The health industry is full of unique and exciting opportunities that can have you rushing to the scene of an accident as a paramedic, or helping your community better understand the relationship between diet and wellness. A Master of Health Sciences can lead to a career working with the public, teaching in a classroom, researching health issues and other opportunities. Western Carolina University recognizes this is a varied field and its M.H.S. program offers four, distinct concentrations: Health Education, Health Management, Nutrition, and Emergency Medical Care.
The M.H.S. is a 33-semester hour program comprised of three intentional sections that will equip you with the instruction and skills needed to go into the Health Sciences career field you have chosen. All students will study a core curriculum that includes learning about research methods, health care policies and biostatistics. Next, students will focus on their chosen area of concentration and work on a thesis or project correlated to that concentration. During the entirety of the program students will also be taught professional standards and etiquette.
A graduate degree in Health Sciences gives you the opportunity to work as a paramedic, educator, nutritionist, environmental health specialist and a number of other professions. These careers also give you the opportunity to work varied environments and are in-demand across much of the country. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that the need for environmental health workers will grow by 28% by 2018. The BLS also states job growth for nutritionists will grow by 21% by 2022.