Graduate Faculty
Master of Science
Courses in Therapeutic Outcomes Research
Courses offered in other IUPUI Schools
Indianapolis
Program Director
Professor Neil Oldridge
Departmental e-mail:
ahltgrad@iupui.edu
Departmental URL:
http://www.shrs.iupui.edu/
Graduate Faculty
Professors
Deborah Cullen,* Joyce MacKinnon,* Neil Oldridge, Mark S. Sothmann
Associate Professor
Douglas Perry,* William S. Quillen*
Graduate Advisor
Neil Oldridge, 1140 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, (317) 278-1875.
There have been three major eras in the evolution of the US health-care system since the late 1940’s: expansion, cost-containment, and now assessment and accountability. In the expansion era, health care underwent remarkable growth in technology, training, and delivery. Emphasis was on the perfection of health care, with no consideration of costs or resource demands. Spiraling costs and disenchantment with the curative power of technology brought on the cost-containment era. Emphasis was now placed on limiting spending and maximizing productivity, often at the expense of patient satisfaction. Today, there is a growing understanding of the balance between use of health-care resources on one hand and patient benefits on the other, or between assessment and accountability. Based on a more sophisticated awareness of what actually constitutes the costs and benefits of treatment, emphasis is now placed on rational use of resources in light of a realistic appraisal of therapeutic benefits. Patient-centered outcomes research concentrates on the assessment of therapeutic interventions under conditions of real, not ideal, practice. Allied health professionals are particularly well positioned to conduct therapeutic outcomes research because their clinical work is oriented toward the holistic factors that outcomes research purports to measure: multidimensional assessment of health status and improvement of patient quality of life. Moreover, as demand for useful and valuable outcomes measurement continues to grow among health-care institutions and organizations, allied health professionals are increasingly being called upon to conduct outcomes assessment at their place of employment.
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Master of Science
Admission Requirements
Students accepted into the program must meet all requirements of both University Graduate School and the School of Allied Health Sciences. Applicants must submit the following: (1) official undergraduate transcripts; (2) a 300- to 500-word personal statement of academic and professional goals; (3) three letters of recommendation from those familiar with applicants’ academic and professional performance; (4) official scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); and (5) for international students, official TOEFL scores. The minimum admission requirements are:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
- Eligibility for license or credential in a health profession.
- Total undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
- GRE scores of at least 500 each for the verbal and analytical sections.
- If applicable, a TOEFL score of at least 600.
Course Requirements
A total of 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which 12 credit hours are in health outcomes, 3 credit hours are in electives, and 15 credit hours are in research (including thesis work).
Thesis Requirement
The capstone experience is the writing and submission of a thesis based on original research conducted by the student and supervised by a thesis committee. Curricular electives are focused on developing expertise to articulate and research a testable hypothesis in a specific content area pertaining to patient-centered outcomes under the direction of a research advisor holding graduate faculty membership in University Graduate School. Theses must follow the Indiana University Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations.
CURRICULUM
Health Outcomes (12 cr.):
AHLT W510 Trends and Issues in Allied Health (3 cr.)
SPEA H517 Managerial Epidemiology (3 cr.)
SPEA H615 Outcomes Assessment and Outcomes Management (3 cr.)
AHLT W560 Topics in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (3 cr.)
Electives (3 cr.) (In consultation with graduate advisor)
Research (15 cr.):
GRAD G651 Introduction to Biostatistics I (3 cr.)
AHLT W520 Research Methodology in Allied Health (3 cr.)
AHLT W570 Research Communication in Allied Health (3 cr.)
AHLT Z599 Thesis in Health Sciences (6 cr.)
AHLT W799 Master’s Thesis Continuation (1 cr., can be repeated)
Total Minimum Credits: 30 cr.
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Courses in Therapeutic Outcomes Research
Courses offered in the School of Allied Health Sciences
A “P” refers to a course prerequisite and a “C” to a course that must be taken concurrently.
AHLT W510 Trends and Issues in Allied Health (3 cr.) A seminar course to review pertinent literature and other sources of information as a basis for discussing trends and issues affecting the therapeutic professions and the health-care delivery system.
AHLT W520 Research Methodology in Allied Health (3 cr.) P: G651 or equivalent. Fundamental concepts of research, ranging from philosophical foundations to practical applications. Course provides the conceptual framework in which graduate students may develop their own research agenda. In keeping with the diversity of research, this course strives to introduce graduate students to the entire continuum of research paradigms, from qualitative, naturalistic inquiry to quantitative, experimental designs.
AHLT W560 Topics in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (3 cr.) Explorations of selected patient-centered outcomes assessment methodology and research evidence related to allied health science professions at an advanced level.
AHLT W570 Research Communication in Allied Health (3 cr.) P: W520 and consent of both instructor and research advisor. Instruction and consultation in the preparation of master’s thesis proposals, including computer applications for conducting on-line literature searches, developing an individual bibliographic database, designing an original research project, and devising a sound methodology. Final outcome is a completed thesis proposal for submission to a graduate student’s thesis committee. Course is open only to allied health graduate students pursuing the research/thesis track in their program of study. Students must begin the course with a specific research agenda already approved by their research advisor.
AHLT Z599 Thesis in Health Sciences Education (3 cr.) Individual investigation in the form of an organized scientific contribution or a comprehensive analysis in a specified area related to health sciences education.
AHLT Z799 Master’s Thesis Continuation (1 cr., can be repeated) Used as continuation credits for completing the master’s thesis in a format acceptable to the student’s advisory committee, leading to successful defense of the final product. May be repeated for credit.
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Courses offered in other IUPUI Schools:
GRAD G651 Introduction to Biostatistics I (3 cr.)
SPEA H517 Managerial Epidemiology (3 cr.)
SPEA H615 Outcomes Assessment and Outcomes Management (3 cr.)
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