With concerns growing about social health care in the United States and Utah, Angela Stefaniak sees a need for a better understanding of public health.
Stefaniak, program manager for the U Center for Public Policy and Administration, said a proposed joint master’s degree in public policy and public health would address this need.
The Academic Senate approved the proposal Jan. 12 and the Board of Trustees approved the degree proposal Tuesday. The proposal will be taken to the Utah State Board of Regents early this year before the degree program can be implemented.
“Students interested in public health and health policy will be able to finish the two degrees together in more time than if they had done them separate,” Stefaniak said. “Health care is going to be more and more important. There seems to be a need in the work force for employees with the ability to understand public health and do policy analysis. Students are recognizing that as well.”
Steve Alder, the division chief for the division of public health, said the purpose of the joint degree is to better join the public health program with public health policy.
“A joint master’s degree would allow our students to be more competitive in the work force,” he said. “If they can go in with both degrees, they will have the greater advantage.”
If the Board of Regents passes the proposal, Stefaniak said it would be open for students to apply in the Fall 2009 semester. Alder speculated the first students could graduate in Spring Semester of 2010 with both degrees.
Stefaniak said that originally, students taking both degrees would spend four or more years fulfilling requirements in order to graduate. But with the joint degree, students would likely graduate in three years. However, Alder said few students would have taken both degrees at the same time.
“We hope the joint degree will attract students that otherwise would not have been able to go into either public health or public policy,” he said.
Alder said it was important to note the joint degree is not a new creation. Instead, it combines two originally separate degrees.
“The joint degree represents the type of encouragement to reach across campus and utilize resources without going out and creating a new entity or parallel programs,” he said.
As such, the new degree will not result in any new direct monetary costs for the institution. However, personnel and faculty will see a rise in the workload in admissions, tracking and student counseling.