CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Penn State Lehigh Valley students looking to develop or enhance their researching and networking skills may benefit from "Research Methods and Careers," a one-credit health policy and administration (HPA) course focused on an introduction to research and research-based careers.
The course runs from March 11 to April 26. Anita Yuskauskas, associate teaching professor and coordinator of the HPA program, said this is the third time the course is being offered. It was developed to address a common student need.
“Many students graduated without taking any research courses, so we knew we had to do something,” she said.
Additionally, numerous HPA students were landing jobs in health-related research areas and needed more foundational skills.
“So, here we are, teaching a seven-week, one-credit course all about research methods and careers that are potentially available to students with an HPA degree and beyond,” Yuskauskas said.
The course is co-taught by Midhat Rehman and Jasdip Kaur, both Penn State Lehigh Valley HPA program alums.
The course includes an overview of the research process and health-related research employment opportunities. Along with discussing research-based careers, students will have the chance to learn about networking, making the most of LinkedIn as a networking tool and finding opportunities in their field of interest.
The course is part of the HPA program but open to students in all majors across all campuses. Students will learn about the tools and skills necessary to explore opportunities within research and connect with professionals in research-related fields.
“We want our students to have a working knowledge of how things are done out there [in the professional world],” Yuskauskas said.
For more information or to register, contact Yuskauskas at [email protected].