Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Health Sciences with a Major in Health Services Administration (BSHS)
Webpage: http://www.odu.edu/commhealth/academics/undergraduate
Program Email: [bshshsa@odu.edu]
Program Director: Dr. Maria Kronenburg
The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) degree with a major in Health Services Administration aims to provide students with current, relevant information and experiences that will enable them to function as entry-level health service administrators in local, state, and national arenas. Additionally, the program will prepare persons seeking advanced study in preparation for the MHA, MPH, MPP, MPA, and MS degrees and the foundation for PhD or MD educational career paths.
Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a major in the Health Services Administration program will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to enhance the administration and the delivery of health services through health care management and policy education. These graduates will serve as leaders for health care organizations in the public, private, and military organizations. The curriculum for the Health Services Administration major integrates a multidisciplinary approach that includes global and public health, health care finance, health services research, epidemiology, health care policy and health care management. Students will have the opportunity to gain practical health care management experience and drive innovation in health care policy.
Graduates of the program will be ready to serve as invaluable leaders in health care services.
The Health Services Administration major is available fully online, with the option to complete some courses on campus.
Admission to the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Program
ODU students who have completed all prerequisite courses with a C or better and meet the minimum cumulative GPA (2.00) requirement are admitted to the BSHS Health Services Administration program. Admission is conducted on a rolling basis. Students who have met all program admissions requirements will be referred by their advisor in the Health Sciences Advising Center/ODU Online Health Sciences advisor to the program director for major declaration, program admission and assignment to a program advisor.
For additional information on the curriculum or admission requirements, please contact: Program Director (bshshsa@odu.edu) or College of Health Sciences Advising Center (hsadvising@odu.edu).
Continuance and Readmission Policy
In addition to the Old Dominion University continuance policies in this catalog, the following policies are specific to all declared majors in the BSHS Program:
- A grade of C (2.00) or better is required in all BSHS courses to continue in the program.
- A student who earns a grade of C- or lower will not be considered in good academic standing in the major and must retake the course in the next semester the course is offered.
- A BSHS student who does not earn a grade of C or higher in multiple BSHS courses may be undeclared and must meet with the program director to create an academic success plan that outlines requirements for continuance in the major. Students who continue not to meet continuance requirements for more than one semester may be removed from the major and referred to the Academic Success Center for advising and degree counseling.
- A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or better is required to continue in the BSHS program.
- A student may be readmitted to the BSHS major only once.
Internship
The internship (HLSC 468) is designed and implemented to ensure that students achieve the following objectives:
- Practical experience in a health setting via exposure to an organization and/or community context that generates health activities.
- Acquisition of practical skills via related field assignments that challenge students to utilize knowledge of competencies learned from the academic curriculum and improved understanding of the political, economic, social and organizational context within which health services administrative activities operate.
BSHS student must apply for approval to enroll in the Internship course. Internship is a planned, supervised and evaluated exercise that serves as a culminating experience for students pursuing the BSHS degree. A student may be eligible for the internship upon senior standing in the major (at least 90 credits completed). Internships must be planned and approved in advance. The internship course may be taken with other courses up to the minimum full-time credit hours for the term, i.e. a student may enroll in no more than a total of 9 credits in summer or 12 credits in fall/spring when enrolled in HLSC 468 Internship. The internship learning contract must be submitted for approval prior to the internship paperwork deadline: May 1 deadline to register for summer semester; August 1 deadline to register for the fall semester; January 1 deadline to register for the spring semester.
Internships should be sought and undertaken in an organization, agency, department or community that provides planning and/or services that are relevant to the core areas of health services administration. Any student who plans to organize an internship without the appropriate foundation may be at a disadvantage in the organizations in which internships are undertaken. All students must complete an internship within their major, i.e. Health Services Administration. The internship experience and course address the relevance of developing skills and competencies.
Some internship sites may require the student to complete a criminal background check and/or proof of vaccination status prior to beginning the internship.