Dr. D. Veen Parboteeah, Dean of the School of Business, Media & Technology
Online programs designed to meet the demands of working professionals strengthening their skillset
November 7, 2022
The Department of Business Administration at Highlands University is pleased to announce three new degree programs: a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare administration, a Bachelor of Applied Science in General Business, and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership in Public Safety. All three degrees are offered in an eight-week online and asynchronous modality to meet the growing need for professionals who want to enhance skills or grow into leadership roles within the workplace.
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a concentration in healthcare administration launched during the spring semester of 2022. According to Dr. D. Veena Parboteeah, Dean of the School of Business, Media & Technology, offering this degree is one way NMHU can help meet the demand for healthcare professionals across New Mexico.
Students will take courses from NMHU’s general MBA catalog in addition to three specific courses in healthcare that will give them the knowledge they need in healthcare administration. The potential also exists to focus on healthcare administration in rural areas. The program is designed for anyone who is interested, including those who are already in the industry and are seeking a promotion or transition into administration.
The Bachelor of Applied Science in General Business (BAS) launched at NMHU in the fall of this year, and students on this degree track can tailor their coursework to the type of profession they want to pursue. The Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership in Public Safety (BA) is set to officially launch in the spring of 2023, but there are already students enrolled in the program this fall.
Both programs are designed for students who have an associate degree or previous training or certifications relevant to their field of study, and they work well for transfer students from community colleges who are used to fast-track learning. Additionally, distance students who prefer to interact with an instructor can do so at the campus centers.
The Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership in Public Safety (BA) was specifically designed for public safety fields such as police officers and fire fighters, and previous trainings and certifications they hold from their employment may count towards their minor for the degree. And as with the BAS, students completing the BA will have a wide range of choices from upper-division courses, including classes in leadership, public safety, and criminology.
“We were approached by people in public safety fields, and they specifically asked for this degree, so we got a lot of feedback from the industry to get this degree started,” Parboteeah said. “The BA is a collaboration between the Department of Business Administration, the Department of History and Political Science, and the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice.”
The BA degree will help graduates advance to leadership role or in their organizations and it also sets them up to enter a graduate program such as Highlands University’s new Master of Arts in Criminology or the MBA program.