Harrison County Campus – Fall Entry

This program is being offered at a special discounted rate. Many of the standard fees, excluding tuition, are being covered by a grant. Contact April Pouliot for more information and details on program costs at april.pouliot@mgccc.edu or (228) 497-7640.

Apply for Public Health Technology/Navigator

The Public Health Technology/Navigator Concentration program offered at MGCCC is composed of 60 stackable credit hours that lead to an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. Individuals interested in a specialized area of the public health technology healthcare field are able to focus their studies in one of three concentrations:

  • Public Health Technology/Navigator
  • Dietary/Nutritional Navigator
  • Personal/Family Services Navigator

Each concentration provides a closer look at three important areas of the Navigator program. By choosing a concentration, the learner will engage in targeted studies and coursework including an education on the broader and essential underlying principles of the Navigator role. Providing three (3) unique concentrations also enables the learner to gain experience in one or more areas that closely relate to the desired career choice.  As a stackable credential program, the learner has the option of earning one or all of the following credentials:

  • Career Certificate – 30 credit hours
  • Diploma – 45 credit hours
  • Associate of Applied Science Degree – 60 credit hours

Program Overview

The Public Health Technology/Navigator program at MGCCC offers three distinct concentrations in the area of Public Health, Nutrition, and Community. Each area of concentration enhances added skillsets in patient care and patient-care services.  Health Navigator, a term that has gained considerable attention since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, is used across the country in healthcare and academia to describe healthcare jobs and academic degree and certificate programs meeting several health care related job descriptions. The term has been used in the 2014 document Community Colleges and Public Health Report funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Health related Navigators work in a variety of settings, including but not limited to: community, hospitals, PCMH (patient-centered medical home), primary care facilities and other third-party entities. With employment opportunities and salaries growing across the nation, there is a need for trained patient navigators to assist a growing population to navigate an ever-changing health care environment.

The Public Health Technology/Navigator program certificate option begins each spring semester, and supplemental applications are due between August 15th and November 1st.  Supplemental Applications for PHT/Navigator Concentrations starting in the Summer semester can be submitted between April 1st and May 15th; and for Fall semester between April 15th and July 1st. If deadline falls on a weekend, holiday, or college closing, the deadline is 5:00 p.m. on the next college business day.

If you have questions about the application process, contact an Enrollment Specialist.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) Public Health Technology/Navigator Program is to address, through academia, the prominent health disparities and inequalities. Focusing on health statistics, health promotion, disease prevention, and dietary and community services, each concentration will produce competent entry-level health care Navigators.

Program Level Student Learning Outcome will include training those enrolled in a Public Health Technology/Navigator Concentration to:

  1. Help individuals obtain and benefit from community services, clinical care, and insurance needs
  2. Assist individuals with limited health literacy with accessing community services
  3. Facilitate clinical and community access for care and follow-up
  4. Identify and enroll individuals in health insurance plans
  5. Reduce excessively high healthcare utilization
  6. Increase the knowledge base of others regarding public health, diet and nutrition, or personal and family health
  7. Emphasis the importance of health and wellness
  8. Create an emerging strategy for integrating the position of Navigator into the health care, nutritional, and community wellness systems

MGCCC Public Health Technology/Navigator Concentrations – Cost List (Estimate only)

Prior to Entering Program

  • Criminal Background Check $65 – $80 (MGCCC Campus Police)

Once Admitted into Program

  • General MGCCC Tuition and Fees
  • Program Fee $26 Per Credit Hour
  • Pre-admission Physical Exam and Immunizations $200 – $300
  • Substance Testing $29 – $35 per semester
  • Liability Insurance $12 – $15 per semester
  • Uniform, Lab Coat, Shoes, Accessories $200 – $300

Cost may be subject to change