Overview
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences encourages students to examine today’s complex health issues from a variety of perspectives. This degree provides students with a holistic view of health that can be customized for their professional goals and needs. The curriculum is structured to provide students an excellent foundation that can lead to numerous professional and scientific health-based careers. Students may build a customized program addressing their specific interests within three concentration areas.
Areas of Concentration
Health & Aging
Emphasize the health process across the lifespan with a particular focus on people from young adult to the end-of-life. It also provides opportunities to focus on specific aspects of aging, such as physical activity, nutrition, and communication processes.
Health Behavior Change
Understand the interplay among personal traits, family contexts, social structures, and cultural factors that play a role in healthy lifestyles. This includes developing strategies to implement and evaluate interventions that foster constructive health behaviors.
Health Diversity
Develop an understanding of the varied health needs of an increasingly diverse population. Coursework is directed at understanding health in light of several diversity factors including groups who may be marginalized due to poverty or social status.
Health Technology
Appreciate the role of health technology’s integration into society. Coursework is directed at understanding how existing and emerging health technology can improve and transform quality of life.
What Will I do?
The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program provides excellent preparation for a variety of health-related careers, as well as professional and graduate degree programs.
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Course Highlights
You can see descriptions of some of the classes we offer, below. For a complete listing, go to the academic catalog here.
Leadership in Health
IHLT 230, GenEd (SS, S&BS), Credit: 3 Hours
Develops a framework to understand practices of exemplary leadership. Topics include: 1) Modeling behavior, 2) Inspiring a shared vision, 3) Challenging processes, 4) Enabling others to act, and 5) Encouraging passionate leadership. Case studies of individuals who are recognized leaders in health and well –being at local, regional, national and global levels will be explored. Through various assignments, students identify their own leadership style and understand the important role they can play as leaders to address local and global health challenges.
In-person, CRN 65122
Instructor: Dr. Kristin DiFilippo
Aging and Health Policy
IHLT 240, GenEd (BS, S&BS), credit: 3 Hours.
Provides an understanding of the policies that affect service delivery to older adults including key historical and current policies such as the Older Americans Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Theories of public policy and involvement of older adults in the political process will be introduced. Challenges of issues such as chronic disease prevention, housing, transportation, nutrition, and elder abuse will also be explored.
In-person, CRN 69236
Instructor: Jeanine Peres Bensken
Our students pursue careers or further study in:
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Medicine
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Physical and Occupational Therapy
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Law
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Chiropractic medicine
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Public Health
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Nursing
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Health Promotion/Wellness
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Physician Assistant
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Dentistry
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Optometry
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Pharmacist
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Pharmaceutical Sales
Contact an Advisor
Contact CJ Holterman (Students with last names A-L)
Contact Andrea Wisdom (Students with last names M-Z)
Awards & Scholarships
As of February 1st, 2021, applications are no longer being accepted for undergraduate and graduate awards and scholarships. Information about the awards can be found here.
