Southern Miss Launches Public Health Allied Health Degree Fully Online

Thu, 10/24/2019 - 11:58am | By: Tara Burcham

Every day you see something about health care in the news. From tracking diseases to breast cancer awareness, health care is an important part of our community well-being and our economy.

To increase the number of qualified health care professionals serving the public, The University of Southern Mississippi has launched a new fully online degree, Public Health with Allied Health emphasis.

The program is designed to meet the needs of students who have graduated from an accredited two-year allied health program with an associate’s degree and are eligible to sit for a national certification examination in the specific discipline area for the associate degree level allied health professional.

A degree for health care professionals

The online allied health emphasis focuses on helping students in health care careers who want to move their careers forward, a key mission for Southern Miss.

Dr. Amy Chasteen Miller, executive vice provost for academic affairs, says Southern Miss prioritizes supporting students in this journey for career advancement. “Through offering this new online allied health emphasis, we are continuing to advance on two important fronts:  improving our students career opportunities and contributing to the professional health care sector in our communities.”

As part of the online program, students complete coursework in health policy, epidemiology, and communication in public health. 

Miller says the online students at Southern Miss are part of the Golden Eagle family and receive academically rigorous programs designed to offer transformative experiences. “Through all of our degrees, we focus on student engagement by creating a connection between our faculty and students. This dedication by our faculty fosters personal growth and professional development in our students, which benefits them in their chosen profession.”

Dr. Tom Hutchinson, director of the Office of Online Learning, says USM is expanding unique and targeted online programs to meet student’s needs. “Our faculty work hard to create high-quality degrees that can benefit students and our communities.”

The Southern Miss Public Health degree Allied Health emphasis is currently accepting applications for admission. For additional information on the fully online allied health emphasis, visit https://online.usm.edu/undergrad/online-allied-health-degree/.