Thursday, Mar 2, 2017
Rider University is set to launch a Bachelor of Arts in health care policy in the fall semester of 2017, a new program that will give students the opportunity to examine the politics of health care at the local, national and global levels in preparation for careers or graduate school.
Housed in Rider’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the major will offer students broad training in the theoretical and applied nature of health policy. Program requirements include coursework in political science, global studies, sociology, psychology, and environmental and health sciences. The interdisciplinary major was designed to help students study and critically evaluate the central political, legislative, environmental, economic, social and ethical considerations involved in health care policy.
“The health care sector is growing every year, and there is a great need for professionals with broad educational backgrounds who can apply sound, critical thinking skills to a variety of health care policy challenges,” says Dr. Michael Brogan, associate professor of political science at Rider.
An undergraduate degree in health care policy will prepare students for continued graduate study or for a variety of careers, working for consulting, lobbying and research firms, government agencies, nonprofits, insurance companies, health care providers, legislative offices and more.
“Our proximity to the state capital and policy makers will be especially helpful to students of the program,” adds Brogan. “They will be able to see first-hand how policies are shaped and will also have a great many local internship opportunities.”
Students of the program are also required to take part in a capstone project — either a seminar in health care policy or an internship in the field.
Another capstone option is participation in the Washington Semester Program at American University in Washington, D.C., which allows students to go beyond the classroom, meeting experts and leaders from a variety of fields throughout the district, while also participating in an internship. Rider students who have participated in the Washington Semester have interned in congressional offices and committees, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, embassies and more.
To learn more about the health care policy major, visit www.rider.edu/healthcarepolicy.