Degree Offered
MS
Program Description
The Master of Science in Health Science is a 30-credit online program designed to provide individuals with the education and training needed to engage with and respond to civic, social, environmental, and economic challenges at the local, national, and global levels. The program prepares students to search, interpret, and evaluate medical literature, including interpretation of biostatistical methods, by accessing common medical databases and using sampling methods. Upon completion of the program, students should be able to deliver instruction in health care delivery systems and health policy as well as provide instruction on the principles and practice of medical ethics. Students are provided an overview of health care system delivery, patient safety, and quality and risk management. The program thoroughly reviews public health as it relates to the prevention of disease, maintenance of public health, and participation in disease surveillance, reporting, and intervention.
Students who enter the Master of Science in Health Science program will earn a concentration in one of the following areas:
Aging and Applied Thanatology
Global Health Systems
Integrative Health and Wellness
Research Administration
Research Ethics
Implementation and Dissemination Science
Social Entrepreneurship
Science Communication
Please note: in the MS in Health Science, concentrations (not certificates) are earned. The program is not a "stackable certificate" program.
Students who earn a certificate in one of the above areas prior to matriculation in the MS in Health Science may apply their credential towards the total credits required for the MS. A student who earns a certificate and then matriculates into the MS in Health Science will not earn a concentration unless it differs from the previously awarded certificate. Please see the School of Graduate Studies Programs list in the catalog for more information on post baccalaureate certificates.
Students who matriculate into the MS in Health Science are not permitted to earn a certificate in lieu of completing the master's program.
Program Admissions
Applicants who are interested in the Master of Science in Health Science (MSHS) who wish to complete the UMB coursework can apply through the University of Maryland, Baltimore Graduate School. A letter of interest including personal goals and a CV should be sent to the MSHS administrative program director, with three letters of recommendation.
All candidates applying for admission must meet the minimum qualifications and standards established by the Graduate School, including the successful completion of a bachelor’s degree program listed previously and a minimum, cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. International students must provide current, official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (minimum score of 80 for the internet- based test) or the International English Language Testing System exam (minimum Band 7).
Master's Core Requirements
The master's degree requires 30 credits. 18 core requirement credits and 12 credits earned through completion of concentration.
Master's Required Core Courses
| MHS 600 | INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SCHOLARLY WRITING | 1 |
| MHS 602 | LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES FOR HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND CLINICAL PROFESSIONALS | 2 |
| MHS 608 | RESEARCH SEMINAR I | 3 |
| MHS 609 | RESEARCH SEMINAR II | 3 |
| MHS 615 | BIOSTATISTICS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS | 3 |
| MHS 652 | LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| MHS 700 | Capstone | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 18 |
Aging and Applied Thanatology
This concentration is intended to meet the needs of individuals who are involved in any or all aspects of the dying, death, and grieving processes. It is, therefore, an interdisciplinary program intended to be of interest to a wide range of professionals with baccalaureate or advanced degrees, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, hospice professionals, bereavement counselors, clergy and chaplains, death educators, teachers, police, firefighters, paramedics, funeral directors, and others who provide support and assistance for those affected by death, as well as those who want to expand their own knowledge and skills on dying, death, and grieving.
| THAN 604 | DEATH AND DYING: ETHICAL AND LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS | 3 |
| THAN 605 | PALLIATIVE CARE | 3 |
| THAN 606 | CARING FOR THE BEREAVED | 3 |
| THAN 609 | PERSPECTIVES IN AGING | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Global Health Systems
The goal this concentration is to help students build upon their domestic health skills and provide instruction in the different health managerial skills and national health delivery systems needs to operate in the global arena.
| MHS 605 | PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL HEALTH | 3 |
| MHS 610 | NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL APPROACHES TO HEALTHCARE AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL | 3 |
| GLBH 652 | GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| CIPP 960 | GLOBAL WOMEN'S HEALTH | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Implementation and Dissemination
This concentration's goal is to translate the results of clinical and population research into everyday clinical practice and public health. Additionally, research implementation and dissemination science seeks to ensure that the knowledge and materials produced by health research lead to improved individual and population health by reaching the people for whom they are intended; being adapted to local circumstances; and being implemented effectively, safely, equitably, and in a timely and patient-centered manner.
Students in this program will study methods that promote systematic uptake and will translate the results of clinical and population research into everyday clinical practice and public health. The program also is intended to help students ensure that the knowledge and materials produced by health research will improve individual and population health.
| MHS 613 | RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION I | 3 |
| MHS 614 | RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION II | 3 |
| MHS 630 | ESSENTIALS OF CHRONIC INFECTIOUS EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
| MHS 631 | GLOBAL NON-COMMUNICABLE (NCD) EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Integrative Health and Wellness
Students in this concentration will study the differences between the philosophy, theory, and application of allopathic medicine and integrative medicine. Students will critically evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of both approaches as well as the strengths and limitations of the empirical evidence for the efficacy and safety of integrative health therapies. By participating in this program, students will have the chance to practice the key integrative skills they are learning, including popular forms of mind-body interventions, health coaching strategies, and integrative assessments and treatment plans. In addition to professional growth, students will have the opportunity to benefit personally from self-reflection exercises and guided experiential learning.
| MHS 612 | INTRODUCTION TO INTEGRATIVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS | 3 |
| MHS 619 | CLINICAL APPLICATION OF INTEGRATIVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS | 3 |
| MHS 628 | INTEGRATIVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACHING | 3 |
| MHS 636 | ADVANCED SKILLS IN INTEGRATIVE MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Research Administration
This concentration is designed to ensure that students have a greater understanding of the many behind-the-scenes aspects of research so they can successfully manage grants, understand legalities in research administration, and become familiar with the transfer of intellectual properties. Students in this track will gain advanced knowledge and practical training to ensure that learning is relevant and applicable to each student’s professional goals.
| MHS 601 | INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| MHS 618 | REGULATORY & LEGAL ISSUES IN RESEARCH | 3 |
| MHS 635 | GRANT AND CONTRACT MANAGEMENT IN RESEARCH | 3 |
| MHS 640 | TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Research Ethics
This concentration was created to provide individuals with an understanding of the ethical and regulatory aspects of human subjects research and give them the skills needed to analyze ethical issues that arise in the conduct of research in domestic and international arenas. The certificate program interrelates with the Fogarty International Center/National Institutes of Health training program that is focused in the Middle East (MERETI). The inclusion of these targeted audiences will ensure an interprofessional and global experience for all participants. The program is particularly designed for investigators, clinical research coordinators, nurses, and individuals from institutional review boards, contract research organizations, pharmaceutical industry representatives, and others involved in research. The exclusive use of distance learning technologies meets the needs of professionals worldwide who may have few opportunities to enroll in an on-site program.
| ETHC 629 | INTRODUCTION TO ETHICAL THEORY | 2 |
| ETHC 637 | INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH ETHICS | 3 |
| ETHC 638 | ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH ETHICS | 3 |
| ETHC 639 | REGULATORY AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS | 2 |
| ETHC 640 | ETHICS OF GLOBALIZATION | 1 |
| ETHC 665 | RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Science Communication
This concentration is designed to equip students to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences using different forms and styles of writing. By providing students with advanced knowledge and practical training, this program strives to ensure that learning is relevant and applicable to each student’s professional goals. Students learn how to strategically plan, craft, edit, and execute their writing to communicate in an engaging, scientifically informed manner about health-related topics.
| MHS 603 | SCIENCE COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES | 3 |
| MHS 607 | WRITING FOR SCHOLARLY JOURNALS | 3 |
| MHS 627 | SCIENCE COMMUNICATION WITH DIVERSE AUDIENCES | 3 |
| MHS 637 | WRITING PROPOSALS AND GRANTS | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Social Entrepreneurship
Course content will focus on the professional application of Design Thinking, Customer Discovery & Social Change Theory that will help you develop effective solutions to real world problems.
| INNO 600 | FOUNDATIONS IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL INNOVATION | 3 |
| INNO 602 | GLOBAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL INNOVATION | 3 |
| INNO 640 | FUNDING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE | 3 |
| INNO 642 | MARKETING FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Total Credit Hours: 18
Details are given in the Course Descriptions part of this catalog.