Just four years after opening its doors, Mary Baldwin University’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences is developing several new degrees to launch in 2019, spurred on by the tremendous success of its flagship degree programs.
Today, MBU offers five health sciences degrees. By 2020, it hopes to offer 16 degrees both online, on its campus in Fishersville, and through the historic main campus in Staunton.
“With the addition of these programs, we will continue to answer the demand for well-trained health sciences professionals,” said MBU’s Vice President of Health Sciences and Dean of Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences Deborah Greubel. “Our reputation for talented faculty, well-prepared graduates, and state-of-the-art facilities is providing momentum for these new pathways and paving the way for our continued success.”
These additional degree offerings call for reorganization within Murphy Deming, and the establishment of three schools by discipline: Health and Human Performance, Public Health, and Nursing. The structure change allows for smarter programmatic growth as well as ease of understanding for prospective students, Greubel said. The MBU Board of Trustees endorsed the health sciences restructuring at its July meeting.
The new degree programs will highlight opportunities for interprofessional work, a hallmark of study at Murphy Deming that allows students across disciplines to work together in new ways to deliver optimal patient care.
In January, MBU plans to launch five new programs including:
- A master of science in nursing with a focus on patient safety and healthcare quality. Designed to prepare registered nurses to implement evidence-based practices for measuring and improving quality patient outcomes and managing risks in a dynamic healthcare environment.
- A master of science in nursing/master of healthcare administration, which will prepare nurse leaders with a unique blend of interprofessional skills in both nursing education and healthcare administration.
- A master of science in nursing/master of business administration for nurses pursuing a leadership position at the executive level, giving them an advanced skill set in business management and healthcare leadership, including a higher-level perspective on operations and effective business strategies.
- A post-professional occupational therapy doctorate program for practicing and licensed occupational therapists with a master’s degree who want to earn a doctoral degree.
- A master of healthcare administration/master of business administration program for those who wish to expand their career potential in business management and healthcare administration. It will include core business courses that focus on the healthcare market and business industry, and healthcare administration courses that are deeply rooted in healthcare management.
Also in development for later in 2019 are a master of science in nursing for clinical informatics, a doctor of nursing practice, a master of healthcare delivery sciences, an online master’s in global health, and undergraduate degrees in exercise and sport science and in healthcare informatics.
“Our reputation for talented faculty, well-prepared graduates, and state-of-the-art facilities is providing momentum for these new pathways and paving the way for our continued success.”
Deborah Greubel, vice president of health sciences and dean of Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences