334 Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences—Department of Health Science The D.H.Sc. program offers a four concentration curriculum. Students can either complete the generalist, the global health, the education for the health professions, or the telehealth concentrations. The D.H.Sc. program requires completion of a minimum of 55 credits of coursework. This includes 44 credits of didactic coursework, 9 credits of practical coursework, and 2 credits for the Scientific Writing course. The D.H.Sc. courses are designed in distance-learning formats. Each student holds the responsibility to fulfill all class requirements, access recommended resources, and meet the designated deadlines for assignment submission exams. All D.H.Sc. students must take DHS 8010 Statistics and Research Methods and DHS 8071 Conflict Resolution for Health Care Leaders. All doctoral students may take the course(s) in an online-only format or a hybrid format. Students who elect to take the online-only format must attend the required 20 hours of virtual class meetings throughout the summer term. Students who elect to take the hybrid format must attend the 20-hour on-site session during the winter term. Students who do not take an institute will be given an incomplete and will be required to take it the next time it is offered. Students can now choose between attending the required institutes virtually in the summer or on-campus in the winter. The program curricula are designed to build upon the scientific and general knowledge of the health care professional while focusing on the overall health care picture. Leadership, policy, diversity, evidence-based medical practice, and alternative methods of treatment are but a few of the areas stressed in the generalist curriculum. During the course of study, the student must complete a practicum and internship approved by the course director in an area of health care such as leadership, education, policy, or delivery. Students selecting a concentration in global health, education in the health care professions, or telehealth should focus their internship and practicum work in their chosen area of study. The internship is used to expose the student to an area of health care not commonly experienced in the student’s normal area of practice. Though they are two separate portions of the curriculum, the internship may be used as an area of research in preparation for undertaking the practicum. The coursework is professor-paced using state-of-the-art, web-based delivery. The curriculum and coursework follow a standard 12-week semester calendar in conjunction with resident on-campus programs. At the standard pace established by the program, the course of study can be completed in three years. It is required that all coursework be completed within seven years. Admissions Requirements Prospective D.H.Sc. students are selected by the Committee on Admissions, which considers the overall qualities of applicants and their suitability for this course of study. Areas of consideration include application content, academic record, prior health care experience, letters of evaluation, and personal motivation. In special circumstances, a personal interview with members of the committee on admissions may be required. 1. Prior to matriculation, applicants must have completed a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. 2. Applicants must demonstrate a cumulative master’s degree G.P.A. at or above a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale to be eligible for regular admission. The Committee on Admissions will make a recommendation to the dean of the college as to any remedial coursework necessary for an applicant to achieve full admission. 3. Prior health care experience is required and is strongly considered in the admissions process. The D.H.Sc. is a postprofessional degree designed for advanced health practitioners, public health professionals, and health care administrators from a wide variety of disciplines. The commonality exhibited by our students is the expert practice of a recognized health occupation at a professional level, or two years of administrative experience in a health care organization with progressively increasing responsibilities over that time frame. The successful applicant’s health profession may emphasize delivery of services to individual clients (e.g., PA, PT, R.N., LCSW, etc.) or be population based (M.P.H., M.H.A.). An appropriate level of professional practice is generally recognized by health professions licensure (e.g., R.N., PT), a national certification or registration (e.g., PA-C, RVT, RRT, CRNA, FACHE), a recognized health professions academic credential (e.g., M.P.H., M.S.N., M.S.W., M.H.A., M.B.A.), or a combination of the above. All questions regarding the appropriateness of an applicant’s qualifications for admission can be discussed with the department chair or program director on an informal basis, but the official recommendations are made by the Committee on Admissions to the dean of the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences. The dean makes the final determination. Successful past applicants and graduates have included physicians, dentists, nurses, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, physician assistants, master’s degree-level social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dental hygienists, and athletic trainers. We have recently expanded the program to include health care administrators, and our graduates now include a hospital CEO and an assistant surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service. Doctor of Health Science (D.H.Sc.) Program
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