Program Objectives
To aid the University in achieving its mission to graduate students with exemplary academic and professional skills who are prepared for purposeful lives and meaningful service, the DHSc Program:
- Transfers to DHSc students the body of knowledge and values related to the interdisciplinary health sciences;
- Encourages students to think critically and creatively;
- Fosters the development of intellectual vitality and innovation;
- Participates in a community of learning that is committed to the pursuit, discovery, and dissemination of knowledge;
- Provides students with leadership opportunities through practical experiences that foster assessment, planning, and involvement in health care related organizations;
- Cooperates with other organizational partners to expand learning opportunities for students;
- Provides service and other opportunities to the greater community through research, professional service, publications, presentations, and collaboration with other allied health professionals;
- Influences development of moral courage, social sensitivity, and ethical responsibility by encouraging students to grow professionally and develop a strong sense of personal and professional integrity;
- Delivers academic instruction in DHSc and professional preparation.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the didactic and practical requirements of the DHSc program, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of assessment, planning, and action-research orientations to organizational improvement.
- Integrate knowledge, skills, and critical thinking/problem solving abilities acquired into a framework for evaluating, designing, and implementing innovations in health care systems and delivery.
- Apply appropriate techniques of inquiry in a variety of professional settings and contexts.
- Provide information, counsel, and guidance covering a broad spectrum of issues of importance to health care related organizations, recognizing political, financial, and social forces influencing decision making.
- Recognize that the body of knowledge, which comprises the discipline, is continually being amended due to research efforts, and thus appreciate the need for continuing education in order to keep abreast of these changes.
- Develop a sense of professional ethics and incorporate those ethical standards in their professional activities.