Degree Title and Name:  Master of Integrated Health Studies

Program Name and Number:  Master of Integrated Health Studies - MI6475

Department/Unit:  Department of Interdisciplinary Health Studies

Delivery Mode: Online

Term of Entry: Fall. Applications due by July 1.

Program Overview:  The online Master of Integrated Health Studies (MIHS) degree is an innovative stackable certificate graduate program that prepares postbaccalaureate students to fulfill diverse roles in a variety of healthcare settings. The minimum number of credit hours is 33.

The healthcare system in the U.S. is complex and requires that healthcare professionals have a unique knowledge base in order to improve healthcare delivery and health outcomes. The unique aspect of this program is that students customize their degree by successfully completing at least two areas of concentration, which are approved certificates at Ohio University, as well as core courses, instead of a prescribed pathway. Students use the stackable framework in order to build a foundation of knowledge in different professional categories, together with a strong curricular core, that culminates into a meaningful capstone impact project.

The fact that all of these courses and certificates are offered online provides the opportunity for this degree to be available to working professionals in need of a flexible curriculum. However, the degree is also appealing for traditional students who have identified specific areas of interest.

Core foundational knowledge is included in courses on the following topics as related to healthcare: ethics, interprofessional health promotion, and evidence-based practice or critical thinking and reasoning, and an elective either in healthcare advocacy or vulnerable populations. Certificate offerings include clinical informatics, healthcare leadership, global health, healthcare policy, and veterans’ health.  Finally, the capstone course requires a culminating impact project that is reflective of the innovative nature of this degree.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program:

1. Students will be able to summarize the domains of health and dimensions of wellness.
2. Students will be able to explain how the domains of health and dimensions of wellness are assessed and approached by multiple healthcare professionals.
3. Students will be able to apply evidence-based practice knowledge or clinical reasoning in a selected area of healthcare practice.  
4. Students will be able to analyze hypothetical cases and apply ethical reasoning to realistic healthcare situations.
5. Students will be able to integrate and apply core knowledge of a concentration, in order to positively impact the populations they serve or will serve, in a selected healthcare profession.
6. Students will be able to integrate and apply core knowledge across concentrations, in order to positively impact the populations they serve or will serve, in a selected healthcare profession.

Opportunities for Graduates:  Opportunities upon graduation will vary depending on how the graduate applies the selected certificates and core to their chosen profession.

Graduation Requirements

Complete all required coursework and have a minimum of 33 credit hours with a “C” or better.

Core Courses (15 hrs)

• IHS 5250 - Interprofessional Health Promotion (3 hrs)
• IHS 5514 – Professional and Clinical Ethics for the Health Professions (3 hrs)
• Choose one: IHS 5447- Critical Thinking and Reasoning in Clinical Problem Solving (3 hrs) or IHS 5520- Research and Evidence Based Practice in Healthcare (3 hrs)
• Choose one: IHS 5240- Overview of Healthcare Advocacy (3 hrs) or IHS 5245 - Vulnerable Populations in Healthcare (3 hrs)
• IHS 6280 - Capstone Impact Project (3 hrs)

Stackable Certificates (min 18 hrs)

Complete two of the following certificates:

• Healthcare Leadership (9 hrs)
  • IHS 5200 - Foundations of Leadership in Healthcare
  • IHS 5201- Quality, Safety and Service in Healthcare Leadership
  • IHS 5202 - Financial Innovation and Growth Strategies in Healthcare
• Clinical Informatics (9 hrs)
  • IHS 5513 - Health Informatics for the Health Professions
  • IHS 6801 - Health Information Systems and Applications
  • IHS 6803 - Program Planning and Evaluation in Healthcare
• Health Policy (12 hrs)
  • IHS 5300 - Fundamental Health Policy: Concepts, Components and Systems
  • IHS 5301 - The Health Policy-Making Process
  • MPA 5850 - Policy Analysis for Public Affairs and Leadership
  • IHS 5302 - Health Policy: Current Issues, Trends and Emerging Topics
• Veterans’ Health (9 hrs)
  • IHS 5400 - Veterans Health: United States Military Culture and History
  • IHS 5401 - Diseases and Conditions in Veterans: Prevalence, Diagnosis, and Treatment
  • IHS 5402 - Veterans Affairs System: Healthcare Perspectives
• Global Health (20* hrs)
  • IHS 5210 - Fundamentals of Global Health (3 hrs)
  • IHS 5521 - Global Health Research and Service (3 hrs) OR HLTH 5120 Global Health Programming (3 hrs)
  • IHS 5222 - Comparative Health Systems (3 hrs)
  • 2 elective courses (6 hrs). For the list of eligible electives, see the catalog entry for the Global Health Certificate .

*The Global Health Capstone (5 hrs total) is waived in lieu of the capstone already embedded in the master’s degree.

Culminating Experience: The required capstone will be in the form of an impact project. Each student will be assigned a faculty mentor from each certificate that the student selected for their degree, and together they will formulate an impact project. This project will vary based on the areas of concentration and the student’s current profession—or the profession or career the student intends to pursue

The faculty members/mentors will foster the student’s desire and together they will decide the structure of the impact project. This impact project is designed to best meet the needs of each individual student, and the populations which they serve, and therefore is unique and applicable to their professional goals. To the greatest extent possible, each project will include ideas of interprofessional healthcare and integration of major concepts from certificates. This capstone incorporates knowledge from the core courses and the certificates, into a culminating, encompassing, and impactful project.

Admission Requirements:

• A strong record of undergraduate performance, typically demonstrated by a minimum GPA of 3.0
• At least two letters of recommendation
• A personal statement
• Resume (optional)

* No GRE or GMAT score required

*For students who have completed one of certificates listed in the masters curriculum, and would like to enroll in this degree program, we will accept a completed certificate as part of their selection of certificates for the degree; as long as it has been completed within the six years of their application for the Master of Integrated Health Studies.

International Students:  This program does not permit full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 cannot be issued based on admission to this program.