According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities in social work and health care are expected to continue their upward climb through 2018. To address the needs in these career fields, Bluffton University will offer new educational opportunities in social work and health care management. Starting this fall, Bluffton will offer evening classes in social work and a new health care management concentration for its traditional master in business administration program (MBA). "Bluffton University is excited to announce these new educational opportunities for working professionals in our region," said Ted Bible, director of adult and graduate education at Bluffton, during a press conference at the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce on Monday, April 26. "We recognize that many individuals who desire to pursue a career in social work can't leave their daytime job to attend class," said Bible. "We are expanding our evening course offerings to include courses in social work and will address the needs of working professionals with a two year degree and those with a bachelor's degree who desire a new career path." Bluffton has offered social work courses for more than 50 years and the undergraduate social work program has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1982. The evening social work classes will be offered one night a week and students can complete their bachelors degree in social work in as little as three years. Bluffton's MBA with a concentration in health care management will help health care professionals become familiar with new trends, regulations, and state of the art management techniques which will enable them to advance in their careers. Classes will be held one evening per week. The two-year MBA program will develop a general set of management skills in a variety of areas while the concentration will focus on health care management practices through specialized elective courses such as Health Care Financial Management, The Health Care Environment and Health Care Informatics. Persons who would like to learn more about these opportunities should contact the office of adult and graduate education at 800-488-3257, option 4 or visit the web at www.bluffton.edu/age