Catalog 2024-2025

HSC - Health Science

HSC 100 Personal and Family Health

This course is a study of personal and family health and wellness. It examines the dimensions of health and recommends practices for developing healthy lifestyles. It explores health determinants, lifestyle behaviors, and risk and resilience factors associated with chronic and communicable diseases.

Credit Hours: 3

HSC 130 Medical Terminology

This course introduces the student to common word roots, prefixes and suffixes used by the medical and allied health professions. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to understand, speak, and define common medical terminology by deciphering its parts and apply the specific language.

Credit Hours: 3

HSC 200 Introduction to Allied Health Professions

This course is required of all students enrolled in the pre-professional allied health concentrations.  This introductory course examines career opportunities, history and trends, and philosophical issues specific to healthcare.  Course content includes professional development, academic planning for graduate school, introduction to interprofessional education, and blood-bourse pathogen training. 

Credit Hours: 2

Prerequisites

Allied Health or Athletic Training BSAT major.

HSC 203 Nutrition

A study of nutritional status and the effect of eating habits and food consumption on society, families and individuals.
Credit Hours: 3

HSC 220 Functional Anatomy

This is a one-semester course without lab that covers the structure and function of the human body on the cellular, systemic and organismal levels. Special emphasis is given to the skeletal, nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Credit Hours: 3

HSC 230 Human Anatomy and Physiology I

A study of the structures and functions of the body, with special emphases on histology and the integumentary, skeletal, muscular and nervous systems.  Permission to retake the course during the fall and spring semesters after having earned a letter grade in or having officially withdrawn from the course must be granted by the department chair.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

MAT160 must be completed with a grade C or better in order to enroll in HSC 230 and HSC 234.

HSC 231 Human Anatomy and Physiology II

A study of the structure and functions of the body, with special emphases on the endocrine, circulatory, digestive, respiration, urinary and reproductive systems.  Permission to retake the course during the fall and spring semesters after having earned a letter grade in or having officially withdrawn from the course must be granted by the department chair.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

HSC 230 and HSC 234 with a C or better.

HSC 234 Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory

This laboratory course introduces the students to hands-on exercises related to the structure and function of tissues, and the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems (including dissections of cats and brains as well as physiological concepts).  Permission to retake the course during the fall and spring semesters after having earned a letter grade in or having officially withdrawn from the course must be granted by the department chair.

Credit Hours: 1

Corequisites

HSC 230 or permission of instructor.

HSC 235 Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory

This laboratory course introduces students to hands-on exercises related to structure and function of the endocrine, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, urinary and reproductive systems (including dissections of cats, hearts, and kidneys as well as physiological concepts).  Permission to retake the course during the fall and spring semesters after having earned a letter grade in or having officially withdrawn from the course must be granted by the department chair.

Credit Hours: 1

Prerequisites

HSC 230 and HSC 234 with a C or better.

Corequisites

HSC 231 or permission of instructor.

HSC 236 Introduction to Public Health

This course provides the student with a clear understanding of the profession and science of public health. Through didactic instruction and experiential service-learning, students will gain knowledge in the following foundational public health domains: the history and philosophy of public health; the concepts of population health; the science of human health and disease; and the factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities. Additionally, students will develop skills in critical thinking, networking, teamwork, oral and written communication, and professionalism.
Credit Hours: 4

HSC 237 Determinants and Disparities in Health and Disease

By employing a biopsychosociocultural framework, this course introduces the student to the complex array of factors/determinants that influence human and population health and disease (e.g., socioeconomic, behavioral, psychological, biological, cultural, environmental). Using a system’s theory approach, it examines the underlying science of human health and disease and explores the various factors/determinants that contribute to human and population health.
Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

HSC 236

HSC 240 Global Disparities in Environmental Health

This course explores global and cultural disparities in health; specifically food safety, water quality, air quality, vector-borne disease, occupational health, and unintentional injuries.
Credit Hours: 4

HSC 250 Emergency Care for the Healthcare Professional

The content and lab activities in this course prepare students to work collaboratively, use critical thinking and make appropriate decisions about the care to provide in a medical emergency. The first responder skills taught include advanced first aid, single-responder-two-person responder and team CPR with AED training, administering supplemental oxygen, prevention of infectious disease transmission including OSHA bloodborne pathogen and exposure control planning. Lab fees required.

 

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

HSC 220 or HSC 230 with a C or better.

HSC 275 Health Education Theory and Strategies

This course provides a foundation of major theories and models focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation of health education interventions. Theories and models focused on individual health behavior, interpersonal health behavior, organizational and community behaviors will be addressed. The course focuses on public health issues, social determinants of health, health risk behaviors, and intervention strategies. The course includes trends in morbidity and mortality and factors that correlate with these trends. The course introduces data on health risks associated with behaviors such as smoking, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and substance abuse and introduces various strategic approaches for developing behavioral interventions.
Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

HSC 236

HSC 296 Independent Study in Health Science

A course offered at the discretion of the Health Sciences and Human Performance Department. By permission of instructor and department chair. May include a practicum. May be taken for variable credit.
Credit Hours: 1-8

HSC 299 Special Topics in Health Science

A course offered at the discretion of the Health Sciences and Human Performance Department. Subjects may focus on health science topics of current interest in the field or a topic that is of interest to a particular group of students.
Credit Hours: 3-4

HSC 310 Human Development Across the Lifespan

This course introduces students to psychological, social, and learning needs in the context of human development theories and stages, from conception through end of life. 
Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

Allied Health majors

HSC 340 Qualitative Research Methods

This course introduces students to the field of qualitative research and prepares them with the skills, techniques, and knowledge necessary to undertake independent research using this methodology. It will provide classroom and field application of qualitative research methods for studying community health problems. It provides a general introduction to ethnographic field methods, emphasizing systematic approaches to collection and analysis of qualitative data. Students will learn to identify the kinds of research problems for which qualitative methods are appropriate, and to critique, qualitative research in terms of design, technique, analysis and interpretation.
Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

HSC 236.

HSC 350 Biostatistics

This course provides the student with an overview of health science research and data analysis, the organization and summarization of data, and drawing inferences about the characteristics of sample data. Conceptual topics include descriptive statistics, probability, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, inferential statistics, and decision-making. Statistical techniques include sensitivity, specificity, measures of central tendency, dispersion, and variability, measures of bivariate association (Pearson, Spearman, Chi-square), t-tests, ANOVA and regression. 

 

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

ESC 110 or HSC 200 or HSC 236 or NUR 201.

HSC 355 Research Methods in Health Education and Promotion

This course is designed to provide a solid research foundation to students interested in health education and health promotion emphasizing systematic approaches to the application of research methods, designs and data collection strategies. Students will understand and apply ethical standards related to health education research, develop pertinent research questions and hypotheses, develop proposals, design data collection instruments, identify and critique research in terms of design, technique, analysis and interpretation, as well as explore and practice research dissemination.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

HSC 350

HSC 360 Principles of Epidemiology in Exercise and Public Health

This course provides the student with an overview of morbidity and mortality surveillance by understanding disease etiology, distribution, and control. The course focuses on disease surveillance related to exercise, rehabilitation, public and community health through both descriptive and analytical methods. Students will examine and discuss cohort, case and experimental studies to further illustrate epidemiological concepts including study design, disease distribution (e.g., outbreaks), measures of disease frequency, and determinants of disease, disability, condition, and injury.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

ESC 110 or HSC 200 or HSC 236 and junior or senior status.

HSC 371 Fundamentals of Pharmacology

Lecture/discussion course emphasizing an understanding of the basic principles of pharmacology specifically aimed at the needs of allied health professionals. The application of these principles to drug categories commonly encountered by allied health professionals is covered.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

CHE 150 or 152 and permission of the instructor.

HSC 380 Materials and Methods in Health Education and Health Promotion

This course is designed for students pursuing a strong foundation related to health education and health promotion development and methods through the preparation, presentation, and evaluation of health education and promotion topics. Students will learn to design, execute, and evaluate health education and health topics in a situational and contextually appropriate manner.
Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

HSC 275

HSC 401 Interprofessional Global Health and Service

This course will utilize an experiential, evidence-based model of learning and building on global health competencies. This experiential learning course will enable students to "learn by doing." The primary goal of this experience is to enable the students to contribute toward a better quality of life for all people, especially those who are vulnerable, underserved, marginalized and disadvantaged. The course will focus on providing content and skills necessary to collaboratively plan and implement a service-learning project that will address a community need.

Credit Hours: 3

HSC 420 Nutritional Supplements

This course addresses contemporary issues in the usage of dietary supplements and sports performance aids, including vitamin and mineral supplements, herbs and botanicals promoted to the general public and to the athlete. The focus is to use the scientific method to evaluate product and research literature and health claims, when it is known that data are often likely to be incomplete or inconclusive. The course also reviews safety data, adverse event reports and legal issues involving dietary supplements.

Credit Hours: 2

Prerequisites

One of the following, HSC 203, HSC 230, NUR 432, CHE 232, BIO 330, BIO 360, or permission of the instructor.

HSC 440 Health Policy and Social Change

This course provides key concepts and knowledge regarding how health policy is formulated, enacted, and implemented. The course analyzes health policy by focusing on how and why health policy is developed at the federal, state and local levels. Students will be given the tools with which to understand how both public and private institutions produce health policy in its various forms. Students will engage in local policy and advocacy processes. This course will provide a practical background to the study of public health policy.
Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

HSC 236 and HSC 275

HSC 445 Program Planning and Evaluation in Health Promotion and Education

This course will introduce students to the development, implementation and evaluation strategies that address health promotion issues at multiple levels. The course will provide a strong foundation of theories and conceptual frameworks used to develop, implement and evaluate health promotion from an ecological perspective - encompassing the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, social and policy levels.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

Pre- or corequisite HSC 380

HSC 446 Public Health Systems

This course integrates multiple perspectives of public health to solve problems using systems thinking tools such as icebergs, causal loops, and system archetypes. Students will have the opportunity to analyze a wicked public health problem and use systems thinking to identify leverage points. This course is intended for public health majors.
Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

Prerequisite HSC 240 and Pre- or co-requisite HSC 360 and Spartan Studies Core

Corequisites

HSC 447 Public Health Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response

This course will provide the students with a basic knowledge of public health preparedness and response using an all-hazards approach: radiological, biological, chemical, and natural disaster, as well as exercises utilizing case studies.
Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

HSC 240, HSC 360 (pre or co-requisite)

HSC 450 Public Health Management and Leadership

This course develops the student's ability to: 1) work with organizations and communities; 2) develop skills to mobilize resources and the organizational and community capacity to address public health challenges and achieve the national health objectives; and 3) enable participation and leadership in a network that fosters the future of public health. The course exposes students to concepts and theories of leadership, performance improvement, organizational behavior, marketing, operations, organizational strategy and continuous quality improvement. The general management perspective is emphasized.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

HSC 236 and HSC 275

HSC 470 Health Science Lab Practicum

An upper-level course for those looking to go onto professional/graduate school and/or those who would benefit from experiential learning in teaching various aspects of a laboratory course. Through direct involvement both in and out of the classroom, students gain hands-on knowledge of instruction in a health science laboratory. Under the supervision of the faculty, students participate in all aspects of teaching a semester long laboratory class. This may include, but is not limited to, presenting materials in the introductory component of each laboratory, working with students during laboratory hours, holding office hours, holding review sessions in the laboratory, creating and evaluating testing components, and laboratory preparation and maintenance. Counts as a general elective only.

Credit Hours: 2

Prerequisites

HSC 230, HSC 231, HSC 234 and HSC 235 (all w/grade of "B" or better), and instructor permission.

HSC 480 Internship in Allied Health

This is an instructional, field-based experience in the allied health occupations for the pre-professionals. Both directed and self-directed experiences are required under the supervision of a certified/licensed allied health care practitioner in an approved health care setting. Students must earn program coordinator approval, provide documentation of current immunizations, health screening and CPR certification, and make provisions for transportation to the clinical affiliation site. This course may be repeated for credit for a maximum of 12 credit hours.

Credit Hours: 0-12

Prerequisites

Junior or senior status, permission of instructor and departmental approval.

HSC 485 Undergraduate Research in Health Sciences

This course is an experiential education course that focuses on conducting undergraduate research in health sciences and working along with a faculty member. The students will be engaged in project conception, background literature study, methodology, data collection, analyzing results and possible presentation of research to larger community. At least 2 hours a week is required for each credit hour. This course can be repeated for up to 8 credit hours.

Credit Hours: 1-8

Prerequisites

Permission of instructor.

HSC 490 Internship in Public Health

This course integrates public health theory and practice in a professional setting. Students have the opportunity to apply concepts from core and concentration courses, conduct projects and interact with a range of health professionals. The student works with both faculty advisor and an academically and professionally qualified preceptor. This course may be repeated for credit for a maximum of 12 credit hours.
Credit Hours: 2-6

Prerequisites

Permission of Instructor.

HSC 491 Seminar in Allied Health

This course encompasses professional topics and current issues in the allied health professions. A seminar style class including discussions, reviews of current literature, case studies and journal article critiques will be conducted.  This course is taken as a co-requisite with HSC 492 Culminating Experience in Allied Health. The two courses together provide the requirements for the Allied Health major culminating experience including interdisciplinary related content from the natural and social sciences.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

HSC 200, Junior or Senior status, and Allied Health major. Spartan Studies Prerequisites: UTAMPA 101 (or equivalent), UTAMPA 102, UTAMPA 200, UTAMPA 201, Math requirement, AWR 101, Social Science course, Humanities core course.

HSC 492 Allied Health Culminating Experience

This course encompasses the culminating experience for allied health majors. This course provides students with an interdisciplinary perspective at solving current health care issues. Students will research and present topics based on relevant evidence in the allied health field including information learned from the natural and social sciences.
Credit Hours: 1

Prerequisites

Spartan Studies Prerequisites: UTAMPA 101 (or equivalent), UTAMPA 102, UTAMPA 200, UTAMPA 201, Math requirement, AWR 101, AWR 201, Social science course, Humanities course

Corequisites

HSC 491: Seminar in Allied Health

HSC 496 Independent Study in Health Science

A course offered at the discretion of the Health Sciences and Human Performance Department. By permission of instructor and department chair. May include a practicum. May be taken for variable credit.
Credit Hours: 1-8

HSC 499 Special Topics in Allied Health

A course offered at the discretion of the Health Science and Human Performance Department. Subjects may focus on topics of current interest in the field or a topic that is of interest to a particular group of students.

Credit Hours:

HSC 608 Research Methods in Health Science

This course will cover research designs and research methods for exercise and health related studies. In particular, this course will focus on qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research designs, data collection techniques and statistical analyses. This course builds on the basic knowledge of biostatistics to explore more advanced research analysis techniques with both parametric and nonparametric data. This course will enable the student to develop instruments that align with specific research questions/hypotheses.  Students will become knowledgeable of mixed methods research and a greater understanding of the usage of one design informing the other for more robust research endeavors.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

Must be admitted in the Master of Science in Exercise and Nutrition Science Program, or by instructor permission.

HSC 618 Professional Issues and the Practitioner

This course encompasses professional topics and current issues in exercise and nutrition science. 

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

Must be admitted in the Master of Science in Exercise and Nutrition Science program, or by instructor permission.

HSC 627 Sports Supplements and Ergogenic Aids

This course provides the student with a comprehensive overview of nutritional supplementation as it applies to body composition, performance (strength, endurance, power) and general health. The course will cover the major supplements touted to enhance energy, fat loss, strength, muscle, endurance, inflammatory status and the overall hormonal milieu.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

Must be admitted in the Master of Science in Exercise and Nutrition Science program, or by instructor permission.

HSC 635 Special Topics in Exercise and Nutrition Science

This course is an exploration of one or more special topics in exercise and nutrition science. The course gives students a comprehensive overview of a specialized field in sports and/or nutrition.  May be repeated if content varies.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

Must be admitted in the Master of Science in Exercise and Nutrition Science program, or by instructor permission.

HSC 637 Sports Nutrition

This course provides students with an advanced understanding of the role that nutrition plays in the acute and chronic response to exercise. In-depth discussion of macro and micro nutrients are discussed as they relate to exercise and sport.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites

Must be admitted in the Master of Science in Exercise and Nutrition Science program, or by instructor permission.

HSC 690 Practicum

The practicum provides clinical field based experiences in preparation for employment in the exercise and nutrition science related professions. Graduate students will gain insight into various practices, disciplines, techniques, administrative duties and clinical processes related to exercise and nutrition science.  Graduate students will provide documentation of their experience. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Credit Hours: 1-3

Prerequisites

By permission of the instructor.

HSC 696 Independent Study in Exercise Science

A course offered at the discretion of the Health Sciences and Human Performance Department. Eligible students are in the Masters of Exercise and Nutrition Science program. By permission of instructor and department chair. May include a practicum. May be taken for variable credit.

Credit Hours: 1-8

HSC 699 Comprehensive Exam

This course includes the master’s program comprehensive exam which must be satisfactorily completed to graduate with the MS Exercise and Nutrition Science degree.  The course also includes review for the comprehensive exam.  Satisfactory completion of this course will also help prepare those students who plan to take Certified Sports Nutritionist Exam (CISSN) offered by the International Society of Sports Nutrition but passage of the CISSN exam is not required for graduation from the MS program.

Credit Hours: 1

Prerequisites

Satisfactory completion of all core courses in the M.S. in Exercise and Nutrition Science program with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater. By permission of the program director.