The Bachelor of Science in health science (BSHS) at Wichita State University is a preprofessional degree program designed to prepare students for admission to a wide range of undergraduate and graduate clinical education programs, including nursing, dental hygiene, medical laboratory sciences, physical therapy, physician assistant, occupational therapy and professional programs such as medicine, dentistry, optometry and pharmacy. Departmental courses provide a competitive advantage by bringing healthcare systems knowledge into students’ professional training as future clinical providers.
Students complete coursework that builds strong foundations in the hard sciences, mathematics, health services delivery, population health assessment and leadership, with additional program content in public health, health services management and aging studies. The program also offers interdisciplinary elective options that allow students to tailor their academic pathway. These electives provide flexibility for students who wish to pivot from a clinical career track to administrative preparation, such as pursuing an Administrator-in-Training (AIT) practicum for roles in long-term care administration, or to complete the coursework needed to sit for the Community Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam, a national certification that supports careers in community health education, outreach and prevention programs.
Successful graduates of the BSHS also complete an applied learning professional portfolio.
Admission to the College of Health Professions
Students choosing to study health science are admitted to the BS in health science degree program. They are assigned a college advisor who assists them in meeting the requirements for the degree.
Program Requirements
A minimum total of 120 credit hours is required for the BS in health science. Students in the health science degree program are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.000 with no individual program course generating a grade less than 1.700 credit points per credit hour. In addition to meeting the requirements of the WSU General Education Program and the requirements of the College of Health Professions, students in the BS in health science program must take the following courses:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| Select courses to meet General Education requirements 1 | 34-35 | |
| Health Science Required Courses (33 credit hours) | ||
| PHS 100 | Introduction to Aging Studies | 3 |
| PHS 101 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| PHS 310 | Introduction to U.S. Healthcare and Administration | 3 |
| PHS 300 | Careers in Healthcare | 3 |
| PHS 325 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| PHS 344 | Health for All | 3 |
| PHS 356 | Foundations of Healthcare Policy, Law and Ethics | 3 |
| PHS 410 | Interprofessionalism and Health Communication | 3 |
| PHS 428 | Healthcare Organization and Leadership | 3 |
| PHS 448 | Healthcare Quality and Analytics | 3 |
| PHS 613 | Healthcare Education and Behavior | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Electives (6 credit hours) | ||
| Select 6 credit hours from the following (general education courses from this area may also be used to meet general education program requirements). Courses must be passed with a C- or higher. | 6 | |
| Psychology of Aging | ||
| Sociology of Aging | ||
| Foundations of Healthcare Informatics | ||
| Adaptive Leadership | ||
| Healthcare Professionalism | ||
| Healthcare Coordination | ||
| Living with Death: Understanding Loss and Legacy | ||
| Care Networks and Services | ||
| Senior Living Operations | ||
| Rural Healthcare Leadership | ||
| The Medicare System | ||
| Community Health Methods | ||
| Public Health and Communication in Aging | ||
| Hospitality and Enrichment in Aging Communities | ||
| Introduction to Research Methods | ||
| Introductory Business Statistics | ||
| Kinesiology | ||
| Concepts in the Prescription of Exercise | ||
| Bioethics | ||
| Psychological Statistics | ||
| Research Methods in Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Personality | ||
| Developmental Psychology | ||
| Program Mathematics and Natural Sciences Electives (15 credit hours) | ||
| Select a minimum of 15 credit hours from the following (general education courses from this area may also be used to meet general education program requirements). Courses must be passed with a C- or higher. | 15 | |
Any BIOL, CHEM, HS and MATH course 100 level or above | ||
| Physiology of Exercise | ||
| Statistical Concepts in Human Performance Studies | ||
| Biochemistry for Clinical Scientists | ||
| Medical Immunology | ||
| Principles of Diet and Nutrition | ||
| Introductory Physics | ||
| General College Physics I | ||
| General College Physics II | ||
| Physics for Scientists I and University Physics Lab I | ||
| Physics for Scientists II and University Physics Lab II | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Required Before Graduation | ||
| Applied Learning Portfolio | ||
| Open Electives | ||
| Select enough electives to reach 120 credit hours | 31-32 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
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Required major courses may also count towards General Education requirements. Students will need to select additional electives to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation with assistance from an advisor.
Requirements for Graduation
Students in the health science degree program are required to complete the PHS Applied Learning Portfolio as part of the degree requirement.
Departmental Honors Program
Scholarship and research are encouraged at the undergraduate level. Students who meet the qualifications should explore adding the honors program to their undergraduate major. Students who are not PHS majors and are involved in the Cohen Honors College, should contact the PHS department for permission to enroll in these courses, as appropriate.
Admission requirements include:
- Status as a PHS major;
- An overall GPA of 3.500 in all major coursework;
- A one-page, double-spaced letter describing reasons for applying to the honors track, goals and potential benefits to participating in the program; and
- Agreement by a PHS faculty member to mentor the final project.
Honors Program Requirements
Students admitted to the PHS honors track must complete the following:
- Maintain a 3.500 cumulative GPA in all major coursework;
- Be a participating member of the Health, Education, Advocates for Leadership, Teamwork and Humanity (HEALTH) student organization;
- Maintain a portfolio of assignments, activities and reflections throughout the honors track;
- Complete and present a mentored scholarly activity during the last year of the program by enrolling in a 1-3 credit hours of PHS 401H Field Research Public Health Science Honors; and
- Enroll in and complete the honors assignments with a minimum of 12 credit hours of PHS coursework selected from the following options:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHS 325H | Epidemiology Honors | 3 |
| PHS 344H | Health for All Honors | 3 |
| PHS 356H | Foundations of Healthcare Policy, Law and Ethics Honors | 3 |
| PHS 408H | Adaptive Leadership Honors | 3 |
| PHS 410H | Interprofessionalism and Health Communication Honors | 3 |
Students who have previously taken the courses above without honors can contact their advisor to see how they can earn honors credit.
Applied Learning
Students in the Bachelor of Science in health science program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from this program. The requirement can be met by successfully completing the applied learning portfolio.
For more information and a program handbook, contact the undergraduate coordinator by email: phs@wichita.edu, by phone at 316-978-3060, or visit the department of public health sciences website.