Requirements

Career advancement

According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the healthcare field is predicted to grow by 2.4 million jobs by 2029; that is more than any other industry.

• Healthcare delivery systems
• Research practice
• Clinical trials
• Health policy
• Clinical practice
• Healthcare education
• Health administration
• Healthcare informatics

Year 1

• Critical Thinking and Writing for Professionals +

  • Credits: 3
    The purpose of this course is to establish a solid foundation of writing skills and familiarize students with the writing policies and expectations of The College of Graduate Health Studies (CGHS). Emphasis is placed on scholarly writing elements, including annotated bibliographies, American Psychological Association (APA) format and style, effective use of evidence, literacy skills, academic integrity, review and critique of literature, and rhetoric. The course examines the characteristics of critical writing that are assessed throughout the program to identify students’ knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis and synthesis of content.

• Principles of Management & Decision Analysis +

  • Credits: 3
    This course introduces principles of management and decision-making as they relate to the health care sector. Students will become acquainted with management and decision-making tools and how they can be applied in health care delivery and administration. The modules link the management functions of planning, organizing, communication, and legal aspects of human resources with decision-making for achieving positive outcomes. Students will explore models for effective committee work and the roles of committee chairs, as well as the concepts of power and authority, organizational structure, and delegation of duties. In preparation for assuming the role of a health care manager, regardless of the setting, this course focuses on the development of new skill sets that are essential for a successful transition.

• Risk Management for Health Professionals +

  • Credits: 3
    This course provides an introduction to quality healthcare and risk management as it relates to and interacts with the broader picture of quality improvement. The course will explore many important issues pivotal to promoting quality healthcare. Topics that will be discussed in the course include: how are quality outcomes defined and measured; who is responsible for measuring health; and what are the prominent quality improvement theories used in healthcare. In addition, the results of data from studies describing how the United States health system is performing; and what are quality initiatives that could be implemented to enhance healthcare are highlighted.

• Healthcare Information Systems +

  • Credits: 3
    This course will provide students with the opportunity to examine the application of technology to obtain and use data, knowledge, and information in the field of health care. Students will understand how application of technology in healthcare has become increasingly critical to patient care, quality, effectiveness, efficiency, and overall operations. With increased government support for healthcare information systems, health information technology will be the base of support for clinical and management decision-making. This course also explores the issues, benefits, and challenges of using health care information systems. Emphasis will be placed on applications that directly impact government initiatives, business operations, and patient safety.

• Health Administration, Law & Ethics +

  • Credits: 3
    This course provides non-legal health professionals with a concrete foundation in healthcare law and ethics. The goal is to assist students in developing practical approaches to improving the excellence and delivery of healthcare. Healthcare decisions are especially apt to have some form of ethical consequence. This course is designed to provide a basic framework from which to consider these consequences, as well as give the healthcare professional tools that will assist in times of ethical dilemmas.

• Health Professionals Role in Health Promotion +

  • Credits: 4
    This course will reflect on the national goals for health promotion through reviewing current public health documents. This course will assist in the development of a health promotion plan that could be incorporated at an individual, group, or community level. To fully understand the processes necessary to implement health promotion initiatives as a health professional, studying and discussing the development of health promotion programs is necessary. The course will explore the common issues threatening the health status of society. The steps and processes required to develop or evaluate a health promotion initiative will explored and evaluated through group work throughout the course.

Year 2

• Course #1 of concentration +

  • Credits: 3
    

• Course #2 of concentration +

  • Credits: 3
    

• Course #3 of concentration +

  • Credits: 3
    

• Healthcare Delivery Systems +

  • Credits: 3
    This course introduces the historical development, structure, operation, function, and current and future directions of the major components of healthcare delivery systems. The course will explore how national systems have evolved and how countries confront the emerging issues in healthcare. Specific topics discussed will include the historical evolution of health systems, the various models that are used around the world, the main components of a health system, and the criteria used to assess the functioning of a health system. Included will be discussions around how health systems can be reformed and what strategies may be used to accomplish this.

• Population Health & Patient-Centered Care +

  • Credits: 3
    This course examines many of the issues that are believed to influence the health of the global population. As the world is being challenged daily with forces of nature and manmade dilemmas, we are all tasked to influence and alter the trajectory and consequences of many of these negative stimuli. The course will explore many prominent themes and issues that are believed to influence the health of populations. Topics that will be discussed in the course include how population health is influenced by urbanization and migration, climate change, culture, the media, social and economic class, gender, employment status, and political and health systems.

• Healthcare Outcomes +

  • Credits: 3
    This course introduces the concept of continuous quality improvement as a means to evaluate and improve health care outcomes. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) has presented a great opportunity to the health community but it is not a remedy for all health system problems. CQI represents a perspective and framework for on-going development processes leading to increased customization and co-configuration of health services and strategies for health care reform. It is one of an array of approaches that health care leaders should be using to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health services, along with patient-centered care, evidence-based medicine/management, clinical pathways, and process re-engineering.

• Research Methods, Design and Analysis +

  • Credits: 5
    This course is the first in a series of six courses designed to assist you with the development of an applied research project (ARP). This course provides an introduction and overview of research methodology and design. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches to examining a problem and finding answers to unresolved issues will be explored. Topics that will be discussed in the course include: how to select the best research method and design for the problem under study, the purpose of a literature review, ethical considerations for research, and the most appropriate data collection tools and analytic principles that should be employed. The purpose of the course is to introduce the research process, and the methods, designs, and analytical tools required to critically evaluate research articles in preparation for initiating the ARP. The main focus of the course will be to gain skills in reviewing and critiquing research.

• Evidence-Based Practice +

  • Credits: 3
    This course is designed to assist health professionals with learning how to integrate high-quality research with clinical expertise, critical thinking, and patient values for optimum care. Systematic methods for critical appraisal of study quality, research design, strength of research recommendations, and quality of literature pertaining to a specific clinical problem will be presented. Evidence-based resources and databases for health professionals will be identified. Methods will be explored to promote health professionals’ participation in learning and research activities to the extent feasible.

Year 3

• Literature Review for the Applied Research Project +

  • Credits: 5
    This course is the second in a series of six courses designed to assist you with the development of an applied research project (ARP). Understanding the past and current literature in the ARP topic area is crucial to the development of a sound research project. Therefore, the purpose of this course is to provide you with the knowledge and skills to successfully review the literature around your chosen ARP topic and write a focused review of literature.

• Proposal Development for the Applied Research Project +

  • Credits: 5
    This course is the third in a series of six courses designed to assist you with the development of an applied research project (ARP). The purpose of this course is to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for the development of the ARP proposal. The proposal is crucial to the success of the ARP, as it provides the rationale and significance, the purpose, and the methodology of the proposed research study. During this course, students will work closely with their Facilitator to ensure the proposal is methodologically sound. By the end of this course, students will have completed the proposal and submitted an application to the ATSU Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval to conduct the research study.

• Data Collection for the Applied Research Project +

  • Credits: 5
    This course is the fourth in a series of six courses designed to assist you with the development of an applied research project (ARP). The purpose of this course is to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement your sampling methodology, successfully collect and properly manage your data, and become familiar with the statistical software package, IBM SPSS, that you will use to analyze your data in the upcoming data analysis course.

• Data Analysis for the Applied Research Project +

  • Credits: 5
    This is the fifth in a series of six courses designed to assist you with the development of an applied research project (ARP). This course provides an overview of basic quantitative and qualitative data analytic techniques. Students will learn the concepts of descriptive and inferential statistics as well as the process of qualitative coding and analysis. In addition, students will learn to effectively use data analysis software to analyze research data. At the end of this course, students will have conducted data analysis for the ARP and will have completed a full results section to be used in the final research manuscript.

• Dissemination for the Applied Research Project +

  • Credits: 5
    This course, the final in the Applied Research Project (ARP) series, focuses on providing students with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully complete an ARP manuscript and to disseminate research findings.

Fundamentals of Education Concentration

• Educational Program Evaluation+

  • Students will be introduced to educational program assessment and evaluation. Topics include meeting health programmatic accreditation requirements, creating academic institutional effectiveness plans, program creation and revision, curricular evaluation, and strategic program assessment at the college and university level. Other topics discussed include evaluating certification and licensure pass rates, retention and attrition statistics, and integrating advisory board guidance into educational programs.

• Contemporary Teaching and Learning Concepts+

  • This course is an overview of some of the current models and theories that are becoming popular in higher education. Much research has focused on academia over the past few years to determine how best to educate students in a cost effective, productive manner. Some of the more prominent theories include: learner-centered teaching, student-centered learning, inter-professional learning, and distance education. The purpose of this course is to explore the research and practical application of contemporary models of education. Students will examine various models and philosophies of delivering and managing course content, promoting knowledge transfer, and determining best practices for effective teaching.

• Curriculum and Course Design+

  • The purpose of this course is to expand knowledge and understanding of curriculum and course development. The course is designed to engage students in developing course syllabus, assignments and grading rubrics, lesson plans, and a course outline. Students will explore strategies that promote student learning based on best teaching practices.

Global Health Concentration

• Global Health Issues+

  • This course provides an introduction to important global health issues, including determinants of health, key areas of disease burden, and the role that new health technologies can play in solving these problems. The goal of the course is to expand students’ understanding of the impact of infectious and chronic diseases on the world’s population with particular attention paid to the health status of women, children, and the poor. Students will examine case studies of successful global health interventions to understand features of successful programs.

• Globalization and World Politics+

  • This course introduces the theoretical and practical issues associated with the radical global processes that are now affecting human life locally and globally. The course emphasizes the political-economic, cultural, institutional, technological, and ecological implications of globalization and allows students to evaluate whether these processes pose opportunities or challenges to individuals, societies, and the global community.

• Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Disaster response+

  • For years public health has played a critical role in responding to emergencies and disasters of all kinds. This course examines the roles and responsibilities of public health during a disaster and emergency. You will examine the various types of disasters and emergencies, including bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks, and natural disasters, and learn how a response is planned, initiated and coordinated. This course will also introduce you to emergency preparedness planning and common concepts, principles, terminology, and organizational processes used including the National Response Framework (NRF), Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

Leadership and Organizational Behavior Concentration

• Organizational Behavior+

  • This course examines how the personal characteristics of organizational members influence the effectiveness and productivity of organizations and the job satisfaction of its members. It is believed that organizations are comprised of three levels: the individual, the group or department, and the organization itself. This course will focus on the problems and challenges leaders face in dealing with the individual and the small groups in the organization. Special attention will be given to the role of teams in organizations, the stages of team development, and actions that can support the development of effective teams. The realities of interpersonal processes are considered through examination of the roles of power, politics, and conflict in organizations. The human side of organizational change is then explored with a focus on understanding how and why people react to organizational change and identifying opportunities for enhancing the effective implementation of change.

• Healthcare Economics and Financial Management+

  • Students will use key financial and economic principles to examine executive level decisions relative to capitalization, credit ratings, debt capacity, alternate funding sources, business plan development, and overall organizational finance strategy. The concepts will be considered from both non-profit and for-profit healthcare organizational perspectives.

• Strategic Change Management for Healthcare Organizations+

  • In this executive course, students will investigate and integrate change management practices to strategically position the healthcare organization for the future. Students will assess their organization’s current strategic position and apply relevant theoretical models and the necessary change management practices resulting in organizational adaptability.

Generalist

Pick any 3 courses from the three program concentrations to complete the generalist concentration.

Tuition

Review tuition and fees for Doctor of Health Sciences program. Please note tuition and fees are subject to change.

Financial Aid

Federal financial assistance is available for qualifying students. For information about financial aid, visit ATSU’s Enrollment Services online or contact them at 660.626.2019 or by email at enrollmentservices@atsu.edu.

University Catalog

The ATSU Doctor of Health Sciences degree post-professional program offers focused, interprofessional learning in a flexible, online environment tailored for busy healthcare professionals. The online health science degree is achievable in three years, has various areas to concentrate learning, and 100 percent of study can be completed online.

Read the University Catalog to learn more about the Doctor of Health Sciences online program and university.

A.T. Still University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500,
Chicago, IL 60604

Phone: 800.621.7440 | Fax: 312.263.7462
Email: info@hlcommission.org

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