College of Health and Human Sciences

Linda Stanford, Ph.D, Dean

Professor, Department of Communication and Sciences Disorders

Marie Huff, PhD, MSW, Associate Dean

Associate Professor, Department of Social Work

Jay Scifers, DScPT Associate Dean, Professor, School of Health Sciences, Athletic Training

The College of Health and Human Sciences is comprised of five academic units. These include the School of Health Sciences, the School of Nursing, and the departments of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Physical Therapy, and Social Work. The mission of the College of Health and Human Sciences is to offer quality education for a variety of professional careers. In fulfilling this role, the college provides undergraduate and graduate educational programs in Cullowhee, Asheville, and through the world wide web.

College Mission Statement

The mission of the College of Health and Human Sciences is to provide a dynamic learning community that prepares individuals for professional life by providing quality educational experiences that promote scholarship, engagement and life-long learning in a global environment. This goal will be met with active, scholarly, collaborative faculty. The college will be recognized for graduates who are ethical, adaptive, technically capable and innovative professionals.

Introduction

Careers in both health professions and criminal justice are among the fastest growing segments of the job market. There is a rising demand for health care professionals to meet the current and projected health care needs of a growing and increasingly more diverse population. In addition, our nation’s criminal justice system provides numerous career opportunities in both the public and private security areas.

Through its graduate and undergraduate educational programs, the College is committed to providing learning opportunities to students aspiring to careers in professions that serve the needs of our society. Service to disadvantaged segments of society most in need of care across age, cultural, and socioeconomic spectrum are central to the mission of the College’s educational programs. To this end, the College is committed to fostering community-centered education and to educating and training future professionals who are knowledgeable, competent, ethical, and caring, with a strong commitment to human service.

Undergraduate Programs

Majors: Athletic Training, Criminal Justice, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Emergency and Disaster Management, Emergency Medical Care, Environmental Health, Health Information Administration, Nutrition and Dietetics, Nursing, Recreational Therapy, and Social Work.

Graduate Programs

The College offers graduate programs in Emergency Medical Care, Physical Therapy, Social Work, Speech Pathology, Health Sciences, (with concentrations in environmental health, nutrition, gerontology, and management) and Nursing (Nurse Administrator, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator, and Nurse Anesthesia).