Tusculum College has several new degree programs coming next fall. Starting in August 2017 will be Bachelor’s programs in health care management and talent development as well as a Master program in accountancy.
Health Care Management
The Bachelor of Science in healthcare management is designed to prepare graduates for entry-level positions that manage day-to-day operations of healthcare organizations by giving them a firm foundation in the core disciplines of healthcare administration and management.
The program with be offered through both the traditional day program and the Graduate and Professional Studies program. The GPS program is a fully online program and may be completed in 21 months.
According to Dr. Lois Ewen, dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Human Services and professor of nursing, career opportunities for persons holding a Bachelor of Science in healthcare management can be found within a variety of healthcare organizations such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health agencies, outpatient facilities and doctors’ offices.
“Healthcare continues to be a dynamic and growing industry. Increased government involvement, new technology and changing population demographics have caused the business of healthcare to evolve, as well,” said Dr. Ewen. “With the industry facing a greater need for quality care, increased competition, decreasing financial reimbursements for provided services and the need to closely monitor costs, healthcare managers and providers are being challenged to operate more like traditional businesses, weighing how their decisions impact the quality of healthcare while assessing them from a business perspective.”
The bachelor’s degree in healthcare management at Tusculum College intentionally combines business and healthcare administration courses with the goal of preparing graduates to take advantage of the healthcare industry’s movement towards a more traditional business model, according to Dr. Michael Dillon, dean of the School of Business and associate professor of business.
The program is designed for anyone who would like to begin a career or advance their current career in healthcare and is a particularly good opportunity for current healthcare employees who have already earned an associate degree in a healthcare technical field but require a bachelor’s degree to seek a managerial position.
According to a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers within the healthcare management field are expected to grow nearly 17 percent through the year 2024, 10 percent faster than the total national employment average, which is 6.5 percent. Additionally, the survey notes the median pay for medical and health service managers is $94,000 per year.
Talent Development
Tusculum College will begin both a Bachelor’s degree program in talent development and a Master of Arts degree in education: talent development program. The master’s program was previously called the Human Resource Development program.
Applications are being accepted now for both programs for the first semester of the programs. The master’s program will be offered through the Graduate and Professional Studies program, while the bachelor’s degree program will be offered in both traditional and adult student programs.
According to Dr. Tricia Hunsader, dean of the school of education, career opportunities for persons holding this degree include corporate trainers, project managers, strategic planners, team developers, process analysts and performance improvement consultants, all of which are needed by a wide variety of organizations.
“The curriculum addresses the major segments of the talent development field by focusing on concepts, models, skills and methods. Courses are designed so that theoretical foundations are complemented with practice and application that enable students to build skills and competence,” said Dr. Hunsader.
The master’s degree program will be exclusively offered in a fully-online format.
The master’s level talent development program is designed to lead students to develop training materials and programs based upon curricular and instructional design best practices, assess organizational needs for enhancing performance, apply adult learning theory and the Instructional System Design model into practice for organizational learning needs, as well as evaluate learning and impact of learning and develop team behaviors and leadership.
The bachelor’s degree program will be offered in two formats, one a fully online program and the other a hybrid program composed of a combination of online coursework and in class instruction.
According to Dr. Hunsader, the bachelor’s degree in talent development at Tusculum College will prepare students to work in organizations as entry level training and talent development. As they work towards the completion of their degree, students will develop skills in human resource development and training, instructional design, curriculum design, leadership, employee evaluation and adult learning.
For more information on these programs, contact Katie Tassell, senior enrollment representative, at 888.488.7285.
Master of Accountancy
Tusculum College has announced a new Master of Accountancy program beginning fall 2017, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Graduates of the Master of Accountancy program have multiple career options including, but not limited to, forensic accounting, public accounting, auditing and compliance accounting, government accounting, and tax and payroll accounting.
According to Dr. Michael Dillon, dean of the School of Business and associate professor of business, earning a graduate degree in accounting is a common practice for those seeking attainment of a Certified Public Accounting license.
“The Tusculum College Master of Accountancy program was developed to provide students with a deeper and broader accounting education that prepares them for advanced career opportunities and preparation for the new set of CPA exams effective spring 2017,” said Dr. Dillon. “The Master of Accountancy program will be led by faculty that are highly qualified academically, but who also bring their extensive real world experience to the classroom.”
In the State of Tennessee, the requirements for application to complete the Certified Public Accounting examination were changed in March 2016, resulting in the requirement of 150 academic credit hours being removed. To sit for the CPA exam, candidates must now have a baccalaureate or higher degree with a major in accounting or a baccalaureate or higher degree with a major other than accounting which includes at least 30 semester credit hours in accounting (at least 24 credit hours in upper level coursework) and at least 24 semester credit hours in general business. The requirement of 150 academic credit hours is still required for the CPA license.
According to Dr. Dillon, the Tusculum College Master of Accountancy program curriculum was developed based on the announced changes to the 2017 CPA testing requirements.
“The program is an excellent option for new accounting undergraduates,” he said. “The program is also an excellent option for students who earned a business degree with some accounting coursework but need additional upper level accounting hours, or students who completed an undergraduate accounting program but have been out of the classroom for many years and need an up-to-date modern accounting curriculum.”
The Master of Accountancy program will be under Graduate and Professional Studies at Tusculum College. While most Graduate and Professional Studies are designed for non-traditional, evening students, the Master of Accountancy program will be offered during the day. Initially, the program will be offered at the Greeneville campus and at the Knoxville Regional Center simultaneously. The program is designed to be a one-year, full-time program beginning in the fall term and ending at the end of the summer term. The curriculum will be delivered during two afternoons each week.