KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of Kansas-Edwards Campus is offering a new program that focuses on public and population health.
"The same questions that we are grappling with every day about masks in society are going to be felt right in the classroom," said Dr. Stuart Day, dean of the KU-Edwards Campus.
Students will dive deep into learning more about what people nationwide are going through now with COVID-19.
It is a 12-hour certification that students can start taking in the fall.
"This will be a building block for a new degree," Day said. "So, they might go into public administration, they might go into social welfare, maybe environmental science."
Professors who created the course said they began putting it together before the current pandemic started.
Day said the school has partnered with the University of Kansas Health System to help students learn about the connections between public health and community.
"This program is online, so these students will be discussing that," Day said. "What does it mean to go out in society? What are the different viewpoints of people wearing masks, about not wearing masks? What is social distancing?"
Other schools are doing something similar.
The University of Missouri has a class now on the topic of COVID-19 and the impact of the pandemic in many areas of life – like travel, homelessness and schools.
At Park University, professors said more students are wanting to learn about population health.
"The demand for population health management professionals has been growing at 21 percent, which is the highest in health care industry," Dr. Alla Adams, assistant professor of Healthcare Administration at Park University, said.
Professors said this pandemic will continue to pique students' interest in learning about such events.
"This has been a good way to respond to the pandemic but also show people coming together at a time of need," Day said.
More information on KU's class can be found on the university's website.
