Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management

Return to: School of Continuing and Professional Studies: Departments/Programs

The Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management prepares students with technical backgrounds in emergency medical services, health information management, medical laboratory technology, occupational therapy assistant, radiography, sonography, respiratory therapy, and physical therapy assistant to assume managerial and leadership roles in the health care system. This program gives nationally certified health professionals with the appropriate associate’s degree the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree from UVa on a part-time basis. All courses needed to complete the general education, major core, and elective requirements of the part-time degree are offered online, either in a synchronous or asynchronous format. Four courses have a brief in-person experience on Grounds in Charlottesville as a component of their requirements. To learn more about this undergraduate degree program, or to obtain application information, individuals should contact:

BPHM Degree Program

University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Zehmer Hall
104 Midmont Lane
P.O. Box 400764
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4764
800-346-3882
http://www.scps.virginia.edu

Admission Nationally certified health professionals who have completed an applicable associate’s degree and have earned 60 transferrable credits are invited to apply.

Degree Requirements Nationally certified health professionals who have completed an applicable associate’s degree and have earned 60 transferable credits can apply. The University then requires a minimum of 60 hours of UVa credit for the bachelor’s degree. See http://www.scps.virginia.edu/program-detail/bachelor-of-professional-studies-in-health-sciences/bphm-curriculum

Time to Degree Students will enroll in 6 credit hours per term (fall, spring, and summer). They can complete the program in as little as 10 terms (3.3 years), but must complete the program in 21 terms (7 years).

Academic Regulations and Options

All students are subject to the academic policies specified in the section titled “University Regulations”. The following academic requirements and options apply to students in the BPHM program along with regulations listed in this Record under SCPS Academic Policies, Rules, and Regulations.

Add/Drop Regulations Students may add courses, with instructor and academic advisor permission, until the published deadline for the semester. The add deadline is also the last day to change the grading option for courses. Students may drop courses without penalty until the published drop deadline. Students who withdraw from an individual course or all courses after the semester has begun will be charged tuition for the semester on a prorated scale.

Students are responsible for the accuracy of their course enrollment record; changes to course enrollment may be made online through the Student Center in SIS, before the published deadlines.

Advising Providing advising related to academic matters and student services is an important element of the BPHM degree program. All students receive individual academic advising from prior to their first term of enrollment in BPHM. Students are responsible for consulting with their advisors each semester before enrolling in courses. Academic advisors work closely with the student to plan the program of study, to monitor the student’s progress, and provide advice on matters pertaining to the program, academic policies, and procedures. Students and advisors should use Academic Requirements, the University’s on-line academic advising tool, and the student’s unofficial transcript to help monitor progress toward degree requirements.

The academic advisor may also assist the student in identifying a faculty mentor to work with the student on the Capstone Project that is undertaken near the completion of the BPHM degree program. A student who wishes to take a non-BPHM UVa course for credit or a leave of absence from the program must secure approval from the academic advisor, as well as the BPHM Director.

Course Load BPHM students must register for a minimum of three UVa credits per semester. A BPHM student may not enroll in more than nine credits per semester of enrollment.

Students who plan to apply for financial aid through the University need to carry a minimum of six credits per semester in order to be eligible for financial aid through the University. These students should contact the Office of Financial Aid to determine what the specific requirements are for the various types of aid they wish to receive. http://sfs.virginia.edu

Honor System The Honor System is one of the University’s oldest and most venerated traditions. Based on the fundamental assumption that anyone who enrolls at the University subscribes to a code of ethics forbidding lying, cheating, and stealing, the Honor System allows students the kind of personal freedom possible only in an environment where respect and trust are assumed. For nearly 160 years, students have administered this system at the University.

While the Honor System applies to students enrolled on- and off-Grounds through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, some procedures for administration of the system to continuing and professional studies students differ from those governing on-Grounds full time students. Off-Grounds students should consult the School of Continuing and Professional Studies website www.scps.virginia.edu or visit The Honor Committee website www.virginia.edu/honor for a copy of the By-laws under Governing Documents.

Leaves of Absence Students who wish to take a voluntary leave of absence for either a semester or a calendar year must consult with the BPHM Director and apply for such leave through the associate dean for academic programs and service’s office. The School of Continuing and Professional Studies requires students on leave to apply for readmission at least 60 days prior to the beginning of the semester in which they intend to reenroll.

Probation and Suspension Students may be placed on academic probation, with a notation appearing on their transcripts, if they:

Fail to earn a minimum grade point average of 1.800 for the semester;
Fail to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5;
Earn more than one grade below C in any given semester;
Earn a grade below C- in any course during two consecutive semesters;
Fail to complete the requirements of the first two or first four semesters on time.

Students on academic probation are expected to meet with their academic advisors prior to the end of the add/drop period so they may remedy their academic shortcoming(s). Students on academic probation who withdraw or take leaves of absence are eligible to return but do so on academic probation and are subject to suspension if they do not attain good standing within the first semester of their return.

Suspension involves enforced withdrawal from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. A student placed on probation in any semester may be suspended if he or she does not regain good standing at the end of the next semester. A student who has been suspended may apply for readmission after one regular semester or one calendar year has elapsed since the date of suspension. The BPHM Director determines the amount of lapsed time before readmission. If readmitted, the student will remain on probation and will be suspended again if not in good standing. While on suspension, students may not earn credits to advance their progress toward the BPHM degree.

Readmission Students who do not enroll at the University for more than two semesters and who are not on an approved leave of absence will be required to apply for readmission. Students returning from suspension will also be required to apply for readmission. Application for readmission must be made to the BPHM Director at least 30 days in advance of the next University registration period. Students should include with their applications a statement that (1) addresses their readiness to return to the program in light of any serious difficulties during their most recent enrollment (e.g., financial, medical, or personal hardship) and (2) outlines those courses that the student will take over the remaining semesters to qualify for a degree.

Refunds The refund schedule for classes offered through the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management is governed by the University’s refund schedule. For more information, please visit Student Financial Services http://sfs.virginia.edu/

Repeated Courses Two essentially identical courses, whether under the same course number or not, may not both be counted for degree credit. If a course is passed and repeated, only the first grade received is entered in the computation of the grade point average and counts toward the 120 credits required for graduation, although the repeated course and its grade do appear on the student’s transcript. If a course is failed and then repeated, both courses and grades appear on the transcript and are computed in the grade point average.

Satisfactory Academic Performance Students admitted to the BPHM program are expected to complete all degree requirements within seven years (i.e., twenty-one consecutive semesters including fall, spring, and summer) of matriculation into the program. Leaves of absence and suspensions do not change the requirement to complete all degree requirements within these parameters. All BPHM students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the degree. To that end, each student’s academic standing is reviewed at the conclusion of each semester.

Withdrawal The following policies govern withdrawal from the BPHM program as well as from individual courses:

Course Withdrawal With the instructor’s permission, BPHM students may withdraw from a course with a grade of W, up to the midpoint of the course. After this cutoff, students must complete the course. With an endorsement from the professor, the BPHM Director will consider a student’s petition to withdraw from a course after the deadline because of compelling and highly unusual circumstances. Students who discontinue a course at any point without complying with the proper procedure are subject to a failing grade.

Enforced Withdrawal The Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies may compel a student to withdraw from the BPHM program for good cause. A student who is asked to withdraw from the program may petition the dean for readmission after one calendar year.

Medical Withdrawal A student may withdraw from the BPHM program for reasons of health with the approval of the Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies and BPHM Director. A notation of Medical Withdrawal will appear on the student’s transcript.

Voluntary Withdrawal A BPHM student who wishes to withdraw from the program must formally withdraw from the University. The student is encouraged to meet first with the academic advisor of record; the student must meet with the BPHM Director for an exit interview. Leaving the program without following the requisite process results in the student’s receiving a grade of F in all courses that he or she fails to complete. A student who withdraws from the University voluntarily has the notation “Withdrawn [date]” recorded on his or her permanent academic record.

Financial Aid

BPHM students interested in applying for financial aid should consult the information provided by the office of Student Financial Services http://sfs.virginia.edu In general, requests for consideration of aid require that the student file the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the UVa Undergraduate Financial Aid Application. Minimum semester credit requirements for federal financial aid may be greater than those required by the degree program. Information about the FAFSA can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov; information about the Office of Financial Aid is available at http://sfs.virginia.edu or by calling (434) 982-6000.

Orientation

Orientation for new students is a key to success in the BPHM program. New students are required to participate in all scheduled BPHM orientation activities, generally involving individual meetings with BPHM staff as well as Saturday group sessions prior to the beginning of the semester. Prior to the beginning of classes, students are provided with information about registration, University e-mail accounts, student services, as well as academic advising.

Awards, Honors and Scholarships

Final Honors Degrees with distinction, with high distinction, and with highest distinction are awarded to BPHM students who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.400, 3.600, and 3.800, respectively, on all UVa course work.

Curriculum

The BPHM curriculum has five components: Humanities courses, Social Sciences courses, Major Core Requirements, Advanced Restrictive Electives, and two Capstone Project courses.

Courses listed below are subject to possible change as the curriculum is further developed.

General Education

BPHM students must complete two humanities/fine arts courses (6 credits) and three social sciences/history courses (9 credits). At least 3 credits for the general educational requirements must deal substantially with a non-Western culture. In general, the general education courses will be taken from B.I.S. Program online course offerings.

Major Core Requirements

Students will complete 30 credits of Major Core Requirements courses at UVa. The core requirements focus on competencies required for success in health care: communication, relationship management, professionalism, knowledge of health care and business skills, and business principles and leadership. The following courses are considered Major Core Requirements:

An Introduction to Health Care Management: Applying Concepts to Practice ^a
Current Issues in Health Care
Management of Organizations
Decision-Making and Health Care Ethics
Research in the Health Sciences
Issues in Leadership
Economics and Finance of Medical Care ^a
American Health Care: Challenges and Opportunities ^a
Introduction to Information Technology
Introduction to Health Care Management Project (Capstone I)
Health Professionals in Management & Leadership ^a(Capstone II)

Students must take An Introduction to Healthcare Management: Bridging Practice and Theory and Current Issues in Healthcare their first semester.

^{A. Limited on-Grounds experience; remainder of course completed online.}

Advanced Restricted Electives

Students will also complete 15 credits from UVa in the Advanced Restricted Electives category. Students can take additional courses in Current Issues in Health Care (1 credit each) and Current Issues in Management of Health Care (2 credits each) series as electives as long as the course numbers and focus topics are different. The following are the courses considered advanced restricted electives:

Organizational Change & Development
Human Resources Management
Current Issues in Health Care
Seeking Solutions in Health Care ^b
Applications of Health Informatics
Current Issues in Management of Health Care
Women’s Health Issues: Access, Treatment & Policy
Introduction to Public Health & Policy

^B. Seeking Solutions in Health Care is a practicum and may be repeated with new projects as approved by the student’s advisor.

Capstone Project

The required Capstone Project is the culminating academic activity of the BPHM program and provides students with an opportunity to integrate academic accomplishments with their professional interests in health sciences management and within their area of practice to develop a research project. The Capstone project builds upon students’ course work, research, and writing in the program, as well as professional involvements within their work environments and/or professional and career aspirations. Projects must be supervised by an approved faculty mentor. Students will be required to first complete Capstone I: Introduction to Healthcare Management Project (2 credits). This first course provides the student with the opportunity to strengthen their critical thinking, research and written communication skills, which further explore the process of research, writing a comprehensive literature review, and project methodology design. Students will apply what they learn to develop a thoughtful, well organized and clearly written proposal of their individual Capstone Projects. In addition, the course will provide the student with the guidelines to develop their Career ePortfolio and to schedule appointments with University Career Services Before registering for Capstone I: Introduction to Healthcare Management Project, students must have completed all of their other major core requirements (25 credits), all of their General Education requirements (15 credits) and all of their other restricted electives (15 credits), have removed all incompletes, and be in good academic standing, that is not be on academic warning.

Upon successful completion of the Capstone I course, students can then register for Capstone II: Health Professionals in Management and Leadership. This final course will prepare health sciences management students for real world management and leadership responsibilities by applying key program competencies to problem-solving challenges in the work place in the form of an end-product project. Students must receive a grade no less than a C in both of the Capstone Project courses to complete the BPHM degree. In the term in which the student takes the Capstone Project course, Health Professionals in Management and Leadership, they may take no more than three additional credits. Enrollment in the Capstone II course should occur in the last term prior to graduation.