MSIS, MHA programs expanding their reach thru acceptance to the Western Regional Graduate Program

The David Eccles School of Business will welcome an infusion of out-of-state students into the Master of Healthcare Administration and Master of Science in Information Systems programs starting this fall.

Both graduate programs were recently accepted into the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), a higher education tuition-reciprocity agreement that allows students in 16 states and U.S. territories to enroll in programs anywhere within the WRGP if their home state lacks similar opportunities for pursuing their education.

Both the MHA and MSIS programs (including the Graduate Certificate in Information Systems) proved to be elite enough to qualify for the WRGP, one of three student exchange programs coordinated by WICHE, along with the Western Undergraduate Exchange and Professional Student Exchange Program.

A look at the unique components of both the MHA and MSIS programs at the David Eccles School of Business makes it obvious why they were selected.

“The MHA program is one of only a handful of MHA programs west of the Rockies,” said MHA Program Director Debra Scammon. “Being part of the WRGP will enable students to stay closer to home, increasing the likelihood that they will return to their home states to use the skills and tools learned in our program.”

Scammon noted there is only one MHA program in Arizona and a few scattered across Colorado, Washington and California—not nearly enough to serve all the healthcare administration needs of an increasingly complex national healthcare system.

“Because healthcare is a field with growing job opportunities, and because of the relative dearth of programs preparing students for healthcare careers, our program fills a need,” Scammon said. “We also had to demonstrate that we have a high-quality program, and of course our AACSB and CAHME accreditation helped with that.”

Bradden Blair, program director for MSIS, said acceptance to the WRGP will enhance the program’s profile throughout the West.

“It will allow the MSIS and Graduate Certificate in IS programs to attract top candidates from throughout the West to our programs, and increase diversity,” Blair said. “Programs are competitively selected for the WRGP, so this distinguishes us from other programs in our state and region.”

The WRGP leadership was particularly attracted to the MSIS program’s emphasis on data analytics and cyber security, one of the program’s four elective specializations, and Blair added that the new Graduate Certificate in Information Systems “was another important differentiator for us.”

Both program directors see inclusion in the WRGP as a boon for the university, as their presence in the organization’s directory will let students from throughout the West know about the top-tier programs available at the David Eccles School of Business.

The WICHE states with students eligible to participate in the WRGP are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

During the 2013-14 school year, more than 1,100 students enrolled in classes through the WRGP, saving an average of $14,000 each through the tuition-reciprocity agreement. Utah colleges hosted a total of 102 students through WRGP during that time—a number sure to rise with the MHA and MSIS programs joining this fall.

For more information on the Western Regional Graduate Program, visit http://www.wiche.edu/wrgp.

For more information on the David Eccles School of Business Master of Healthcare Administration program, visit http://mha.business.utah.edu/.

For more information on the David Eccles School of Business Master of Science in Information Systems program, or its Graduate Certificate in Information Systems, visit http://msis.business.utah.edu/.

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