Healthcare Studies, B.S. - STEM Foundations for Nursing

The program course outline and graduation requirements for this catalog year are listed below. To graduate, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be achieved, and a total of 120 credits is required. This total includes both the required courses for the program and any free electives selected. The department website provides an overview of the program, admission requirements for the major (when applicable), faculty biographies, learning outcomes, and careers: https://www.southernct.edu/academics/hsi/programs. 

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (46 Credits)

All bachelor’s degree programs include liberal education (LEP) and writing (W) course requirements. To review more detailed information, please visit General Education (LEP) Degree Requirements.   

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (43 Credits)

Up to three courses in the major/cognate may also satisfy LEP requirements and will be indicated below; no more than two courses in the same subject may be used towards LEP Explorations.

Core Requirements (25 Credits)
HLS 100 – Introduction to Healthcare Professions
HLS 180 – Introduction to Research and Writing in Healthcare
HLS 210 – Principles of Patient Centered Healthcare
HLS 220 – Healthcare Communication
HLS 310 – Electronic Health Information
HLS 315 – Healthcare Systems & Policy
HLS 330 – Case Studies in Healthcare Ethics or PHI 325 - Bio-Medical Ethics
HLS 410 – Medical Insurance and Billing

Select one:
HLS 260 – Medical Terminology of Body Systems and Diseases  OR
PCH 265 – Illness and Disease  AND  HLS 101 – Essentials of Medical Terminology

STEM Foundations for Nursing Concentration (18 Credits)
HLS 440 – Research Methods for Evidence-Based Healthcare

Experiential (select one):
HLS 490 – Career Skills for the Health Professional
HLS 497 – Internship in Healthcare Studies

Health Equity and Populations (select two): 
HLS 150 – Introduction to Aging Studies
HLS 350 – Interventions and Support in Dementia Care
HLS 370 – Perspectives in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Practices
HLS 380 – Cultural Humility for the Healthcare Professional
PCH 320 – Health Disparities and Social Justice
REC 307 – Disabilities in Society
Select two additional courses in HLS 

COGNATES & NURSING PREREQUISITES (31 Credits)

'B-' or better required in all Cognate Requirements

BIO 200 – Human Anatomy & Physiology I (T2LE)
BIO 201 – Human Anatomy & Physiology II
BIO 120 – Microbiology (T2LE)
CHE 125 –Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry (T2PR)
MAT 107 – Elementary Statistics (T1QR)
PCH 200 – Introduction to Nutrition
PSY 100 – Introduction to Psychology (T2MB)
PSY 219 – Lifespan Development

Select one:
MAT 108 – Mathematics for the Natural Sciences 
MAT 112 – Algebra for Business and the Sciences
MAT 120 – College Algebra 
MAT 122 – Precalculus 
MAT 124 – Finite Mathematics 
MAT 139 – Short Course in Calculus 
MAT 150 – Calculus I 
MAT 151 – Calculus II

ACCELERATED PATHWAY OPTION (12 Credits)

Students with an overall 3.0 GPA may be approved to complete an accelerated pathway. Graduate courses may be completed during their senior year when a student has earned at least 90 credits. Courses successfully completed with a grade of 'C' or higher will earn dual credit to be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate transcript. Approval to start graduate coursework does not guarantee admission to the graduate program.

Accelerated Pathway to Graduate Program
In consultation with their advisor, students may select up to 12 credits of graduate level coursework (500-level or higher) appropriate to their intended graduate program of study.