Health Science (B.S.)

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Important note: This degree serves as a prerequisite to the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (OT) or the entry-level Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD). Students completing only this course of study are not eligible to become registered occupational therapists but have academic credentials that qualify them to be employed in health care and community settings. Students are required to complete 126 credits to obtain their degree.

Student Learning Outcomes for Health Science:

Students will be able to:

Analyze the factors that enable and/or hinder participation in meaningful occupations across the lifespan in multiple contexts.
Articulate the importance of occupation and its influence on health and wellness.
Analyze the body of evidence that relates to the understanding of health and human occupation.
Apply knowledge of culture and global health care patterns and systems to analyze complex cases.
Demonstrate professionalism through effective oral and written communication.
Demonstrate professionalism through interpersonal relationships.
Demonstrate critical self-reflection, promoting independent learning.

The Health Science major requires:

Off-campus experiential learning includes service-learning in the first three years and clinical placements in the fourth year.

HE 105 - Introduction to Health and Wellness 4.00 credits.
HE 110 - Occupations across the Lifespan 4.00 credits.
HE 205 - Evidence-Based Practice Foundation 4.00 credits.
HE 210 - Global Health Care Systems 4.00 credits.
HE 305 - Conditions and the Implications for Occupational Performance 4.00 credits.
HE 310 - Occupations and Activity Analysis 4.00 credits.
BIO 111 - Molecules, Cells, & Animal Systems 4.00 credits.
BIO 201 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4.00 credits.
BIO 202 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4.00 credits.
MA 250 - MA Sports Analytics 4.00 credits. or
MA 251 - MA Probability and Statistics 4.00 credits.
PSY 105 - SSC Introduction to Psychology 4.00 credits.
NEU 125 - NPS Introduction to Neuroscience 4.00 credits.

Fourth Year Required Courses (only if accepted into the OT graduate degree program by meeting the entrance requirements):

OT 505 - Occupational Therapy Evaluation: Adult Populations 4.00 credits.
OT 515 - Occupational Therapy Evaluation: Pediatric Populations 4.00 credits.
OT 525 - Occupational Therapy History and Theory 4.00 credits.
OT 532 - Occupational Therapy Intervention: Adult Populations 4.00 credits.
OT 533 - Occupational Therapy Intervention: Pediatric Populations 4.00 credits.
OT 534 - Scholarship I: Analysis of the Literature 4.00 credits.
OT 571 - OT Fieldwork Level I 0.00-1.00 credit. *each semester
OT 590 - Graduate Project Practicum 1.00 credit.

First Year Suggested Courses:

FYS 100 - First-Year Seminar 4.00 credits.
EN 100 - PLE First Year Writing 4.00 credits.
BIO 111 - Molecules, Cells, & Animal Systems 4.00 credits.
HE 105 - Introduction to Health and Wellness 4.00 credits.
HE 110 - Occupations across the Lifespan 4.00 credits.
PSY 105 - SSC Introduction to Psychology 4.00 credits.
MA 250 - MA Sports Analytics 4.00 credits. or
MA 251 - MA Probability and Statistics 4.00 credits.
Power of Language: Other Core course (4 credits)

Notes:

All HE/OT courses must be taken in the semester indicated. BIO 111 should be completed in the fall semester of the first year and must be completed during the first year. MA 250 or MA 251 needs to be completed in the first year.

Students should take 16 credits each semester of the first year.

If possible, avoid taking Social Sciences core other than PSY 105 or Natural and Physical Sciences core other than BIO 111 and NEU 125, because these courses are required in the major. If students complete other courses (that will ultimately count as electives) in these areas of understanding, it creates challenges related to completing requirements for minors and studying abroad.

First year students have already been notified of their acceptance into the occupational therapy program. Each first year student is assigned a faculty contact person from the program. A student with further questions should be referred to his/her contact person or to the Program Director.

Additional requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences:

OT students must achieve a grade of C- or higher in all required courses, including all courses with an HE or OT prefix; BIO 111 , BIO 201 and BIO 202 , MA 250 or MA 251 ; PSY 105 and NEU 125 . Students may repeat courses in accordance with College policies. Students choosing to repeat a course required for the major are strongly encouraged to discuss repeat options with their academic advisors.

Students must achieve an overall cumulative grade point average of 2.00 to earn a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences. Students who are not continuing into the Occupational Therapy graduate program in year four must complete a minimum of 20 credits of electives. Electives may consist of general education courses and/or approved 300-and 400 level courses that relate to the study of health sciences and the goals/interests of the student. At least one of the elective courses (3.0 – 4.0 credits) must be at the 300/400 level. Students will work with their advisor and/or the program director to identify appropriate and relevant courses.

Requirements for admission into the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program:

OT students must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.9 by the end of the junior year to be admitted into the OT graduate degree program, which begins in the senior year.

Students, in conjunction with their academic advisor, must also complete an essay to capture their professional development over their academic career. The purpose of this essay is to identify professional growth goals for entry-level practice. No student will be excluded from the graduate program based on the essay. If the composition does not meet the required expectations, repeated drafts guided by the academic advisor may be necessary. Essays are due at the end of the junior year to the Program Director by May 1.

Accreditation

The Occupational Therapy program has maintained a fully-accredited status since 1976 by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). The BS/MS Occupational Therapy degree program is fully accredited. The Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) received accreditation status as of January 2024. The organization can be contacted at ACOTE, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue - Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814; phone (301) 652-6611 or email accred@aota.org; www.acoteonline.org.