Master of Science (MS) in Health and Social Innovation

Have a big idea to change the world? The Masters of Science in Health and Social Innovation challenges students to explore and apply principles of innovation, entrepreneurship, and design thinking to solve complex health and social challenges.

By the end of this program, students will be able to launch their own start-ups, examine and impact innovation within existing organizations, and understand how change can be realized by examining policy and regulations. There are three concentrations: Health Science, User Experience (UX), and Biomedical Entrepreneurship. Through these concentrations, students will be equipped to tackle different health and social challenges of their choosing with a core curriculum steeped in methods of design thinking, principles of business, and market research.

Classes for the MS Health and Social Innovation Program will be both in person and online. In-person classes will be housed at the University of Maryland's newest innovation hub, the Graduate Research Innovation District (the Grid). Located at the University's BioPark, the Grid is an innovation space where students, entrepreneurs, faculty, and staff connect to bring innovative health and social impact ideas to life.

Career Outlook

Baltimore is the best-kept secret of the nation’s innovation scene. It consistently ranks among the 20 hottest cities for tech (Richardson & Munshaw, 2017), and the top three cities for women in technology (Curtis, 2017). Maryland as a whole was ranked third in Fast Company’s list of innovative states, and fourth in the number of startups per million residents (Bergl, Cattel, Feifer & Kratochwill, 2013).

Baltimore is a city of makers, doers, creators, and problem solvers and students who complete this program will be equipped to become innovative leaders in a number of fields, including: business, consulting, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, public administration, political advising, policymaking, community development, non-profit leadership, for-profit-leadership, community management, city and urban planning, entrepreneurship, international business, peace-making, and health and social research.

Academics

The Master of Science in Health and Social Innovation program is offered through a combination of in-person and online courses to enable students to explore and apply principles of innovation, entrepreneurship and design thinking to solve complex health and social challenges.

The M.S. in Health and Social Innovation is a 36-credit graduate degree program will be taught through a mixture of in-person and online courses and can be completed in two years. As a student in this program, you will explore principles of innovation, entrepreneurship, and design-thinking to solve complex health and social challenges. Students will take 18 core credits and 12 concentration credits.

Gain Knowledge

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Use the principles of human-centered design to identify societal, community, and individual needs.
• Demonstrate skills required by successful entrepreneurs, including team building and leadership, negotiation, working in complex social and cultural environments, and applying theoretical frameworks for enhancing entrepreneurial success.
• Apply concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship in new ventures and existing ventures.
• Identify and apply tools, methods, and self-reflection techniques necessary to evaluate the market viability of new ideas.
• Identify various social, health, and biomedical enterprise strategies and critically assess their effectiveness in economic development and social transformation.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop and execute a work plan leading to social, health, or biomedical innovation.
• Build strong professional relationships with and draw upon the resources of faculty, community practitioners and entrepreneurs, student colleagues, and external advisors.
• Test assumptions about health, social, and/or biomedical innovation design through rapid prototyping.
• Apply user research methods to iteratively refine concepts and prototypes.
• Explain basic principles of accounting, financing models, equity financing, investing and different types of funding including crowdfunding, angel investors, grants, and venture capital.
• Develop a sustainable business and financing model to advance a health or social innovation concept, emphasizing principles of growth strategies and scaling.
• Conduct market analysis and apply the marketing mix as it relates to health and social enterprises.
• Develop a marketing plan for a social, health, or biomedical venture.
• Understand the basic patent and regulatory framework governing commercialization of drugs, devices, and services.

M.S. Health and Social Innovation students will leave the program prepared to impact the world around them.

Change the World

By the end of this program, students will be able to launch their own start-ups, examine and impact innovation within existing organizations, and understand how change can be realized by examining policy and regulations. There are three concentrations: Health Science, User Experience (UX), and Biomedical Entrepreneurship. Through these concentrations, students will be equipped to tackle different health and social challenges of their choosing with a core curriculum steeped in methods of design thinking, principles of business, and market research.

Program Structure

The M.S. in Health and Social Innovation is a 36-credit graduate degree program launching fall 2019 that will be taught through a mixture of in-person and online courses and can be completed in two years.

In addition to traditional coursework, students will be able to participate in Impact Labs hosted at the Grid. These programs are designed around themes of innovation and entrepreneurship including concepts such as customer discovery, design-thinking, intellectual property, business model generation, the art of the pitch, social policy, determinants of public health, and regulatory issues. Impact labs are hosted at the Grid and elsewhere for academic credit.

Course Descriptions

Completion of the Master of Science in Health and Social Innovation program will require a minimum of 24 core credits, plus 12 credits earned through completion of a certificate program in one of three areas of concentration.

Core Curriculum (24 credits)

Students are required to complete 24 credits of foundational coursework.

• Foundations in Health and Social Innovation (INNO 600) 3 credits
• Methods in Innovation (INNO 602) 3 credits
• Impact Labs (INNO 612) 1 credit
• Project Management (INNO 622) 3 credits
• Business and Finance (INNO 640) 3 credits
• Marketing Strategies (INNO 642) 3 credits
• Community Engagement and Partnerships (INNO 650) 3 credits
• Capstone Project and Pitch (INNO 652) 3 credits

Health Science Concentration (12 credits)

Students will take 4 of the following courses to complete the concentration in Health Science Curriculum. It's choosing your own adventure!

• Communications and Leadership (MHS 652) 3 credits
• Legal and Ethical Issues for Health, Human Services, and Clinical Professionals (MHS 602) 2 credits
• Perspectives in Global Health (MHS 605) 3 credits
• Health Responses to Mass Violence and Disaster (MHS 639) 3 credits
• National & International Approaches to Healthcare Delivery (MHS 610) 3 credits
• Technical Writing (MHS 603) 3 credits
• Writing for Scholarly Journals (MHS 607) 3 credits
• Writing for the Public (MHS 627) 3 credits
• Writing Proposals and Grants (MHS 637) 3 credits
• Research Implementation and Dissemination I (MHS 613) 3 credits
• Research Implementation and Dissemination II (MHS 614) 3 credits
• Clinically Applied Social and Behavioral Health Theory (MHS 633) 3 credits
• Regulatory and Legal Issues in Research (MHS 618) 3 credits
• Technology Transfer (MHS 640) 3 credits
• Grant and Contract Management in Research (MHS 635) 3 credits
• Introduction to Integrative Health and Biological and Body-based Interventions (MHS 612) 3 credits
• Clinical Application of Integrative Health and Wellness (MHS 619) 3 credits
• Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching (MHS 628) 3 credits
• Advanced Skills in Integrative Mind-Body Interventions (MHS 626) 3 credits
• Death and Dying: Ethical and Legal Considerations (THAN 604) 3 credits
• Palliative Care (THAN 605) 3 credits
• Caring for the Bereaved (THAN 606) 3 credits
• Psychosocial Perspectives in Aging (THAN 609) 3 credits

User Experience Concentration (12 credits)

A collaboration with the University of Baltimore, students who choose this concentration will take all of the courses listed below at the University of Baltimore.

• Interaction and Interface Design (IDIA 612) 3 credits
• Information Architecture (IDIA 630) 3 credits
• Humans, Computers, and Cognition (IDIA 640) 3 credits
• User Experience Research Methods (IDIA 642) 3 credits

Biomedical Entrepreneurship Concentration (12 credits)

A collaboration with IMET and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, students who choose this concentration will choose 4 courses from the following list:

• From Bench to Bedside: Steps in Translational Research (GPILS 791) 3 credits
• Technology Transfer (MHS 640) 3 credits
• Market Research and Value Proposition (INNO 630) 3 credits
• Case Studies in New Venture Creation (INNO 632) 3 credits
• Practicum in Biomedical Entrepreneurship (INNO 634) 3 credits

What You Will Learn

With this degree program, we intend to create an opportunity for students to explore principles of innovation, entrepreneurship, and design-thinking to solve complex health and social challenges.

At the conclusion of their study, students in the MS Health and Social Innovation program will be prepared to:

• Apply principles of innovation, entrepreneurship, and design-thinking to solve complex health and social challenges
• Develop and execute a project that leads to social or health innovation
• Develop a marketing plan for a social, health, or biomedical venture.
• Examine and impact innovation within existing organizations
• Use the principles of human-centered design to identify societal, community, and individual needs.
• Understand how change can be realized by examining policy and regulations
• Conduct a market analysis and apply the marketing mix as it relates to health and social enterprises.
• Examine and challenge systems of inequality
• Develop innovative initiatives that support the health of the region
• Develop a sustainable business and financing model to advance a health or social innovation concept, emphasizing principles of growth strategies and scaling.
• Launch their own start-ups
• Become innovative leaders that make a difference that will positively influence many generations to come
• Understand the basic patent and regulatory framework governing commercialization of drugs, devices, and services.

Admissions

Admission Requirements

• Admission to this program is selective. A U.S. bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a non-U.S. educational institution is required. No specific undergraduate course of study is required or recommended.
• The certificate program can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. For international participants, visas are not required because the program is offered online.

Application Materials Required

All application materials need to be submitted electronically, with the exception of your transcript, which will be delivered directly to the Graduate School.

• Completed Online Application Form.
• Transcripts from all prior colleges/universities. Submit official documents to the Graduate School (see below address) at the time of application. Individuals offered admission will be required to supply official documents (as indicated below for domestic and international participants) prior to enrollment for verification before our offer is considered official.
  • Domestic transcripts: Official transcripts must arrive in envelopes sealed by the issuing institutions certifying the awarding of the specified degree. Copies, opened, or unsealed envelopes, unofficial printout, or facsimiles will not be accepted as official documents. The process of requesting transcripts from universities can take many weeks, so please plan accordingly.
  • International transcripts: International applicants must provide one (1) official transcript in English and one (1) official native language transcript or mark sheet from each college or university attended.
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume - Submit with the online application.
• Statement of Academic Goals and Professional Interests - Submit with the online application a statement of academic purpose (300-500 words) addressing a) your purpose in pursuing this certificate degree and b) how the degree program fits into your overall professional goals.
• For Maryland Residents: Fill out the Residency Application on our website.
• For International Applicants: Official TOEFL or IELTS score reports: International applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language must be sent directly from either TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) agencies. Minimum required scores are 80 on the Internet-based TOEFL, and 7.0 on the IELTS.
  • All official scores must be sent directly from either TOEFL (please use institution code #5848) or IELTS to the Graduate School.
• Non-refundable application fee $75 (US): Pay online or send directly to Graduate School.

Note: GRE scores are not required for admission to this program. An admission interview (via phone or Skype) may be requested.

Program Snapshot

• 36 Credits required to complete the certificate
• Cost per credit hour: $635.50 (in-state), $861.50 (out-of-state)
• 24: Average number of months required to complete the certificate
• GRE is not required for this program

Admissions Deadlines

• Fall 2019 admission: July 15, 2019