One-of-a-kind
Our program is unique because it allows you to work directly with the community on identified community-based health challenges.
In the field
Get direct field experience in rural community health at our partner hospitals and community health centers.
Find your niche
Within our program, you get to choose any area or subdiscipline of community health that suits your interests.
On the job
Everyone in the program completes at least one internship and you’ll have more than 30 internship sites to choose from.
A step ahead
Our program prepares you for a variety of healthcare and public health certifications upon graduation.
Program Highlights
Description
Our Health Administration program prepares you for a variety of healthcare and public health certifications upon graduation:
- CHES Credential – Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing
- CWP Credential – Certified Wellness Practitioner
- Students can complete Public Health Trainings through the Maine CDC while a student or post-graduation to deepen their knowledge in select public health topics
As a Health Administration student, you’ll have the opportunity to learn in a highly functional space designed to foster community: the Community Health Instructional Center. This space currently being developed on campus will feature Smart Classroom technologies and ergonomic workstations.
The goal of the space is to serve as the location for an on-campus community health education center, run by students in the Community Health Club. This center will allow students to gain practice as health educators while working with members of the UMPI community as well as community members in the surrounding region. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about important health-related topics that help to prevent illness and disease in a supportive learning environment.
The aim of the Community Health Club–a faculty-sponsored, student-run club–is to strengthen our community by responding to and fostering human needs while enabling people to maintain a high quality of life and productivity. Students in the club will have the opportunity to run their own on-campus health education center, a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity that allows them to learn the applied field of community health!
Students in the Community Health Club will work directly with local community health professionals to practice assessing community health information and implementing health education programs to effect positive behavior change in community, family, and individual health. Students will learn how to educate the public through a variety of platforms on topics relating to healthy habits and lifestyles as well as health resources and accessibility.
- Maine CDC Departments
- Divisions of Environmental Health
- Childhood Lead Program
- Drinking Water Program
- Health Inspection Program
- Radiation Control
- Subsurface Wastewater Program
- Divisions of Disease Surveillance
- Environmental and Occupational Health
- Healthcare Associated Infections
- HIV, STD, and Viral Hepatitis
- Immunization
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program
- Division of Disease Prevention
- Asthma Prevention and Control
- Breast and Cervical Health
- Cardiovascular Health
- Children with Special Health Needs
- Comprehensive Cancer Control
- Coordinated School Health
- Diabetes Prevention and Control
- Injury Violence Prevention
- Oral Health
- Tobacco Use Prevention
- Physical Activity and Nutrition Program
- Substance Use Prevention
- Suicide Prevention
- Division of Public Health Nursing
- Division of Public Health Systems
- Data, Research, and Vital Statistics
- Maine Cancer Registry
- Health and Environmental Testing Lab
- Local Health Officers
- Local Public Health Districts
- Public Health Emergency Preparedness
- Rural Health and Primary Care
- Statewide Coordinating Council
- Tribal Public Health
- Office of Health Equity
- Maine Families Home Visiting
- Minority Health and Special Populations Team
- Women’s Health
- Women, Infants, and Children’s Nutrition
- Divisions of Environmental Health
- Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP)
Work is underway to coordinate internship opportunities with others:
- PINES Health Services
- Cary Medical Center
- Houlton Regional Hospital
- Maine Primary Care Organization
- Choose from one of a variety of statewide Community Health Center sites that are members of the MPCA – https://mepca.org/community-health-centers/health-center-profiles/
- Penobscot Community Health Care
- Choose from a variety of locations surrounding Penobscot County – https://pchc.com/locations/
- Northern Light Health
- Aroostook Mental Health Center
- Choose from a variety of locations in Aroostook, Hancock, and Washington County
- MCD Public Health
- Public Land trust Organizations
Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in practical, out-of-the-classroom service learning and internship experiences that connect you with industry practitioners and local employers. You’ll also get to participate in what we call “community-based challenge learning”–helping local organizations address the real community health challenges they’re facing, from obesity to mental health to drug and alcohol abuse. It’s a unique and rewarding way to prepare for your future career in Health Administration.
This explains what Academic Maps are.
To view more information and program requirements, see the Course Catalog
- Community Health Worker
- Health Educator / Wellness Coach
- Healthcare Administrator
- Medical Office Manager
- Health Information Manager
- Nongovernmental Agency Director (NGO Director)
- Community Outreach Coordinator/Specialist
- Health Promotion Program Coordinator
- Health Communications Specialist
- Health and Wellness Manager
- Nursing Home/Home Health Administrator
- Patient Advocate
- Reproductive Health Specialist
- Youth Counselor / Worker
- Clinical Analyst / Clinical Documentation and Improvement Specialist
- Health and Safety Inspector
- Environmental Health Specialist
- Emergency Preparedness Specialist
- Medical and/or Health Writer/Journalist
- Researcher / Research Associate
- Data Analyst
Stats to consider
- The fields of Healthcare Administration and Community Health/Health Informatics are growing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019) identifies healthcare as the fastest-growing job sector of the U.S. economy, with job growth estimates for medical and health service managers increasing 18% from 2018 to 2028. Likewise, the Maine Dept. of Economic & Community Development (Strategic Planning Summit, 2019) states that health care (including administrative positions) continues to be one of Maine’s largest employers with anticipated job growth of more than 12% (Labor Insight Jobs, Burning Glass Technologies, 2019).
- In Maine, 62% of health administration positions require a bachelor’s degree, while 13% require a master’s degree (https://www.onetonline.org).
- Median salaries range from $62,060 to $69,000 for health information managers and health administration positions, respectively, salaries that are both above the average living wage for our region ($30,701) (Burning Glass, 2020).
