Health Science discipline.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Examines the philosophy and rationale of current epidemiological practice. Requires the application of epidemiological techniques to selected health concerns. Explores the interaction of agent, host, and environment with the emphasis on application of principles of prevention.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

An examination of the system of delivery of health care in the United States from an historical, social, political, and economic perspective.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course focuses on the determinants of health, the concept of culture, and the intersection of health issues, culture, and health status. Linkages between health and development are addressed and research methods instrumental for identifying relationships between culture and health are discussed. The course examines diverse strategies for measuring health and explores how public health efforts (domestic and global) benefit from understanding and working with cultural processes. Emphasis is placed on the burden of disease, risk factors, populations most affected by different disease burdens, and key measures to address the burden of disease in cost-effective ways.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

An examination of the judicial system and the development, enactment and enforcement of laws as they relate to the public's health.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course is designed to make students familiar with the steps of grant writing, explore the various sources of grants available to health professionals and develop skills and competencies to successfully write grant proposals.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course is designed to provide students with practical knowledge and application techniques in assessing an individual with a chemical use/dependency problem. Various assessment techniques will be presented and discussed as to appropriate utilization. This course meets the criteria for Rule 25 training in Chemical Dependency Assessment.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Introduction to statistical analysis as applied to the health sciences. Examines concepts and methods of statistical procedures applied to health problems and issues.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Behavior Change Foundations and Strategies (3 semester credits) is a course that focuses upon the complexity of health behavior change and the skills necessary for a health promotion professional to assess, plan, and evaluate behavior change interventions for individuals and communities. Health behavior change theories and strategies will be discussed. Topics covered in class will include: behavior modification, goal setting, self-management, coping skills, and social support. Emphasis will also be given to the impact of policy and environmental influences on behavior.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

The course examines approaches to promote health and prevent disease and injury, and explores other health related issues at the workplace. Assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation strategies are addressed. Model programs are reviewed and analyzed.

Prerequisites: none

600 Level

Credits: 3

This course focuses on advanced methods used in epidemiologic investigation and research. Topics include causal inference in epidemiology, study designs, measures of disease frequency and association, methods to assess and handle confounding and bias, and analysis and statistical modeling in epidemiologic studies.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Examines and applies research methods common to health science. Requires an extensive literature review. This course should be taken near the end of a graduate program when the student is ready to begin work on the thesis or alternate plan paper. The student must have completed a plan of study prior to enrollment.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

Course requires completion of thesis proposal or alternate plan paper, extensive literature review, and oral presentation for group review.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Focuses on preventing and reducing risks associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in school and community settings. Emphasizes planning, implementing, assessing, and evaluating alcohol, tobacco, and other drug education in K-12 schools.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Human health problems comprise a wide range of infectious, degenerative, and genetically-based disease factors. In addition to these factors, human disease results from a wide range of environmental and socially- caused pathologies. This course presents the basic scientific and biomedical concepts of modern public health problems and explores, in depth, mechanisms and models of the major categories of disease. The biologic principles presented in this course are foundations to developing and implementing public health disease prevention, control, or management programs in the students future.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Specific managerial components will be emphasized such as organizational patterns, fiscal administration, and personnel management common to the health care system. Administrative functions of policy settings, planning coordination, public issue involvement, and community relations will be included. Particular attention is given to the human side of management.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Explores current issues, controversies, and concerns affecting sexual health. Relationships between social, cultural, psychological, environmental, and physical factors of sexuality will be examined.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Provides a thorough background on the practical aspects of health planning, including development, adoption, and implementaion of health programs.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Directed toward providing a solid theoretical and philosophical foundation for professional health education practice. Current and historical health education, theoretical and philosophical models, and concepts are explored. Application of these models and concepts to professional practice is emphasized.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course focuses upon advanced development of communication and advocacy skills for the health educator. The course provides in-depth coverage of health communication theory, application, and evidence. Students will plan, implement and evaluate an evidence-based health communication program.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course will review the basic principles and techniques used in Biostatistics and will incorporate a final project that entails analyzing data, using the SPSS program, to answer hypothesized questions and make conclusions using the inferential statistical process.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

An in depth project on a topic of particular interest to the student. Project must be approved by the faculty supervisor and department chairperson and proposal filed with department.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

Provides an in-depth investigation of a topic of particular concern at the time of offering. Topics will deal with timely issues regarding health promotion, disease prevention, and/or socio/political concerns regarding health in the modern world.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-2

Course requires completion of Alternate Plan Paper and oral presentation for group review.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-6

A concentrated work experience for those students preparing for a career in community health.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-12

A concentrated pre-professional experience for those preparing for a career in alcohol and drug studies. Students must successfully complete all alcohol and drug studies core course work and the Alcohol and Drug Studies application and screening process to be eligible for the internship. Students must schedule a meeting with the Coordinator of Alcohol and Drug Studies one semester in advance to schedule their internship placement.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Credit for students working on their thesis. Permission of advisor and department chairperson required.

Prerequisites: none