The University of North Georgia will soon begin offering bachelor's degrees in East Asian studies and healthcare services and informatics administration.
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved the new degrees at its Aug. 14 meeting.
According to a UNG press release, more than a decade of strategic planning and hiring led to the degree program in East Asian studies, which will begin in spring 2019.
Students in this major will have a concentration in either Chinese, Japanese or Korean studies. Dr. Sung Shin Kim, director of East Asian studies at UNG, said the degree program will be the only one of its kind in Georgia and one of just a few in the Southeast.
Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University have Asian studies, without the coherent focus on East Asia as a region UNG will provide. The University of Georgia and Augusta University only offer a certificate in Asian studies.
While China and Japan are considered larger players economically and politically, Kim said giving the Korean concentration equal weight will help UNG's East Asian studies degree stand out.
The healthcare services and informatics administration degree seeks to bridge the gap between medical and information technology (IT) professionals, said Dr. Pamela Charney, a UNG associate professor who will be the department head for the new degree.
"Right now both sides speak entirely different languages, and that's why we have so many problems with healthcare information," Charney said.
The degree will be offered through a mix of in-person and online classes and will be based on UNG's Cumming Campus potentially by spring 2019.
