2019-20 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2019-20 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Health Studies, BS


About the Program


Apply Now The health studies program provides a number of paths to students who wish to work in a health-related career but do not want to pursue nursing. Graduates are well prepared to immediately enter non-clinical occupations within the health care sector, and/or to pursue master’s degrees in health and human services or doctoral level training in health services research, public health, or health education. Students can also pursue pre-professional tracks preparing them for entry into advanced degree programs such as occupational therapy and physical therapy. Other health care pre-professional tracks are also listed under the B. S. in Biology degree that can be taken in the health studies program with the addition of some required Biology courses.

Degree Requirements


  • 120 Credit Hours
  • Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
  • Certain courses may only be available at one campus location

PNW General Education Core (30-31 Credits Minimum)


Other Required Courses (56-57 Credits)


Students will take a minimum of 32 credits of Health Studies related course work towards the degree if they are following a general track (see below). Four specific tracks are presented that provide course work important for entry into a career path (wellness/fitness, administrative/communication) or a professional degree program in health studies (pre-physical therapy, pre-occupational therapy). Tracks for additional health care careers can be designed in consultation with the department.

Free Electives (24-25 Credits)

Total 120 Credits Required


Degree Map


Requirements


Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA):  2.0 GPA

Experiential Learning (EL):  One EL course required.  EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title.  Most students fulfill this requirement by taking ENGL 10500. HST 30800 Health Studies Practicum will also fulfil this requirement. See the Experiential Learning Course List for additional courses meeting this requirement.

General Education Core:  General Education notations can be found within the course description.  Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement.

Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study. 

Courses that are only offered on one campus will be noted by an (H) for Hammond, or (W) for Westville.

Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information.

Semester 2 (15-16 Credits)


Semester 6 (15 Credits)


  • Area of Study Course (See Note 2)
  • Area of Study Course (See Note 2)
  • Area of Study Course (See Note 2)
  • Free Elective
  • Free Elective

Semester 7 (15 Credits)


Semester 8 (15 Credits)


  • Area of Study Course (See Note 2)
  • Area of Study Course (See Note 2)
  • Area of Study Course (See Note 2)
  • Free Elective or Area of Study Course
  • Free Elective or Area of Study Course

Additional Information and Guidelines


Note 1: The plan of study shown is for a generalized health studies track. Students will take a minimum of 32 additional credits of Health Studies related course work towards the degree beyond the core if they are following a general track.

Note 2:  Area of studies courses will be different depending upon the track chosen and students should consult the list of suggested courses.

Note 3:  For students pursuing a pre-professional track (any track with pre-as a prefix) should take the BIOL 21300, BIOL 21400 sequence rather than SCI 10500.

Students in Health Studies take a core set of health studies courses (33 credits), general education courses (30-31 credits), and a minimum of 32 credits of Health Studies related course work. Four specific tracks are also available that provide course work important for entry into a career path (wellness/fitness, administrative/communication) or a professional degree program in health studies (pre-physical therapy, pre-occupational therapy). There are additional health-care pre-professional tracks listed under the B. S. in Biology that can be taken through the B. S. in Health Studies with the addition of some biology courses in the tracks. Tracks for additional health care fields of study can also be designed in consultation with the department.

At least 1 Area of Study courses must be classified as experiential learning courses. Students must take at least one credit of EL course work. Most students fulfill this requirement by taking ENGL 10500. HST 30800 Health Studies Practicum will also fulfil this requirement.

At least 8 credit hours of Area of Study courses must be 30000 level or higher.

Many Health Studies majors in the general plan of study seek a business or other minor which can be as much as 24 credits. The number of free electives available under this track gives them an opportunity to pursue a minor of this type. The maximum credit hour track is in pre-physical therapy with a requirement for 41 additional credits.

Resources


The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester.  Certain exclusions apply.