PROPOSAL
OUTLINE
Introduction
The College of Health and Nursing Sciences was formed in 1997 with the merger of two colleges – the College of Nursing, including the departments of Nursing and Medical Technology, and the College of Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation - and the addition of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics from the College of Human Resources. This merger created a college with four departments, each focused on specific areas related to health service, leadership, research and education.
The Physical Education Studies major (PES) within the Department of Health and Exercise Sciences was designed for students who wanted to combine the study of health and exercise sciences with other academic areas, such as nutrition, psychology, and coaching science. The Department of Health and Exercise Sciences has recently restructured some curricula and is no longer admitting students to the PES major. However, the Physical Education Studies major provides the ideal structure for a new interdisciplinary major, the Health Studies degree program, which has a much broader appeal to all students in the college, allowing them to have an academic major in the health field while giving them the flexibility to integrate another academic area.
The goal of this new undergraduate Health Studies major program is to provide students, interested in a broad range of health and fitness careers, with an education and a degree which will enable them to make wise health care decisions, to communicate with health care providers and, if they so choose, to continue their education in a health-care field. This major will provide a general studies option for students in the College of Health and Nursing Sciences. Graduates may seek employment as members of the administrative and support staff in a variety of health care settings: medical offices, health clinics, health maintenance organizations, non-profit health agencies, and community health programs, to name a few.
Students who complete the Health Studies Degree program will participate in educational experiences to better prepare them to:
· Communicate in a professional manner, using written and oral methods.
· Describe the normal structure of the body systems.
· Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of ethical aspects of health care and decision-making.
· Critically analyze health/fitness related research and interpret research findings.
· Discuss the current societal, governmental, ethical, scientific or business issues concerning their selected area of study in Health Studies.
Program Description
The
proposed Health Studies undergraduate degree program is designed for students
interested in a health-related major but who do not want one of the specific,
existing majors. The Health Studies major will combine a foundation in
sciences, humanities, and social sciences with a breadth of courses within one
or more departments from the College of Health and Nursing Sciences. In addition to the core requirements and the
primary interest area, which represent the health focus of the college,
students will select a secondary interest area or an existing University minor
outside the college that will build on students’ personal and career objectives
and interests in the health and fitness area. This major is designed for students
who have a broad interest in working in the health field in a variety of
settings.
The
curriculum requires 120 credit hours comprised of the following:
40-42 credits of General Studies requirements
45 credits of College major requirements
15 credits of a concentration area or UD minor
offered outside the college
6 credits of a Capstone/Service Learning experience
12-14 credits of free electives
The
College of Health and Nursing Sciences is an interdisciplinary, professional,
service-oriented college, emphasizing leadership, education, service and
research in a variety of health fields.
The college provides high quality undergraduate education to University
of Delaware students through traditional classroom and applied
experiences. The proposed offering as
an interdisciplinary curriculum is consistent with the college goals. The
addition of the service/learning capstone course helps to bridge the link
between college study and employment.
In the planning of this proposed major, we consulted
extensively with a broad array of University faculty from diverse disciplines
and have incorporated many of their suggestions in designing the degree
program. (Letters of support are
appended.)
Impact
on Other Programs
There is little likelihood that the Health Studies major will compete with existing degree programs at the University. The program parallels the development of another interdisciplinary major, Human Services, Education and Public Policy in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy, and provides an alternative to students who have an interest in the health field. There is a growing demand in the health care industry for educated professionals to fill a variety of positions.
Faculty with expertise and interest in health science instruction currently teach in the College of Health and Nursing Sciences. The core requirements and the primary interest area for the proposed major are comprised of existing courses and therefore, no new faculty should be needed at this time. Professionals in the Dean’s Office will provide academic advisement to students enrolled in this program.
We anticipate the program will begin with a small number
of students, no more than 15. Within three years, we expect the total
number of students enrolled in the Health Studies major to range between 50-60,
the majority of whom would be full-time students. The Exercise and Sports Studies concentration in the Department
of Health and Exercise Sciences is being disestablished; at least some of those
students are likely to choose the Health Studies major since it is a
broad-based flexible program similar to the one being eliminated.
The
proposed Health Studies major is designed to serve several different
populations of students.
Currently,
no institutions in Delaware offer a bachelor’s degree in Health Studies or any
degree that is similar to this degree.
However, there are several associate degrees from Delaware Technical and
Community College that would provide transfer courses into this undergraduate
degree program. For example, the
requirements for many of Delaware Technical and Community College’s Allied
Health Associate degrees, including Exercise Science Technology, Medical
Laboratory Technology, Bioscience Technology, Chemistry Technology and the
Associate degree in Nursing, provide an excellent entry into the
Interdisciplinary Health Studies undergraduate degree program. Students may enter this program as freshmen
or as internal or external transfer students.
There are no comparable undergraduate programs in the state that offer study in sciences, humanities and social sciences with a health discipline focus. A few institutions in the region have undergraduate majors that are similar to the Health Studies major but without the primary and secondary focus areas contained in this proposed program. The University of Maryland at Baltimore offers a degree in Health Education in their Department of Public and Community Health, the University of Sciences in Philadelphia has a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Program, and Towson University offers a degree in Health Science.
Accrediting and Licensing Requirements
There are no national, regional or local accrediting agencies that govern this major.
Enrollment, Admissions, and
Financial Aid
Enrollment
and Admission Requirements
Students who meet the criteria for admission to the University of Delaware as undergraduates will be eligible for admission to the Health Studies major. They will be required to follow the application procedures outlined in the University of Delaware’s catalogue. The program will begin in fall of 2002.
Student Expenses and Financial Aid
There will be no required student expenses beyond the
traditional book and supply costs.
Qualified students will be eligible for scholarships as other
undergraduate students are.
Curriculum Specifics
Degree
Awarded
Students who graduate from this program will receive a Bachelor of Science
(See specific curriculum in the catalog entry at the end of the proposal.)
The University of Delaware Library affirms it is well able to support the proposed degree.
Faculty
and Administrative Resources
At this time, additional faculty or administrative support for this major is not required. Professionals in the Dean’s Office will provide advisement for the proposed major.
External
Funding
There is no external funding needed or available at this time. However, enrollment is not contingent upon external funding.
Resources Required
Learning
Resource Required
No additional learning resources are required at this time.
Personnel
Resources
No additional administrative support staff is required to start this program.
Budgetary
Needs
No additional budget support is necessary at this time.
Implementation and
Evaluation
Implementation
Plan
The Health Studies undergraduate major proposal will be submitted to the Health and Nursing Sciences Curriculum Committee for review and approval. The proposal then will be submitted to the Education Committee of the Faculty Senate for approval.
Evaluation
Plan
In anticipation of the review by the Faculty Senate for permanent approval, the College of Health and Nursing Sciences will establish a committee to conduct a self-study.
On –going assessments will be conducted to measure the quality of the program. These measures include, but are not limited to, exit interviews of graduating students, course evaluations, capstone evaluations, and graduation rates.
University
of Delaware Undergraduate Catalog Entry
DEGREE: BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE
MAJOR: HEALTH STUDIES
CURRICULUM CREDITS
UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS
ENGL 110 Critical Reading and Writing (minimum
grade C-)............... 3
Three credits in an approved course or courses
stressing...... 3
multicultural,
ethnic, and/or gender-related content
COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS
Second Writing Course 3
An approved course (listed as "Section
satisfies A&S writing requirement" in the registration booklet) taken
after completion of 45 credit hours.
Communication or Foreign Language Course 3
BREADTH REQUIREMENTS
Group A: Understanding and appreciation of the
creative arts and humanities 6
Includes all Arts and Science Group A courses as
well as art courses and foreign language courses not used in the
Communication/Foreign Language requirement)
Social Sciences (4 of the following 6 choices)..... 12
PSYC201, ECON100 or ECON151, SOCI201, IFST201,
BUAD309,
Social Science/History Elective (as listed for Arts
& Science Group B or C)
Sciences (4 of the following 5 choices; must
include a biology course with lab). 13-15
BISC104 or 207, CHEM101 or CHEM103 or CHEM105,
BISC106 or BISC276 or
BISC306 or HESC220, STAT200, 100-level or higher
MATH
MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (minimum grade of C- in each course)
NURS100 New
Student Connections 1
HESC 155 Personal
Health Management 3
or
HESC 214 Wellness:
A Way of Life 3
NTDT 200 Nutrition
Concepts 3
HESC 210 Safety,
First Aid and Emergency Care 3
MEDT 210 Information
Technologies and Communication Skills 2
or
HESC 276 Personal
Computers in Health, Physical Education and Recreation 2
NURS 362 Research
Concepts in Health Care 3
or
HESC 400 Research
Methods 3
HESC, MEDT, NTDT, or NURS courses not part of the
concentration area 30
Concentration AREA REQUIREMENTS (minimum grade of C- in each course. No more than
9 credits of 100-200 level courses)
Minor outside College of Health and Nursing
Sciences minimum 15
or
Area of Concentration (from below) minimum 15
Family and Personal Health: (COMM200, FOSC102, HESC335, IFST329, IFST339,
IFST401, IFST410, NTDT305, NTDT310, NTDT350, NTDT452, PSYC325, PSYC334,
WOMS233)
Health Ethics and Decision-Making: (CNST332, CSCC241, CSCC/HIST382, ECON390, HESC200
or HESC300, HESC329, MEDT461, NTDT255, NTDT452, PHIL/CSCC229, PHIL/CSCC444,
POSC/SOCI/CSCC343, SOCI/CSCC311, WOMS/CSCC389)
Science-Based Health Information: (BISC105, BISC110, BISC152, BISC171/300, CHEM102
or CHEM104 or CHEM106, CHEM213, CHEM214 & 216, HESC220, HESC350, HESC426,
HESC430 & HESC431, MEDT390, NTDT201, NURS167, PHYS201, PHYS202, PSYC314)
HESC495 Health Studies Practicum. Student will
complete a Service Learning Experience 6
ELECTIVES
After required courses are completed, sufficient
elective credit must be taken to meet the minimum credits required for the
degree.
CREDITS TO TOTAL A MINIMUM OF 120
Revision of the Existing
Major of Physical Education Studies to
Health Studies Major in the
College of Health and Nursing Sciences
WHEREAS there is
currently a documented nationwide shortage of adequately
educated health care professionals, and
WHEREAS there are
undergraduate students at the University of Delaware
interested generally in both an education and career
opportunities
in health care services, and
WHEREAS students in one
of the existing majors in the College of Health and Nursing
Sciences may be unable or unwilling to continue in their
admitted major but still seek a health-related degree, be
it therefore
RESOLVED that the Physical Education
Studies major be revised and be offered by the College of Health and Nursing
Sciences as the Health Studies major and, be it further
RESOLVED that the new major will be evaluated in a timely
manner and revised as necessary.