Program Overview

The Health Sciences curriculum is flexible in order to serve the needs of a variety of health care career interests. Students choose to focus their education according to one of three available majors, depending on their areas of interest: Clinical and Medical Sciences, Health Care Administration, or Public Health.

Clinical and Medical Sciences students have the option for the Three to a Health Sciences Degree. This option allows students to complete their BS in Health Sciences -  in three years - an excellent option for students who plan to pursue post-graduate degree options like medical school, physical therapy, physicians’ assistant and other masters or doctoral degrees.

Students in each major have the opportunity to complete additional academic opportunities that will add value to their Drake education. A variety of double majors, minors and concentrations can be added to any Health Sciences major.

Educational Goals

The purpose of the health sciences program is to provide graduates with the relevant knowledge base, skills, attitudes, ethics and values to succeed in basic and applied health-related careers.

Goal 1. Knowledge Base and Lifelong Learning Skills
Graduates will have a strong foundation in the physical, biological, clinical and behavioral sciences coupled with an understanding of how business and management models apply to health sciences-related fields. Graduates will develop the skills and habits to acquire and apply new knowledge.

Goal 2. Values and Ethics
Graduates will understand and accept their duties and responsibilities outlined by their chosen career and to society in general. Graduates are expected to have developed value systems and ethical standards that guide their behavior.

Goal 3. Critical Thinking Skills
Graduates will use critical and creative thinking and an evidenced-based approach to identify, analyze and solve problems.

Goal 4. Communication and Collaborative Skills
Graduates will be able to communicate effectively with their peers and their constituents in a variety of formats and actively participate in collaborative environments.

Goal 5. Career Planning and Development
Graduates will emerge from the program with realistic ideas regarding how to implement their knowledge, skills and values in a variety of settings.

Requirements for Major

Health Sciences students must also complete the Drake Curriculum requirements in addition to the requirements for the major below. Students must declare a track by the end of their first semester.

Public Health

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
BIO 012 & 012L	GENERAL/PRE-PROFESSIONAL BIOLOGY I and GENERAL/PRE-PROFESSIONAL BIOLOGY I LAB	4
FYS 0--	First Year Seminar	3
HSCI 020	INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH SCIENCES	2
HSCI 021	PROFESSIONALISM IN HEALTH CARE	2
HSCI 025	INTRODUCTION TO US HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS	3
HSCI 055	INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH SCIENCES	3
Select one of the following:		3
HSCI 060	STATISTICS IN HEALTH SCIENCES
STAT 060	STATISTICS FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES
HSCI 102	PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH ECONOMICS	3
HSCI 105	VALUES AND ETHICS IN HEALTH SCIENCES	3
HSCI 106	CULTURE CARE AND HEALTH LITERACY	3
HSCI 108	INTRODUCTION TO US HEALTHCARE POLICY	3
Select one of the following:		4
HSCI 125 & 125L	MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY and PHYSIOLOGY LAB
BIO 129 & 129L	MAMMALIAN PHYSIOLOGY and MAMMALIAN PHYSIOLOGY LAB
PHAR 125	PHYSIOLOGY
HSCI 141 & 141L	HUMAN ANATOMY and HUMAN ANATOMY LAB	4
HSCI 143	INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY	3
HSCI 144	INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC HEALTH	3
HSCI 146	HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE LIFESPAN	3
HSCI 155	GUIDED RESEARCH I	2
HSCI 156	GUIDED RESEARCH II	2
HSCI 172	EVALUATING RESEARCH	3
HSCI 180	PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMMING I	3
HSCI 181	HEALTH COMM & ADVOCACY	3
HSCI 182	PUB HEALTH PROG 2: IMPL & EVAL	3
HSCI 196	HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP I	3
HSCI 197	HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP II	3
PSY 001	INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY	4
Electives		45
Total Hours		120

Students may declare a business minor after successful completion of ACCT 041 INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING.  HSCI 102 PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH ECONOMICS does not apply to the business minor.

Specific Regulations / Academic Requirements

Health Sciences students should become familiar with the General Information section of this catalog, which covers many regulations that affect all Drake University students. The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences also has a number of specific regulations and requirements that must be met to progress through the health sciences curriculum. Some of these are listed below; others are available in the Health Sciences Student Handbook.

Many health sciences courses have prerequisite requirements. Admission to a course is denied if prerequisite courses have not been successfully completed. Therefore, deviations from the curriculum as it is structured require careful consideration. Course prerequisites may be found in the area of this catalog.

Health Sciences students may apply a maximum of 9 hours of elective coursework on a credit/no credit basis toward graduation. Courses regularly graded on a credit/no credit basis are not included within the 9 hours maximum. The student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 before registering in a course on a credit/no credit basis.

All fourth-year health sciences students are required to complete a senior capstone experience (HSCI 196 HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP I/HSCI 197 HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP II) prior to graduation. Due to regulations at many of the experiential sites used for the senior capstone experiences, the college will complete a criminal background check and drug screen prior to entering the senior capstone year. Senior capstone sites have the right to refuse to accept a student based on the results of the criminal background check. Many of these sites also require that a copy of the background check is forwarded to them. Students who have positive drug screens and will be entering their senior capstone experience will be referred to the Chemical Dependency Policy.

Health Sciences students are assigned a faculty member as their faculty mentor. Faculty mentors help students:

• Adapt to the college environment
• Assist in the development of the student's education plan by providing input and feedback
• Encourage discussions about the appropriateness of their chosen career track and the career options within the profession
• Assist in identification of opportunities for professional skill development and
• Make appropriate referrals to university student service offices when academic or personal difficulties arise.

The Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is responsible for coordinating the registration process, verifying appropriate registration of courses, approving educational plan waivers and transfer credit requests, updating degree audits with regard to substitutions, waivers and transfer courses, answering student questions regarding registration, credit completion, course transfer process and study-abroad opportunities, and coordinating and communicating opportunities for internship, study abroad, research and postgraduate study. The final responsibility for completion of graduation requirements, however, belongs to the student and, accordingly, each student should become familiar not only with the curriculum but also with the academic regulations of the college.

Elective Policy

Elective credits include Drake Curriculum requirements not fulfilled by required coursework as well as non-required coursework that permits exploration of and/or advanced study in areas of professional interest within the student’s primary degree. Electives should be intentionally selected and provide the student with an opportunity to not only pursue areas of intellectual interest, but also to develop an individual brand that may benefit them in their professional or academic future. Electives should (a) expand upon information presented in the standard curriculum, (b) introduce new information that is relevant to the field of study, (c) or prepare the student for graduate study. It is recommended that at least 40 elective credit hours are numbered 100-level or higher for graduate and doctoral programs. Students should refer to their degree evaluation for determination of the total number of required elective credits.
Additional policies for each program are listed below:

• Masters of Athletic Training
  • Independent study may not be considered for professional elective credit without an approved exception to program policy.
  • Students completing any MAT concentration offered by CPHS, the Global and Comparative Public Health Concentration, or the Leadership Education and Development Concentration may apply core required (100 level) courses in these programs toward professional elective requirements.
• Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences
  • Electives must be taken for a grade unless the course is designed as credit/no credit.
  • An independent study may be considered for elective credit with an approved CPHS Request for Independent Study.
  • Students in approved articulation dual degree majors may have courses outside of Drake University accepted as electives as outlined in those curriculum agreements.
• Occupational Therapy Doctorate
  • Beginning Fall 2020, OTD students must take one professional elective course during the O2 year. Courses may be an approved non-required OTD course or any other professional elective course approved by AAC for which the student meets enrollment criteria.
• Doctor of Pharmacy
  • Professional electives should be taken no earlier than the first semester in the PharmD curriculum. Professional electives taken prior to admission into the professional program are not to be counted toward the required total. If the required total is not met, it may delay the student’s progression to advanced pharmacy practice experiences.
  • Independent study may be allowed as professional elective credit if (a) the experience is not applied toward required course and (b) appropriate for the degree of study. While students may engage in multiple independent studies as allowed by their schedule, no more than 50% of total professional elective credits required may be obtained via independent study. Independent study must be conducted with CPHS faculty to be considered as a professional elective.
  • Students completing the joint degree programs for MBA, MPA, MPH, JD, and MSLD may apply these courses in these programs toward professional elective requirements.
  • Students completing any PharmD concentration offered by CPHS, the Global and Comparative Public Health Concentration, or the Leadership Education and Development Concentration may apply core required (100 level) courses in these programs toward professional elective requirements

Experiential Program Notes

Course Requirements for Accelerated Partner Program and International Capstone Students

The Health Sciences Senior Internship includes the following courses:

• HSCI 155 GUIDED RESEARCH I
• HSCI 156 GUIDED RESEARCH II 
• HSCI 196 HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP I
• HSCI 197 HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP II
• Students intending to apply to an accelerated partner program must inform the Health Sciences Experiential Director prior to November 15. If the notification deadline is not met, the student will be required to complete HSCI 196 HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP I and HSCI 197 HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP II in consecutive fall and spring semesters. No other scheduling options for internships or research will be considered following the deadline.
• Any deviation from the above course requirements must be planned in conjunction with the Health Sciences Department Chair and Associate Dean of Curriculum and Assessment (via the Exception to Program Policy Request Form) by November 15 of the student's junior year.
• If alternative arrangements for research courses and/or internships are made, the student is committed to the arranged schedule even if the student is not admitted into the accelerated program.

International Internships

• Students completing internships at international sites may take HSCI 196 HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP I and/or HSCI 197 HEALTH SCIENCES INTERNSHIP II during the summer before senior year.
• Students seeking to complete internships at international sites should contact the Health Sciences Experiential Director no later than November 15 of their junior year.