Plan of Study

Please consult your 2015-2016 Student Handbook for the applicable curriculum and program policies. Please note that courses and policies are subject to change throughout the academic year. Check with the Office of Student Services at the School of Nursing and Health Studies for current materials.

ACADEMIC POLICIES

Admission:
In accepting students into the Health Science program, the University does not in any way assure admittance into any professional graduate programs. Admission to any of these programs is dependent upon academic performance in the undergraduate course-work and is determined independently by the school or program to which the student applies.

Entering freshmen in the 75th percentile have mid-range SAT and ACT scores of 1410 and/or and 32 respectively. Entering freshmen have an average weighted GPA of 4.2. Transfer students have a mean cumulative GPA of 3.33.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMITTED STUDENTS

Required courses for the Health Science degree include courses in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, (where required by the track) and health science with a minimum grade of C- in each course. Students must satisfy both the general education requirements listed below and the requirements of a specific track, to be awarded the Bachelor of Science in Health Science degree. Students must maintain at least a 2.8 GPA in the courses listed under the track requirements with no grade below a C-.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

The School of Nursing and Health Studies will award a Bachelor of Science in Health Science once a student has completed the requirements listed below.

The Health Science Program offers curricula that are designed to prepare students for health professional or graduate education programs. Programs of study can be tailored for students wishing a variety of health professional options. Students are encouraged to contact graduate programs directly to ascertain if there are specific course requirements that might differ from health science track requirements. Any course requirements may be added to a student’s undergraduate curriculum track.

No minor or second minor is offered in Health Science. Health Science students may not minor in biology.

General Education Requirements

AREAS OF PROFICIENCY

The Areas of Proficiency requirements ensure that students either already possess, or develop at the University, the ability to express themselves effectively, to use mathematics with facility, and to reason cogently.

English Composition
Good writing facilitates clear thinking, and clear thinking is the foundation of effective communication. The expectation is that students become adept at using the English language as an effective communication tool. Effective writing skills are representative of an educated person because they are instruments to advance ideas efficiently and persuasively. Students fulfill this requirement by satisfactorily completing ENG105 and ENG106, or the equivalent. Appropriate Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) scores in English composition may be used to satisfy this requirement. An appropriate score on the SAT or ACT verbal examination may earn a student exemption from, but not credit for, ENG105.

Students will be able to:

• Gather information, synthesize data, compare various points of view, and present results in writing.
• Develop the ability to read texts critically and to use textual evidence to support a sophisticated written argument.
• Consider audience, tone, organization, and standard conventions in relationship to specific rhetorical tasks.

Advanced Writing and Communication Skills: Health Studies

Pertinent Educational Outcomes:
1. Effectively communicate information related to public health in both speech and in writing, using appropriate information sources, presentation formats, and technologies.
2. Demonstrate the necessary written and verbal communication skills to effectively carry out a career in healthcare.

Health Studies Assignments that Require Formal Student Writing or Presentation:

Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Science
In a world increasingly influenced by science and technology, it is important for students to acquire the capacity to use and understand essential mathematical applications. The mathematics requirement helps students learn to use quantitative methods to solve problems.

The course requirements for mathematics emphasize the manipulation, interpretation, and application of quantitative data. Students fulfill this requirement by completing an approved course in statistics, calculus 1, and a CSC or CIS course. Exemption from the mathematics requirement or placement in prerequisite courses is based on any of the following tests: AP, IB, or a placement examination administered by the Department of Mathematics.

Students will be able to:

• Select quantitative tools appropriate for solving problems.
• Use quantitative tools appropriate for solving problems.
• Interpret quantitative data in an appropriate manner for solving problems.

AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE

The Areas of Knowledge requirement is designed to help students understand and appreciate intellectual achievements in major areas of human inquiry and creative endeavor. The courses offered in the areas of knowledge provide a broad array of intellectual and cultural exploration. In satisfying these requirements students examine creative expression in the arts, literature, and philosophy; study human development and behavior; and explore the mathematical, scientific, and technological world.

COGNATES

Students fulfill the Areas of Knowledge requirement by completing three cognates, one from each of the three areas of the university curriculum: Arts & Humanities; People & Society; and Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. A cognate is a group of at least three courses for at least nine credits, related in a topical, thematic, interdisciplinary, sequential, or other fashion, so that completion of a cognate provides coherent depth of knowledge. Each cognate has course options that allow students to complete the cognate in a manner that meets their interests, while staying within the coherent focus of the cognate.1 While students are required to take three cognates to fulfill the Areas of Knowledge requirement, there is no limit to the number of additional cognates students may complete. All cognates completed by students are listed on the students’ transcripts, thus certifying their depth of knowledge in those areas.

The university offers a large number and range of cognates. Additionally, each major and minor fulfills the cognate requirement in one Area of Knowledge. (Some majors and minors, depending on the courses selected, can fulfill alternative Areas of Knowledge.) All approved cognates are visible in a cognate search engine (at www.miami.edu/cognates) that allows students to search for cognates based on cognate features, cognate courses, and keywords. Each cognate is administered by a department or program that is designated as the Responsible Academic Unit (RAU) for the cognate. Enquiries regarding a cognate should be directed to the cognate's RAU.

1 The University’s cognate approval process ensures that all Arts & Humanities cognates require students to complete at least one course that goes beyond skill development, i.e., beyond the basic composition, oral communication, and introductory foreign language courses.


Arts & Humanities (9 Credits)
Arts & Humanities cognates engage students in the study of the most enduring and influential works of art, imagination, and culture. Through study, creation, and performance, courses in this area enable students to understand the works of artists, musicians, novelists, philosophers, playwrights, poets, historians, and theologians. These courses cultivate the ability to interpret, critically evaluate, and experience the creative products of human culture and expression.

Students will be able to:

• Critically evaluate and interpret the creative products of humanistic and artistic expression, applying appropriate vocabulary and concepts for their description and analysis.
• Understand the creation and performance of art.

People & Society (9 Credits)
People & Society cognates help students understand and analyze the organization of society and the patterns of social change, in the past and in the contemporary world.

Students will be able to:

• Analyze the organization of society.
• Analyze patterns of social change.

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Fullfilled by BSHS degree
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics cognates develop students’ abilities to think critically about mathematical, scientific, and technological issues, through an understanding of processes and methods of scientific inquiry involving experimentation, observation, and quantitative analysis. The cognates nurture literacies that enable students to make informed decisions in an increasingly complex world.

Students will be able to:

• Understand the use of quantitative tools, experimentation, and observation to analyze and solve mathematical, scientific, environmental, and technological problems.
• Interpret quantitative data and draw useful conclusions

The three cognates taken to fulfill the Areas of Knowledge requirement (including cognates fulfilled by majors and minors) must have different RAUs. No more than two Areas of Knowledge may be fulfilled by cognates whose RAUs are in the same school or college, except for the College of Arts and Sciences. Majors and minors may cover more than one Area of Knowledge, but may be used to fulfill the cognate requirement in only one of those areas. A course may be used in only one cognate used to fulfill the Areas of Knowledge requirement (including cognates fulfilled by majors and minors). Students may petition for individual course substitutions in cognates, by application to the cognate’s RAU. Transfer courses, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, CLEP, dual enrollment, etc., that are transferred in with specific UM course credit, can be used in cognates.

BS Health Science Plan of Study - General Track

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

* Students must also complete a minor in a discipline accepted by the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

*MAS 201 for Health Management and Policy Track
**Constitutes a Chemistry Minor


INDIVIDUAL TRACK REQUIREMENTS

1. Health Sciences General Track

• 3 credits of electives in biology or Public Health above the 200 level
• Physics - two semesters with lab
• A minor in a discipline accepted by the School of Nursing and Health Studies

2. Pre-Physical Therapy Track

• 3 credits of electives in biology or health science above 100 level
• HCS 216 Physiology Lab is also recommended.
• Physics - two semesters with lab
• Psychology 230 or 240 (Abnormal, Developmental)
• A minor in a discipline accepted by the School of Nursing and Health Studies

3. Pre-Pharmacy Track

• 3 credits of electives in biology or Public Health above the 200 level
• Chemistry minor - 111/113, 112/114, 201/205, 202/206
• Economics 211, 212
• Microbiology 301 or 303/304
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 401
• Communication 211
• HCS 216 Physiology Lab

(Transfer students who do not complete the chemistry minor at the University of Miami must choose another minor accepted by the School of Nursing and Health Studies.)

4. Pre-Occupational Therapy Track

• Physiology lab - HCS 216
• Medical Terminology (1-3 credits) – KIN 230 or online through another institution with prior approval
• Introduction to Psychology – PSY 110
• Abnormal Psychology – PSY 240
• Growth & Development or Developmental Psychology - BPH 317 or PSY 230

(Students may also consider completing a minor in psychology to fulfill the above psychology requirements)

Additional Requirement: Many graduate programs in Occupational Therapy require that applicants complete 20-40 hours of shadowing with a licensed Occupational therapist.

The requirements for admission to specific Occupational Therapy graduate programs can vary. Therefore it is essential that pre-occupational therapy students check with the specific graduate programs they are interested in applying to regarding perquisite courses and shadowing hours.

5. Pre-Medical Track

• Organic Chemistry I & II with Labs – CHM 201/205 and CHM 202/206
• Biochemistry for the Biomedical Sciences – BMB 401
• Six (6) graded credits of English (ENG) course work
• Introduction to Public Health – BPH 206
• Introduction to Epidemiology – BPH 208

Pre-medical students may want to consider a minor in Public Health or Health Communication.

According to AAMC: “In addition to challenging coursework, applicants should look for opportunities to demonstrate a range of competencies. To gain experience, applicants should consider volunteering at a local hospital or clinic to gain practical experience in the health professions. A well-rounded sampling of extra-curricular activities or work experiences, both related and unrelated to medicine, will help broaden an applicant's knowledge and development.”

6. Health Science / Health Management and Policy Track

• 12 credits of electives in biology or health science above the 100 level
• Health Sector Management and Policy Minor