The Master of Health Care Design degree is a post-professional program focusing on the design and performance of health care environments for professionals with a demonstrated level of competency in their respective fields. Courses from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, the College of Public Health and the College of Nursing comprise the program, which is open to individuals with a professional degree in a design field, including architecture, interiors, landscape or urban or graphic design. The program is also designed for those professionals who want to have a deeper understanding of not just health care design, but of other drivers of health care innovations such as public policy, reimbursement, emerging technologies and what patient-centered care really means from the perspective of patients and families. The program typically takes two to three and a half years to complete, depending on course load. Students are introduced to professionals in many different fields over the course of the program, expanding their horizons as well as their networks. Program courses provide students with background knowledge and theory, and also deal with behavioral science, health science, ethical and cultural issues in health care, codes and regulatory requirements, existing and emerging technologies and evidence-based design procedures that aid architects, administrators, planners and health care professionals to better meet the needs of end users, including patients, families and staff.