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Focus Areas and Minor Options

The BHS requires completion of 120 hours of coursework. Within those hours, student may select 18 hours of elective courses. When choosing elective hours, it is important to consider targeted focus areas, areas of specialization, or key areas of interest. Whether you are planning to complete your undergraduate degree and begin your career, or are planning to attend graduate school, review these optional focus areas and minor options to help further enhance your marketability in the workplace.

Focus Areas

Leadership & Management in Health

PUB-ADM 310: Intro to Public Administration (3)
PHYS-ED 5530: Org. and Administration of Athletics (3)
ECON 201: Intro to Economics I (3)
CPCE 420: Effective Interpersonal Communication (3)
HLSC 215: Health Promotion (3)
+3 hours of other electives

Health Promotion

PHYS-ED 401: Health Teaching in the Schools (2)
A&S 304CM: CCC: Body Images in Med. & Arts (3)
PHILOS 315: Logic & Method. In Health & Soc. Sci. (3)
NAT-SCI 430PC: CC: Biological & Ethical Issues in Aging (3)
HLSC 215: Health Promotion (3)
HLSC 445: Core Competencies in Health Education (3)
HLSC 225: Human Sexuality (3)
CPCE 420: Effective Interpersonal Communication (3)

Healthy Active Living

PHYS-ED H175: Personal Fitness (2)
PHYS-ED 401: Health Teaching in the Schools (2)
PHYS-ED 401: Health Teaching in the Schools lab (1)
PHYS-ED 323: Nutrition for Fitness & Sport (3)
PHYS-ED 5530: Org.& Admin. of Athletics (3)
NAT-SCI 130: Physics of Sports (3)
HLSC 115: Basic Life Saving for Healthcare Providers (1)
CPCE 420: Effective Interpersonal Communication (3)

Nutrition

PHYS-ED 401: Health Teaching in the Schools (2)
PHYS-ED 401: Health Teaching in the Schools lab (1)
PHYS-ED 323: Nutrition for Fitness & Sport (3)
CPCE 400: Intro to Counseling Psychology (3)
HLSC 403A: Comparative Weight Loss 1 (1)
HLSC 403B: Comparative Weight Loss 2 (1)
HLSC 403C: Comparative Weight Loss 3 (1)
HLSC 445: Core Competencies in Health Education (3)
CPCE 420: Effective Interpersonal Communication (3)

Women’s Health

HLSC 490WC: Women’s Health in the Community (3)
PSYCH 305: Psychology of Women (3)
CPCE 420: Effective Interpersonal Communication (3)

Global Health

ANTHRO 212: Global Health (3)
ANTHRO 324: Diversity and You (3)
BLKS 320: Critical Health Issues in Black Commun. (3)
PSYC 320: Ethnic & Minority Perspectives in Psychology (3)
A&S 210: Cross-Cultural Interaction: Experience & Understanding (3)
+4 hours of other electives

Minors

Students may use their 18 hours of elective courses to minor in any area of their choosing, though some minors may require more than 18 credit hours. Students interested in a minor should consult a departmental adviser in the academic unit of the minor. Minors are available through the following academic units:

College of Arts & Sciences

www.umkc.edu/catalog/College_of_Arts_Sciences_Major_and_Minor_Requirements.html

Minors offered in the College include the following: anthropology; art history; studio art; bioethics and medical humanities; black studies; chemistry; classical and ancient studies; communication studies; criminal justice and criminology; economics; English manuscript, print culture, and editing; English writing; English language and literature; English creative writing; environmental studies; environmental sustainability; family studies; film studies; French; geography; geology; German; German studies; gerontology; history; healing and the humanities; Judaic studies; mathematics; philosophy; physics; political science; sociology; Spanish; theater; and women's and gender studies.

Minor is offered in business administration.

Preparation for Graduate School Programs

For graduate programs not offered at UMKC, students should familiarize themselves with the requirements of programs of interest to them to ensure they are taking the proper courses to meet their entry requirements.

Pre-Dental Course Requirements

At UMKC, the following courses are referred to as pre-dental courses. The Algebra, English, Biology, Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry courses should all be completed before the Dental Admission Test (DAT) is taken. Some of the pre-dental courses are already required as part of your BHS degree, so will not be re-listed here. Pre-dental students should know that dental schools encourage prospective students to have a solid background in social sciences and humanities, which is one of the reasons why the BHS degree is such an excellent choice for prospective dental students. The course titles and numbers for pre-dental courses are:

Biol 108: General Biology I (3) - best taken in the Spring semester; do not have to take the lab at the same time
Biol 108L: General Biology I Lab (1)
Biol 109: General Biology II (3)
Biol 109L: General Biology II Lab (1)
Chem 211: General Chemistry I (4) - best taken as one of the first elective courses; do need to take the lab at the same time
Chem 211L: General Chemistry I Lab (1)
Chem 212: General Chemistry II (4)
Chem 212L: General Chemistry II Lab (1)
Chem 321: Organic Chemistry I (3)
Chem 321L: Organic Chemistry I Lab (1)
Chem 322: Organic Chemistry II (3)
Chem 322L: Organic Chemistry II Lab (1)
Physics 210: General Physics I (includes lab) (4) - best not taken in your first semester
Physics 220: General Physics II (includes lab) (4)
Biol 202: Cell Biology (3)
LS Bioc 365: Human Biochemistry I (3) - only offered in the Fall semester

In addition to the above courses, some dental schools may also require students to take additional courses. Some of these may be:

Phil 222: Logical Reasoning (3) - which is one of the Phil choices for BHS
Math 210: Calculus I (4)
Biol 328: Histology (2)

Pre-Medicine Course Requirements

At UMKC, the following courses are referred to as pre-med courses. They should all be completed before the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is taken. Some of the pre-med courses are required as part of your BHS degree, so will not be re-listed here. Pre-med students should know that medical schools encourage prospective students to have a solid background in the social sciences and humanities, which is one of the reasons why the BHS degree is such an excellent choice for prospective medical students. The course titles and numbers for pre-med courses are:

Biol 108: General Biology I (3) - best taken in the Spring semester; do not have to take the lab at the same time
Biol 108L: General Biology I Lab (1)
Biol 109: General Biology II (3)
Biol 109L: General Biology II Lab (1)
Chem 211: General Chemistry I (4) - best taken as one of the first elective courses; do need to take the lab at the same time
Chem 211L: General Chemistry I Lab (1)
Chem 212: General Chemistry II (4)
Chem 212L: General Chemistry II Lab (1)
Chem 321: Organic Chemistry I (3)
Chem 321L: Organic Chemistry I Lab (1)
Chem 322: Organic Chemistry II (3)
Chem 322L: Organic Chemistry II Lab (1)
Physics 210: General Physics I (includes lab) (4) - best not taken in your first semester
Physics 220: General Physics II (includes lab) (4)

In addition to the above courses, some medical schools may have additional course requirements. These commonly include:

Math 210: Calculus I (4)
Stat 235: General Statistics (3)
Biol 202: Cell Biology (3)
Biol 206: Genetics (3)
LS Bioc 365: Human Biochemistry I (3)
LS Bioc 366: Human Biochemistry II (3)

Pre-Pharmacy Course Requirements for UMKC’s PharmD program

At UMKC, the following courses are referred to as pre-pharm courses. They should all be completed prior to fall entry into the PharmD program. Some of the pre-pharm courses are required as part of your BHS degree, so will not be re-listed here, unless there is a time restriction associated with the pre-pharm requirements. The UMKC School of Pharmacy advising office reminds students that since a high PGA is extremely important (average GPA for admission is 3.6), these courses should not be rushed through. The course titles and numbers for pre-pharm courses are:

Biol 108: General Biology I (no lab necessary) (3)
Biol 109: General Biology II (no lab necessary) (3)
Chem 211: General Chemistry I (4)
Chem 211L: General Chemistry I Lab (1)
Chem 212: General Chemistry II (4)
Chem 212L: General Chemistry II Lab (1)
Physics 210: General Physics I (includes lab) (4)
Math 210: Calculus I (4) -OR- Math 216 Biomath I: Calculus and Modeling (4)

The following courses must also be completed, but must be completed within FIVE YEARS prior to admission entry date:

Chem 321: Organic Chemistry I (3)
Chem 321L: Organic Chemistry I Lab (1)
Chem 322: Organic Chemistry II (3)
Chem 322L: Organic Chemistry II Lab (1)
Biol 202: Cell Biology (3)
HLSC 120: Anatomy & Physiology I (includes lab) (4)
HLSC 160: Anatomy & Physiology II (includes lab) (4)
HLSC 280: Medical Terminology (3)

LS-MCRB 121: Human Biology III (Microbiology) (3)
LS-MCRB 121L: Human Biology III (Microbiology) Lab (2)

Pre-Physical Therapy (for students interested in a Doctorate in Physical Therapy)

While UMKC does not offer physical therapy as a degree, the following courses are commonly required and/or recommended for entry into physical therapy programs. Familiarize yourself with the requirements of programs of interest to you to ensure you are taking the proper courses to meet their entry requirements. Some of the pre-physical therapy courses are already required as part of your BHS degree, so will not be re-listed here. The course titles and numbers for pre-physical therapy courses are:

Required courses—all must be completed at least one year prior to entering physical therapy program:

Phil 321: Ethics (3)
Psych 433: Abnormal Psychology (3)
Soc 211: Social & Psych Development (3)
Biol 108: General Biology I (3)
Biol 108L: General Biology I Lab (1)
Biol 109: General Biology II (3)
Biol 109L: General Biology II Lab (1)
Chem 211: General Chemistry I (4)
Chem 211L: General Chemistry I Lab (1)
Chem 212: General Chemistry II (4)
Chem 212L: General Chemistry II Lab (1)
Physics 210: General Physics I (includes lab) (4)
Physics 220: General Physics II (includes lab) (4)

Recommended courses:

COMM ST 377: Interpersonal Communication (3)
CS 100: Computer Survival (3)
First Aid/CPR Certification

Pre-Occupational Therapy (for students interested in a Master’s in Occupational Therapy)

While UMKC does not offer occupational therapy as a degree, the following courses are commonly required and/or recommended for entry into occupational therapy programs. Familiarize yourself with the requirements of programs of interest to you to ensure you are taking the proper courses to meet their entry requirements. Some of the pre-occupational therapy courses are already required as part of your BHS degree, so will not be re-listed here. The course titles and numbers for pre-occupational therapy courses are:

Required courses—all must be completed at least one year prior to entering occupational therapy program:

Phil 321: Ethics (3)
Psych 433: Abnormal Psychology (3)
Soc 211: Social & Psych Development (3)
Biol 108: General Biology I (3)
Biol 108L: General Biology I Lab (1)
Chem 211: General Chemistry I (4)
Chem 211L: General Chemistry I Lab (1)

Recommended courses

COMM ST 377: Interpersonal Communication (3)
CS 100: Computer Survival (3)
First Aid/CPR Certification

Accelerated Nursing—BSN

UMKC’s Accelerated Nursing program is designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and would like to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). This takes the UMKC three-year pre-licensure course work and condenses it to a 5 semester completion timeframe. Students must have all pre-requisite courses completed during the spring semester of the year they apply to the clinical program. Some of the pre-requisite courses for the Accelerated Nursing program are already required as part of your BHS degree, so will not be re-listed here, unless there is a time restriction associated with the pre-requisite. The course titles and numbers for the pre-requisite courses are:

Required courses—all must be completed within five years prior to admission entry date

LS-MCRB 112: Microbiology and Living (3)
HLSC 120: Anatomy & Physiology I (includes lab) (4)
HLSC 160: Anatomy & Physiology II (includes lab) (4)
Chem 115: Elements of Chemistry I (4)
Chem 115L: Elements of Chemistry I Lab (1)