Department of Health Professions Certificates
Passionate about a specific area of health care? Earn a certificate or digital badge!
Community Health Worker Certificate
The MSU Denver Community Health Worker Certificate will provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill established Colorado Community Health Worker Core/Professional Competencies in the field and practice of Community Health Workers. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are critical members of the public health workforce that link communities to health and social programs to promote access to services and improve the quality and cultural responsiveness of care delivery. The certificate includes 5 required courses (see below section) that align with the Colorado CHW Core/Professional Competencies. Students who complete the 5 courses will have demonstrated the acquisition of knowledge and skill in these identified competency areas. Students must maintain a “C” or better in all courses, and minimum GPA of 2.0 to earn the certificate.
The MSU Denver Community Health Worker Certificate program will be part of the Statewide CHW training structure, which will include a credentialing process. Upon completion of a credentialing exam, students may be entered into a statewide Community Health Worker Registry. For more information on this Statewide Community Health Worker structure, please visit the Colorado Department of Health & Environment, Community Health Worker Workforce website: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/community-health-worker-workforce-development
Required Courses
Community Health Worker Certificate
- PUB 1000: Principles of Public Health (Credits: 3)
- PUB 2000: Community Health Worker Fundamentals (Credits: 3)
- PUB 3010: Community Health Survey, Assessment and Health Improvement Planning (Credits: 3)
- ITP 3450: Dynamics of Disease (Credits:3)
- PUB 4030: Advanced Community Health Worker (Credits: 3)
Total: 15 credits
Community Health Education Certificate
Earning the CHE certificate signifies a high level of education and expertise, and it allows students to sit for Community Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam conducted by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC). The CHES exam is required or preferred qualification in the field of community and public health / health promotion, and certification allows work in a variety of healthcare settings, such as hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, government agencies, and educational institutions like schools and universities.
The certificate totals 27 credit, with 9 required courses, 3 credit hours each. These courses align with National Commission for Health Education Credentialing’s (NCHEC) competency areas. Students must complete the 9 courses with a grade of “C” or better. There is an optional course that students can take if they are interested in learning about Peer Health Education in the area of Public Health.
Required Courses
Community Health Education Certificate
- PUB 1000: Principles of Public Health (Credits: 3)
- PUB 3000 Health Behavior Theory and Practice (Credits: 3)
- PUB 3010 Community Health Survey, Assessment & Health Improvement Planning (Credits: 3)
- PUB 3020 – Introduction to Epidemiology in Public Health (Credits: 3)
- ITP 3200 Ethics in Health Care (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3500 Health Research Methods (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3700 Health Disparities in the US (Credits: 3)
- PUB 4000 Health Policy- Practice & Development (Credits: 3)
- PUB 4010 Health Program Planning, Implementing, and Evaluation (Credits: 3)
Suggested Course: PUB 4010 Peer Health Education (this is a senior experience, service-learning course, and will require in-person work in metro high schools. While this is not required, it is highly recommended for experience purposes.
TOTAL: 27 credits (+3 if suggested course is added)
Aging Services Digital Badge
Why pursue an Aging Services Digital Badge?
PURPOSE: The badge allows students to begin their aging services / LTC career as they complete the courses – reflecting the need and nature of hiring in this industry.
CAREER BENEFITS: Globally, the workforce pool is rapidly changing. The recent Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment projections sends a clear message to the long-term care field—millions of direct care jobs will need to be filled in the years ahead, and stronger recruitment pipelines, improved job quality, and a range of workforce interventions are critically needed for the workforce in this sector.
How Students Can Utilize the Badge: This badge will help enhance learner knowledge of the field while upskilling individual experience through a motivating and engaging format. The badge can be a pathway to students brand new to higher education or students returning to college to add skills and competencies to their existing portfolio. The badge can also be a bridge to students who might want to continue their education after completing the badge.
Aging Services Digital Badge Required Courses
Students must complete 6 credit hours (courses listed below) and 1 immersive experience (webinar, interview, volunteering). The Aging Services Digital Badge can be a stand-alone achievement, add on, or it can be utilized as a feeder into a certificate or bachelor’s degree program. Students in any major whether undergraduate or graduate, can complete the Digital badge.
Required Courses:
- AGE 1010 – Aging Services Leadership: Introduction to Aging and Long-Term Care Service Credits: 3
- AGE 2020 – Ageism and Ableism in Society Credits: 3
Aging Services Leadership Certificate
The Aging Services Leadership certificate assists individuals interested in gaining knowledge pertaining to aging, eldercare, and gerontology. The certificate will prepare individuals to understand the cultural, physical, and social aspects of aging along with the aspects of how aging affect populations. The certificate will prepare individuals to apply administrative principles required in the management of aging services such as nursing home, long term care settings, and home health services. The certificate includes required pre-requisite and core courses along with elective courses in which students can tailor the certificate to meet specifications of their career goals.
Aging Services Leadership Certificate Requirements
The Aging Services Leadership Certificate requires the following courses and electives. In addition to the courses listed below, many courses will require prerequisite courses prior to registration.
Summary of Certificate Requirements
Required Prerequisites: 6 Credits
Required Core Courses: 9 Credits
Required Elective Courses: 9 Credits
Total: 24 Credits
*The Aging Services Leadership Certificate program is 32 weeks long at full-time enrollment which is 12 or more credit hours per semester.
Course Information
- SOC 1010 – Introduction to Sociology (Credits: 3)
- PSY 1001 – Introductory Psychology (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3800 – Long-Term Care: Managing Across the Continuum (Credits: 3)
- SOC 1040 – Introduction to Social Gerontology (Credits: 3)
- SOC 3040 – Sociology of Aging (Credits: 3)
Choose 9 Credits, 3 Credit Hours Must Be Upper Division:
- ANT 3480 – Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness (Credits: 3)
- COMM 3220 – Communication and the Elderly (Credits: 3)
- CJC 4220 – Criminal Justice and the Elderly (Credits: 3)
- EXS 3790 – Fitness Programming for Children, Adolescents, and Older Adults (Credits: 3)
- FIN 3450 – Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3150 – Health Care Organization and Management (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3700 – Health Disparities in the U.S. (Credits: 3)
- HCPS 3000 – Introduction to Patient Navigation (Credits: 3)
- HSL 1420 – Activity and Fitness Programs for the Elderly (Credits: 2)
- HSP 3610 – Financial Accountability and Organizational Control in Nonprofit Organizations (Credits: 3)
- HSP 4520 – Grief Counseling (Credits: 3)
- ITP 1700 – Medical Terminology (Credits: 2)
- ITP 2950 – Wellness Coaching I (Credits: 3)
OR - HPS 2700 – Wellness Coaching I (Credits: 3)
- ITP 3100 – Health Education and Counseling (Credits: 3)
- ITP 3200 – Ethics in Health Care (Credits: 3)
- ITP 3700 – Physiology of Aging (Credits: 3)
- ITP 4400 – Wellness Coaching II (Credits: 3)
OR - HPS 4700 – Wellness Coaching II (Credits: 3)
- MKT 3190 – Marketing for Social Good (Credits: 3)
- NUT 3050 – Concepts of Lifecycle Nutrition (Credits: 3)
- PSY 2270 – Death and Dying (Credits: 3)
- PSY 3270 – Adulthood and Aging (Credits: 3)
- PSY 3540 – Cognitive Aging (Credits: 3)
- RECR 2330 – Advocacy, Leisure, and the Aging Adult (Credits: 3)
- RECR 4630 – Recreation Programs for the Older Adult (Credits: 3)
- SOC 3100 – Death and Dying (Credits: 3)
- SOC 3810 – Population Issues: Life, Death and Migration (Credits: 3)
- SWK 3030 – Social Work with Older People (Credits: 3)
Accreditation
Academic Accreditation is an assurance of the quality of an academic program. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, including Colorado and 18 other states. The mission of the HLC is to serve the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning. For more information, please visit the Higher Learning Commission.
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Mailing Address
Department of Health Professions
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Campus Box 33, PO Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362