The Swingle Annex at Montana State University (MSU) is bustling with activity. Inside a simulated operating room, students practice surgical plans.
Across the hall, others take notes while watching a livestreamed lecture. Just outside, students start their cars, preparing to cross Montana for hands-on ultrasound training.
Each student is on a direct path to a healthcare career. Through OneMSU, a two-year degree program launched in 2018, students gain the skills they need to serve their communities while preparing for stable, well-paying jobs in Montana.
The program connects six two-year colleges within the Montana State University system: Montana State University Gallatin, Montana State University Great Falls, and Montana State University City College Billings.
“Montana is a vast state, and this partnership helps us serve communities and towns that desperately need well-trained professionals,” said DeeDee Dalke, Director of Allied Health at Montana State University Gallatin. “Every graduate will be a vital part of the patient care system.”
Flexible Pathway to Healthcare Careers
OneMSU allows students to complete prerequisite courses, labs, and online courses across campuses, with occasional in-person lab or clinical rotations at their home institution. The program supports a wide range of healthcare careers, from respiratory therapy to surgical technology.
For Elise Wilke, a 28-year-old MSU student at Gallatin College, this pathway has been a game-changer. After exploring several four-year degree programs, including microbiology, she found her calling in surgical technology.
“As a surgical technologist, I have consistent access to the operating room and can ensure the best patient experience,” Wilke said. Thanks to OneMSU’s hybrid model, she’s able to balance her studies with her administrative duties in Bozeman.
Small class sizes and a progressive curriculum—covering prerequisite courses, labs, and clinicals—help students like Wilke build confidence. “It’s intense,” she says, “but at the end of the day, you’re doing something meaningful for others.”
New Dental Hygiene and Physical Therapy Assistant Programs
This fall, Gallatin College MSU will bring Great Falls College MSU’s Dental Hygiene and Physical Therapy Assistant programs to its Bozeman campus.
Students will be able to complete all program requirements through online courses, labs, and training in the new dental clinic located in the Swingle Annex.
The clinic, equipped with an X-ray machine and five treatment chairs, will provide dental cleaning services to local residents under licensed supervision. After completing classroom training this fall, students will begin working in the clinic next spring.
For students like 21-year-old Rylee Jaraczeski of Great Falls, the impact of dental hygiene education is clear.
She already provides dental cleanings and X-rays to family, friends, and community members, including inmates at the Montana State Penitentiary. “Affordable care has changed lives,” she says. “We’re connecting people to resources they might not otherwise have access to.”
Graduates of the program can expect to earn an annual salary of approximately $80,000 after certification. Physical therapy assistant graduates also enjoy good job security, with employment in the field projected to grow by 19% by 2033.
According to Great Falls College (MSU), all students in the program found employment within one year of graduation, and 71% passed the national exam on their first try.
At Gallatin College (MSU), students learn therapeutic exercises, pain management, and patient care in the classroom and at local clinics.
“By working directly with industry, we show students the value of staying in Bozeman—a place where they can truly make a difference,” said Dahlke.