Health Sciences (B.S.)

Departmental Requirements (27 hours)

• HSC 110 - The Interprofessional Health Team *
• HSC 305 - Professional Communication and Relationship Centered Care **
• HSC 310 - Health Care Delivery
• HSC 315 - Introduction to Public Health
• HSC 350 - Principles of Health Care **
• HSC 360 - Technology in Care Delivery
• HSC 380 - Health Literacy and Culture Care **
• HSC 450 - Patient Safety - Quality Improvement
• HSC 460 - Leading Change

•   

  *Health Career Advancement Studies students will choose one HSC 3 credit hour elective in place of HSC 110.

• **HSC 305, HSC 350 and HSC 380 require the completion of criminal background checks, immunizations, and CPR requirements according to School of Health Sciences Health Affairs policy. Instructor permission is required.

Additional Major Requirements (17 hours)

• Select from the following (8 cr):

  The 8 credit hours of coursework in PHGY fulfill the Natural Sciences requirement; the 8 credits in HSC do not fulfill the requirement.

• PHGY 220 - Human Anatomy and Integrated Physiology I [SGR #6, HSDC]
• PHGY 220L - Human Anatomy and Integrated Physiology Laboratory I [SGR #6, HSDC]
• PHGY 230 - Human Anatomy and Integrated Physiology II [SGR #6, HSDC]
• PHGY 230L - Human Anatomy and Integrated Physiology II Laboratory [SGR #6, HSDC]

• Or

• HSC 280 - Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology [SGR #6]
• HSC 280L - Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab [SGR #6]
• HSC 281 - Human Disease

•  

• Select three of the following courses (9 credit hours total) or select a major track with a Health Sciences Specialization below: 

• HSC 111 - Introduction to Research
• SPAN 120 - Medical Spanish I
• SPAN 121 - Medical Spanish II
• HSC 250 - Healthcare Terminology in the Clinical Setting
• HSC 262 - Health Careers Exploration
• HSC 275 - Comparative Cultures, Theory and Leadership in Healthcare
• HSC 320 - Introduction to Epidemiology
• HSC 325 - Global Health
• HSC 330 - Native People’s Health Care, Promotion and Policy
• NATV 330 - Native People’s Health Care, Promotion and Policy
• HSC 370 - Computerized Medical Records Regulatory Compliance
• HSC 400 - Clinical Analytics
• HSC 440 - Evidence-Based Decision Making
• HSC 475 - Process and Outcomes Evaluation
• HSC 306 - Spanish for Health Care Workers
• HSC 340 - Interprofessional Approach to Person-Centered Care
• HSC 365 - Universal Supports in Disabilities Services
• HSC 385 - Introduction to and History of Disability
• HSC 494 - Internship (C)

Clinical Studies Specialization (10-11 hours) Optional

• ANAT 411 - Human Gross Anatomy
• HSC 440 - Evidence-Based Decision Making

•  

• Choose one of the three statistics courses below for a total of 3 or 4 credits:

• STAT 281 - Introduction to Statistics (C) [SGR #5, HSDC]
• PSYC 371 - Statistics in Psychological Research (C)
• BIOL 420 - Introduction to Biostatistics & Computational Biology (C)
• BIOL 420L - Introduction to Biostatistics & Computational Biology Laboratory (C)

Note:

• Minimum of 30 credit hours must be taken from USD.
• Maximum of 90 transfer credit hours may be applied to the degree.

Four-Year Program Guides and Costs

USD encourages students to take 15 credits per semester or 30 credits within the year in order to graduate in 4 years. To help students complete their academic degree program in four years, we provide a sample academic plan. Please work with your academic advisor to confirm your plan.

• Health Sciences, B.S. No specialization 4-year plan guide  
• Health Sciences, B.S.-Clinical Studies specialization 4-year plan guide  
• Community College for Sioux Falls Health Sciences, B.S. No specialization 4-year plan guide   

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will be able to demonstrate the cultivation of knowledge, skills, values and motivation that will enable them to make a difference in the civic life of communities and promote the quality of life in a community and engage in activities of personal and public concern that are both individually life enriching and socially beneficial to the community.
2. Students will interact with other students and evaluate the effort put into team tasks, interactions with others, and the quantity and quality made to team discussions.
3. Students will design, evaluate, and implement a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal.
4. Students will be able to assess their own ethical values and the social context of problems, recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings, think about how different ethical perspectives might be applied to ethical dilemmas and consider the ramifications of alternative actions.
5. Students will intentionally engage with diversity in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions leading to opportunities for equal access to participation in educational and community programs for all members of society.
6. Students will connect ideas and experiences in order to synthesize and transfer learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus. 
7. Students will be able to communicate meaningfully with members of the health care community using appropriate oral, written and non-verbal skills.  
8. Students will be able to demonstrate professional behaviors when interacting with members of the health care community to serve others appropriately and enhance patient care/services and/or organizational management. 
9. Students will be able to complete self-assessments, outline the process for developing a vision, and develop a plan to influence change in health care. 

Courses or Programs Leading to Professional Licensure or Certification

The University of South Dakota as of July 1, 2020, cannot confirm whether any particular course or program meets educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in states other than South Dakota. If you are planning to apply for licensure/certification in a state other than South Dakota after completion of your program, contact the academic department offering your major or CDE at 605.658.6152 or by email at cde@usd.edu. USD is working to comply with these requirements and will provide up-to-date information as it becomes available.

If your learning placement course (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) or your online course will be taken outside South Dakota, please reference the State Authorization webpage below.

Information about State Authorization & Professional Licensure