EAST LANSING, Mich. — Responding to another projected shortage of professionals in the health industry, Michigan State University has begun a new program in public health that will allow students to pursue, among other things, a master’s degree in public health.

The program officially begins this fall and is tailored to those already working in the field.

“It’s not just doctors and nurses who work in public health, but veterinarians, epidemiologists, dietitians, social workers and others,” said program director Michael Rip. Because the public health profession is so multidisciplinary, many individuals have the opportunity to become involved in different capacities.

Rip said that recent studies show that there will be a critical shortage of qualified workers if current trends are not reversed.

“The majority of workers, upwards of 50 percent in some specialty areas, are expected to retire from the profession in the next 10 years without sufficient replacement of trained practitioners,” he said.

The key to a strong program in public health is the cooperation and collaboration of colleges across campus. MSU’s colleges of Human Medicine, Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine and Social Science, along with International Studies and Programs and the Graduate School have combined efforts to launch this program.

MSU has a distinctive combination of academic expertise in both human and animal health-related disciplines, multidisciplinary food safety research and teaching, and a well-established mechanism for outreach from its origins as a land-grant university.

Kathleen Oberst, who oversees administrative operations and academic affairs, said all of the core courses leading to the master’s degree in public health will be offered online, thus making it easier for students already working in a related field. Elective courses, she said, would be offered online or on campus.

“It will depend on how a particular course is now offered,” she said. “We will partner with other academic units for coursework relevant to public health and begin to design additional offerings based on student interest and available expertise.”

Oberst said the strength of the MSU program is its accessibility and flexibility. In addition to the commitment to maximizing distance learning strategies, alternative educational programs are available, including a certificate in public health.

“The program in public health offers those interested in the health industry an opportunity to focus on community health,” Rip said. “The dedication and expertise of faculty in many fields, the network of Outreach and Extension and the support of the university provide a framework for the program to successfully carry out the university’s mission to advance knowledge and transform lives.”

For additional information, visit the web at www.publichealth.msu.edu.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.