Healthcare Systems and Innovation is the home of the Healthcare Studies and Healthcare Management programs.
The Healthcare Systems and Innovation department offers majors that prepare students for careers in the healthcare field.
Healthcare is one of the fastest-growing career areas in Connecticut. When we think of the people who work in hospitals, we usually think of doctors and nurses; however, they make up only a tiny portion of hospital employees. There’s an enormous range of professions in hospitals and healthcare centers – these include many different jobs in direct patient care, clinical research, administration and management, patient support, and healthcare data analytics, among many other areas.
Programs Offered
The B.S. in Healthcare Studies offers students general preparation for careers in the healthcare field. As a Healthcare Studies major, you’ll take courses that provide you with knowledge about various aspects of healthcare systems and healthcare delivery, and professional and interpersonal skills valued by employers in the healthcare sector.
Your coursework and degree will help you get started with your first job in healthcare, and the degree will become especially valuable as you gain professional experience and advance in your career. Many Healthcare Studies majors select a minor in a complementary field, such as Medical Spanish, Public Health, Psychology, and Wellness. Healthcare Studies is also a great choice for students who want to pursue clinical training after graduation, such as accelerated nursing programs and diagnostic imaging.
The B.S. in Healthcare Management is a program for students planning for an administrative or management career path in healthcare. Healthcare Management is jointly offered with the School of Business. Along with courses from the Healthcare Studies major, students gain a foundation in the principles of business and learn to apply that knowledge to healthcare systems. The program includes business and healthcare electives, enabling majors to include an area of focus within the program.
Clinical Trials Administration and Practice is a concentration within the Healthcare Studies major. Clinical trials are how new medical treatments are tested in humans for safety and effectiveness before receiving FDA approval. There is a large range of different professional roles on clinical trials teams, from working directly with patients in clinical trials studies to managing data to regulatory oversight. Students who complete this program and who work in clinical trials research for 1-2 years will be eligible to take a certification exam to become a certified clinical research professional (CCRP).
The Healthcare Studies concentration in Speech Language Pathology Assistant is a joint program with the Communication Disorders department. This prepares students to become an SLPA, who are support personnel who work under the supervision of a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), usually in school or rehabilitation settings. SLPAs assist speech-language pathologists in treating individuals with speech, language, fluency, and voice disorders in a variety of settings. Working as an SLPA is both a rewarding career and good preparation for future admission to a master's program in speech-language pathology.
The HLS concentration in STEM Foundations for Nursing is for students preparing to apply to the BS in Nursing college pathway.