The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors has approved three new graduate degree programs to be offered at various PASSHE universities.

The new programs are:

• Master of Education in guidance counseling and student affairs at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
• Master of Science in health services administration at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• Master of Science in Nursing at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

The new Master of Education degree in guidance counseling and student affairs at Bloomsburg will include three areas of specialization: elementary and secondary education counseling and student affairs administration. The program, which has been designed to meet the standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, will take two years of full-time study, including one summer, to complete.

A survey of counselors in northeastern Pennsylvania conducted by Bloomsburg University determined a strong need for the new program, which is expected to enroll 25 students this fall. The program will require the completion of a common core of 33 credits, plus an additional 21 credits specific to the area of specialization. Each area will include a foundations course, a contextual dimensions course, a specific skills course and clinical instruction. Two distinct experiences totaling 600 hours in supervised practice also will be provided.

The new Master of Science in health services administration program at IUP will prepare students to work in physicians’ offices, as well as with home healthcare agencies and healthcare management companies that provide services to hospitals and other organizations and departments involved with emergency and managed care. The program was designed to meet national accrediting standards established by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education.

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that medical and healthcare management will grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012. A study by the Milken Institute ranked the Pittsburgh region 11^th out of 300 metropolitan areas in the United States based on the concentration of healthcare employment. IUP’s program will require the completion of 36 credits. It will be the only advanced degree in health services administration to be offered by a PASSHE university.

The new Master of Science in nursing degree program at Kutztown University will prepare nurse educators to help address a critical need in the Commonwealth. There is a severe shortage of nursing faculty and clinical educators at a time when the need for new nurses in growing dramatically. The program was designed to comply with criteria established by both the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Graduates of the program will be able to provide nursing education in both academic and clinical settings. It is an outgrowth of Kutztown’s existing Bachelor of Science in Nursing completion program and will offer additional opportunities for professional growth and career enhancement. The University will contract with diploma, associate and bachelor’s degree nursing programs in Lehigh and Berks counties to provide practicum placements for graduate students interested in becoming nurse educators.

For more information about any of the new programs, please contact the individual universities.

With more than 109,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. The 14 PASSHE universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 405,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.