College of Health and Human Services

Catherine Balthazar, Dean

Faculty in the College of Health and Human Services

Undergraduate Programs Overview

The undergraduate degree programs in the College of Health and Human Services prepare students for a variety of employment opportunities in the health and human services fields or for further education in graduate programs.

Many majors provide extensive community-based field experiences and exposure to, or participation in, research and service activities through a vast network of hospitals and alternative delivery systems in the Chicago region. Courses using both traditional and innovative teaching strategies provide the theoretical bases for clinical and research experiences. The college offers some courses of general and interdisciplinary interest to students in the other colleges, but most courses are designed to meet the professional education needs of the various majors.

“IAI” course designations refer to the statewide Illinois Articulation Initiative  previously discussed and found at website www.itransfer.org.

The college is organized into seven academic departments and the Center of Excellence in Health Disparities Research. The academic departments are the Department of Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health; Department of Communication Disorders; Department of Health Administration; Department of Nursing; Department of Occupational Therapy; Department of Physical Therapy; and the Department of Social Work. Please visit www.govst.edu/chhs for current information about the college and its programs.

Accreditations

The undergraduate Nursing major is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

The Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association (IAODAPCA) has approved the undergraduate minor in Addictions Counseling.

The undergraduate Health Administration major has full membership status in the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA).

The undergraduate Social Work major is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Degree Requirements for Undergraduate Programs in the College of Health and Human Services

The university degree requirements for undergraduate programs are listed in the Bachelor’s Degree Requirements  section of this catalog.

Requirements for specific degree programs are listed below under Programs Offered.

Graduate Programs Overview

The graduate degree programs in the College of Health and Human Services prepare students for a variety of employment opportunities in the health and human services fields, either through career changes or advancement within a profession. All majors provide extensive field experiences and exposure to, or participation in, research and service activities through a vast network of hospitals, medical centers, ambulatory-care facilities, long-term care facilities, private practices, schools, and social services agencies in the Chicago region. Courses using both traditional and innovative teaching strategies provide the theoretical bases for clinical and research experiences. The college also provides credit and noncredit continuing education courses and workshops for health and human service professionals at many off-campus locations throughout the country.

The college is organized into seven academic departments and the Center for Care and Study of Vulnerable Populations. The academic departments are the Department of Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health; Department of Communication Disorders; Department of Health Administration; Department of Nursing; Department of Occupational Therapy; Department of Physical Therapy; and the Department of Social Work. Please see the website for current information about the college and its programs.

Accreditation

The graduate Addictions Studies major is accredited by the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association, Inc. (IAODAPCA).

The graduate program in Communication Disorders is accredited in speech-language pathology by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) through October, 2023. It also is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and leads to the eligibility for the Professional Educator License endorsed in Non-Teaching Speech-Language Pathology. The MHS in Communication Disorders also meets the educational requirements for licensure in speech-language pathology in the state of Illinois.

The graduate Nursing major is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. is located at 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30326. Phone 404.975.5000. Fax 404.975.5020.

The Occupational Therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449.

The Physical Therapy program has been granted Accreditation Status for the first-professional DPT by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), at 1111 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, telephone 703.706.3245, and e-mail at accreditation@apta.org.

The Health Administration program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).

The graduate Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Degree Requirements for Graduate Programs

The university degree requirements for graduate programs are listed in the Master’s Degree Requirements  section of this catalog.

Requirements for specific degree programs are listed below under Programs Offered.

Programs Offered