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New Mexico State University

Academics

Course Work
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The College of Health and Social Services brings together associated disciplines and professional fields of study directly applied to the improvement of the quality of life and its existence in rapidly changing family and community environments. The college includes the Department of Health Science, and the Schools of Nursing and Social Work.

All Health and Social Service students pursuing baccalaureate degrees are advised about academic matters in the college advising center, located in the Health and Social Services building. In addition, students are encouraged to contact departments for specific subject area information and career planning. Once students are accepted into the School of Nursing or School of social work, they are advised about academic matters in the appropriate school.

Accreditation

Within the College of Health & Social Services:

  • The baccalaureate degree program in the Department of Nursing is accredited by the National League for Nursing.
  • The baccalaureate degree program in the School of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
  • The Bachelor of Community Health degree program in the Department of Health Science is accredited by the Society for
    Public Health Education/American Association of Health Education Baccalaureate Program Approval Committee.

 

CHSS offers a variety of degrees and special programs...

Graduate Degrees:

  • Master of Social Work
  • Master of Science in Nursing
  • Master of Public Health in Community Health Education

Bachelor Degrees

  • Bachelor of Social Work
  • Bachelor of Science of Nursing
  • Bachelor of Community Health

To earn a baccalaureate degree, a student must complete the requirements established by the department offering the degree as well as the university requirements as specified in the New Mexico State University Undergraduate Catalog.

Inerdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Alchohol and Drug Couseling:

An interdisciplinary minor in alcohol and drug counseling is offered in the following six graduate programs:

  • Counseling and Educational Psychology
  • Criminal Justice
  • Family, Child, and Consumer Science
  • Health Science
  • Nursing
  • Social Work

Completion of this minor will prepare students to take the exam for licensure as a drug and alcohol counselor in the State of New Mexico.

Interdisciplinary Minors

  • The College offers US/Mexico Border Health and Social Services Interdisciplinary minors at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. These include optional course work in Spanish immersion for those who already have a basic level of Spanish.

 

Special Programs:

Family Preservation Institute

  • The Family Preservation Institute serves as a national center for the development and dissemination of family preservation knowledge and skills. Administered by NMSU's School of Social Work, the institute was founded in October, 1990 with initial funding from a federal grant. Family preservation is a practice philosophy guided by values that uphold the uniqueness, dignity and essential role a family plays in the health and well-being of its members. In keeping with this philosophy, programs, policies and organizations are family-focused. As an approach, family preservation provides services ranging from prevention to intensive in-home services based upon the family's strengths and needs.

Health Service Program

The Department of Health Science manages the following community service programs: 

  • Southern Area Health Education Center (SoAHEC), Border Health Education Training Center (BHETC) New Mexico Department of Health's Border Epidemiology and Environmental Health Center (BEC).
  • The SoAHEC and BHETC help address the health-care provider shortages in southern New Mexico through community outreach, and connects both undergraduate and graduate students with health education and other community service education opportunities. The New Mexico Outreach office of the US/Mexico Border Health Commission is also supported by the College of Health & Social Services and is located on the NMSU campus.

 

College Advising

The college advising process is designed in two parts: pre-major advising in all three disciplines and faculty advising once a student is admitted to their chosen major. Admission to each of our majors is competitive, requiring special applications (distributed through the program advisors) and prescribed pre-requisite course work. All students start with a pre-major status: pre-nursing, pre-social work, pre-community health.