
Your meaningful career starts here
We’re preparing you for a career that is high in demand, high in purpose, high in satisfaction and unsurpassed in impact.
If your purpose and your passion are helping other people, you’ve come to the right place. In the College of Health and Human Services, the careers we serve are highly rewarding and in very high demand. Our students, faculty, staff and graduates are out there every day helping in a big way and making a difference in their communities. Did we just describe you? Keep on reading.
News and events

Dr. Shannon McMorrow awarded Haenicke Institute grant to enhance global public health education

Sandra Edwards: A Legacy in Occupational Therapy

Social work professor secures Fulbright Specialist award

Ethics Center announces book clubs for Spring 2025

Students Engage with Honor Credit Union’s Community Connection Center

The Vital Role of Therapy Dogs: A Conversation with Dr. Angie Moe

Bridging academia and public health: A semester of collaboration

International health care experiences put nursing grad on path to career success

New $2 million grant supports nursing pipeline from KCC to WMU
Career Fair 2025
Feb. 13
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Fetzer Center
Career Fair attracts candidates from aviation, business, healthcare, integrated supply chain management, IT, and liberal arts (non-hard sciences). Candidates are available for internship and full-time positions.
Government Agency, Criminal Justice, and Social Service Job Fair 2025
Feb. 20
1 to 4 p.m.
Sangren Hall
This hiring event brings government agencies and social service organizations to campus that are recruiting candidates for various federal, state, and local government positions, police officers, special agents, crime/forensic analysts, probation officers, victim advocates, psychologists, and counselors.
Nonprofit Organization Event 2025
March 12
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
WMU Student Center
This event brings nonprofit organizations to campus that are recruiting candidates for internship, part-time, and full-time positions in areas such as community outreach, campaign coordinators, donor relations, fundraising, grant writing, marketing, or other related areas.
Social Work Job Fair 2025
March 18
5 to 8:30 p.m.
College of Health and Human Services
Specialty job fair for employers who seek to hire students for internships and full-time opportunities in the field of Social Work.
Departments
Resources and support
98%
of College of Health and Human Services graduates working full time have a job related to their degree
—2022-23 Career Outcomes Report
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Top 100
in the nation for five College of Health and Human Services graduate programs
—U.S. News & World Report (2024)
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97%
of College of Health and Human Services graduates participated in experience-driven learning
—2022-23 Career Outcomes Report
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Our programs
If helping others is what you truly feel called to do, we offer programs to help you do just that.
Career pathways
Community and Population Health Sciences
Work alongside individuals, families, organizations and communities to help them lead happy, healthy lives.
Healthcare Sciences
Be an administrator or a clinical health professional to transform and deliver high quality patient care.
Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Sciences
Help people develop new skills so they can participate in everyday tasks, enhancing the quality of their lives

PA Students Unite for a Cause: Key Moments from the 2024 MAPA Fall Conference
The Michigan Academy of Physician Associates (MAPA) held its annual Fall Conference in October in Traverse City, drawing together students, alumni and faculty from WMU for a weekend filled with learning, competition and community service.

Diversity, equity and inclusion
At the College of Health and Human Services DEI office, our passion for diversity is deeply embedded into our community. We prioritize inclusion and social justice in every aspect of our education, which includes our research and service programs. Our students, faculty and staff actively work together to create open dialogue and safe spaces so everyone in our community is seen and heard.
In October 2024, the Department of Information Technology and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee in the College of Health and Human Services received the 2023-24 Excellence in Diversity Award.

Notable emerita - Sandra Edwards
Over her 32-year tenure at WMU, Sandra played a pivotal role in shaping the curriculum for pediatric occupational therapy. She developed a highly acclaimed graduate course in sensory integration, which emphasized rigorous clinical hands-on experiences and cutting-edge theoretical knowledge. Sandra's innovative teaching methods and her innate ability to connect on a personal level with her students made her a beloved professor. Her classrooms were alive with real-world scenarios that fostered hands-on learning, and her students admired her for her profound expertise, compassion and steadfast support.

Faculty spotlight - Dr. Diane Dirette
Dr. Diane Dirette, a professor in the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD Program at Western Michigan University, recently released her edited textbook, Human Occupation: Contemporary Concepts and Lifespan Perspectives, on September 17, 2024. This comprehensive resource offers students and practitioners in occupational therapy and occupational science an in-depth exploration of key concepts in human occupation. The textbook, international in scope, features chapters that include learning objectives, key terms, summary points, review questions and additional online resources. It serves as an essential guide for beginners in occupational therapy, clinicians seeking a practical reference, and occupational scientists needing insights into current occupation-related concepts.

Notable alumni - Jeff Patton
Jeff Patton received his bachelors of Social Work in 1975 and then received his masters of Social Work with a concentration of policy planning and administration in 1978 from Western Michigan University. We asked Mr. Patton to share how his career has proven to be worth all the time, money and energy that he dedicated to his WMU education. This is his response:
“For 23 years, I have been given the honor and privilege to serve as the chief executive officer of Integrated services of Kalamazoo(ISK), which is the public mental health authority for Kalamazoo County, Michigan. This organization provides a wide array of mental health and substance use disorder specialty supports and services to 8,000 Kalamazoo county residents who are adults with serious mental illnesses, children and youth with serious emotional disturbances, people with co-occurring substance use disorders and people with an intellectual or developmental disability. In addition, ISK provides a welcoming and diverse community partnership which collaborates and shares effective resources that support individuals and families to be successful through all phases of life. This includes meaningful partnerships with Western Michigan University Center for Disability Services, Unified Clinics, College of Health and Human Services and Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D., School of Medicine.”
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Continuing education
Are you looking to further your education or your career? Our continuing education programs fit around your full-time job and will help you take the next step professionally.
2022 Impact Report
Learn how our students, faculty and staff are transforming their professions, the health care industry and their communities.
Hours and location
The College of Health and Human Services is located on Western's East Campus, just down the street from Waldo Stadium and Heritage Hall.