Policies
Transfer Credit
The BHS Program is designed as a transfer degree program, with the expectation of a minimum of 76 semester credits or 114 quarter credits being transferred to Pacific. Transfer credit must be from a regionally accredited college or university, of a 100-level or higher and not college-preparatory work, and the student must have earned a grade of C- or higher in the courses. Pacific may award transfer credit for any courses that are relevant to, and appropriate for, the BHS degree. Students must complete all required upper-division courses at Pacific University. 30 of the last 40 credits must be completed at Pacific University.
Program Length
The Bachelor of Health Science degree is an 11-month program (three semesters).
Program Learning Outcomes
Students completing the BHS program will:
- Have a fundamental understanding of the financial, marketing, and operations sectors of healthcare.
- Develop competency in cross-cultural healthcare delivery and basic Spanish-language healthcare terms.
- Explore domestic and international healthcare policy development and healthcare delivery methods.
- Complete a paper and presentation that reflects content learned in the program. This final paper and presentation will also prepare students for academic writing should they wish to continue their studies.
Program Format
The Bachelor of Health Science degree is an 11-month program (three semesters) delivered asynchronously through online content and through synchronous online class meetings. Students are required to attend online class meetings as well as the online orientation in August. The BHS program has a block curriculum design, which means that every semester students complete six to seven courses, but take only 2-3 courses at one time.
Accreditation
The Bachelor of Health Science Program is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Academic Standing Policies
Students are required to adhere to all Program, School, College, and University standards regarding academic integrity. Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated. If an instructor detects instances of plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, misrepresentation, failure to appropriately attribute reference materials or the reuse of a student’s written materials from other courses on any exam, paper, assignment or other work submitted by a student, or the submission of the work of another student as your own work, the result will be an immediate failure of the course, with a grade of F, and referral for immediate action including possible dismissal from the program.
In cases of flagrant or intentional violations of the University Code of Academic Conduct or the University Code of Student Conduct, a student may be removed from the BHS program without previous warning, at any time.
Please refer to the Handbook regarding academic dishonesty and integrity: http://www.pacificu.edu/studentlife/handbook/index.cfm
Add/Drop/Withdrawal Schedule
Students may drop a semester-long course through the 10th day of the semester without having the course appear on the transcript. Since the BHS program is an accelerated degree completion program with a fixed curriculum, adding or dropping a course is not permitted or recommended unless the student is requesting a Leave of Absence from the program.
Appeals Process
In general, program decisions regarding academic standing are final. A decision may be appealed to the School of Healthcare Administration and Leadership Student Review Committee only if the student can show that 1) there was an error in the procedure used by the faculty, 2) there is new evidence sufficient to alter the decision, or 3) the sanction imposed was not appropriate to the severity of the violation of professional or academic standards. Appeals to the College of Health Professions Standards and Appeals Committee are to be filed with the Director’s office within 10 days from the date of notification of the original action. Students are not allowed to attend class until the student has filed an appeal. Further appeals may be pursued through the University Standards and Appeals Committee.
Attendance Policy
All students are expected to attend classes regularly and promptly. This applies to online classes with asynchronous sessions as well as the weekly synchronous online classes. Students who miss classes will be held responsible for all in-class course assignments. If a student repeatedly fails to attend classes without excused absences, they may be dismissed from the BHS program. It is the responsibility of each student to immediately notify the Program Director and course instructor prior to class if an absence is anticipated.
Students have the responsibility to take all scheduled assessments on the announced date and time. Students who report to class late on an assessment day may not be given any extra time. This also applies to online courses with dates indicated in the syllabus. An absence from an assessment shall be considered “excused” if it occurs because of any of the following circumstances (valid documentation may be requested):
- Hospitalization of the student or an immediate family member due to illness or accident
- Death in the student’s immediate family (i.e.; spouse, parents, guardians, siblings, children, grandparents, etc.)
- Summons of the student to appear for jury duty or before a court
- Any reason that has been approved by the BHS Program Director in advance
Auditing
The Bachelor of Health Science courses are offered only for credit; students may not audit.
Catalog Year
Students may select the previous year’s catalog (the one they referenced to plan their transfer work) or current year’s catalog (the catalog under which they will graduate) under the guidance of the Program Director.
Commencement
Commencement is in August. Students are not required to participate in Commencement. If a student has completed all degree requirements but has outstanding debt to the University, they may participate in Commencement, but will not receive their diploma until all debts are settled. If a student has completed all degree requirements except for the internship, the student may participate in Commencement if they have completed an Academic Advising Plan that lays out the path required to
Continuation in the Program
Students must earn a 2.0 or higher GPA each term and maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA in all coursework earned at Pacific. A final grade of C- or above must be earned in each course, with the exception of core project courses which require a final grade of B- or higher (HSC 470/HSC 471/HSC 475). Students who do not achieve a minimum grade of C- in any course will be required to retake that course and delay graduation. Students who earn below C- in one or multiple courses will be placed on Academic Warning and continued poor performance may result in dismissal from the program.
All degree requirements must be completed within 4 years of the first day of class during the student’s initial term in the program. If a student fails to complete coursework within 4 years, the student will be dismissed from the program.
Good academic standing in the Bachelor of Health Science program is defined as: continued enrollment, satisfactory academic progress, satisfactory progress towards total completion of internship hours, behavior that leads to professional competence and positive interpersonal and professional relations, and appropriate professional/ ethical conduct and attitudes. Students are monitored and evaluated regularly by the BHS Program Director according to standards defined in the program handbook.
Credit Load
12 credits serve as a full-time course load. Fall term is 12-14 credits, Spring term is 13-15 credits, and Summer term is 15 credits. Students will be enrolled in the required coursework for each term by the School of Healthcare Administration and Leadership Program Administrator. Students may also elect to enroll in an Independent Study or another elective course offered through the BHS Program if they need additional credits to meet the 120 credit minimum for graduation.
Between 12-18 credits is considered a normal load; for overload, tuition charges remain at the full-time level. Permission is required to be enrolled in more than 18 credits; students are charged full-time tuition, plus the part-time per-credit charge for each credit above 18.
Grading
The Bachelor of Health Science Program uses the following grades: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, P, N. P = 75% (C) or higher. Students must earn a 2.0 or higher GPA each term and maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA in all coursework earned at Pacific. A final grade of C- or above must be earned in each course, with the exception of core project courses which require a final grade of B- or higher (HSC 470, HSC 471, HSC 475). Students who do not achieve a minimum grade of C- in any course will be required to retake that course which will delay graduation. Students who earn below C- in one or multiple courses may be placed on Academic Warning and continued poor performance may result in dismissal from the program.
Honors
Students graduating with a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 to 3.699 are designated Cum Laude; 3.70 to 3.909 are designated Magna Cum Laude; 3.91 to 4.00 are designated Summa Cum Laude.
Incomplete Grades
Instructors may issue a grade of Incomplete only when a major portion of a course has been completed satisfactorily and there are extenuating circumstances such as health emergencies, previously unanticipated demands on the job, disability, family circumstances or other emergent situations that prevent the student from completing all course requirements by the end of the semester.
The instructor(s) and the student must agree upon a plan that outlines the remaining coursework, and establish a deadline by which all outstanding course work will be completed and submitted to the instructor(s) for evaluation and assignment of a final course grade. This plan (Contract) must be submitted to the School Director for approval in advance. Students may take up to two academic semesters to make up any incomplete course work. If the incomplete course work is not completed within two semesters, the Incomplete automatically changes to a grade of “F” or “N” (No Grade) and the student may be dismissed from the program.
After submission of the work, the instructor completes a Grade Change form and submits it to the School Director for approval; the form then is processed by the Registrar.
The instructor and the student are required to agree upon a deadline by which all coursework will be completed and submitted to the instructor. Students may take up to two academic semesters to make up any incomplete work.
If agreed-upon work is not completed and no grade change form is submitted within two semesters (and an extension has not been granted), when the Incomplete grade expires the course grade becomes an F. Faculty may request an extension of an Incomplete (before the expiration date of the Incomplete) by notifying the Registrar’s office.
BHS students receiving Incomplete grades in more than two courses in any semester may be placed on Academic and/or Financial Aid Warning. Please see the section on “Academic Policies and Procedures” in the University Student Handbook for a full description of an Incomplete grade.
Questions regarding this policy should be directed to the BHS Program Director.
Repeating Courses
If a student is retaking a course in order to earn a grade that would allow them to graduate from the BHS Program, then the new grade would replace the previous low grade. All courses taken count toward a student’s overall GPA.
Leave of Absence/Readmission
Students may apply for a leave of absence from the BHS Program for up to one year. To apply for readmission after an absence of one semester or more, a student must complete a brief Application for Readmission form, and submit official transcripts from all colleges attended during the absence from Pacific to the Director of the School of Healthcare Administration and Leadership. Students who have been dismissed due to academic misconduct are not eligible to reapply.
Non-Degree Seekers
Only students who have been accepted into the degree program may take BHS courses.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Good academic standing in the Bachelor of Health Science Program is defined as: continued enrollment, satisfactory academic progress, satisfactory progress towards total completion of internship hours, behavior that leads to professional competence and positive interpersonal and professional relations, and appropriate professional/ethical conduct and attitudes. Students are monitored and evaluated regularly by the BHS Program Director according to standards defined in the program handbook.
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