Agenda Item #3-FA 07-36: Submitted by the Academic Programs Committee

Undergraduate - Public Health

Course Description: This course involves the study of how exercise is utilized as an intervention in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. The physiology of medications typically prescribed in chronic disease will be addressed as well as their exercise interactions. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that help prepare students for American College Sports Medicine (ACSM) certification as an Exercise Specialist will be introduced. No new faculty or additional resources are required for this course. 

Course Description: This course covers the business aspects of personal training; details appropriate client-trainer interaction, and prepares students to develop suitable and innovative exercise training programs for future clients. No new faculty or additional resources are required for this course. 

Summary of the Changes:
This request is to add two new alternative courses under the Exercise Science Minor Requirements: PET 3XXXC The Business and Practice of Personal Training (3 credits) as an alternative choice to PET3312C Biomechanics (3 credits); and PET 4XXXC Clinical Exercise Physiology (3 credits) as an alternative choice to PEP 4135 Principles of Strength and Conditioning (3 credits).
The rationale for the request to add these two alternative courses to the Exercise Science minor is twofold:
1) Many of our current Exercise Science minor students are choosing to complete internships and seek employment in either the Personal Training field or Clinical Exercise Physiology field. Feedback from both internship site supervisors and the students themselves has been to enhance student classroom and practical experiences in each of these respective areas.
2) The Brooks College of Health Master Plan has the Exercise Physiology program scheduled to apply for CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) accreditation in Exercise Physiology prior to 2010. The addition of these 2 courses will provide an appropriate venue to address the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) outlined in the accreditation guidelines that our current curriculum is lacking.
This change will not affect the total number of credit hours in the minor or the required number of classes in the minor (The minor requirement will remain at 21 credits and 7 classes). This change will allow students to tailor their educational experience in a way that positively impacts future employment opportunities.
(click here to view the program of study)

Course Description: This course examines the aging process and related health care needs from a multicultural perspective. Students will explore the impact of gender, race, and ethnicity on the aging population and on the development of culturally appropriate health and social services. No new faculty or additional resources are required for this course. 

Course Description: The Aging Capstone is designed to provide students the opportunity to gain practical experience while demonstrating the integration of classroom knowledge and theory in management of aging programs and services within the health care industry. Students will select an internship in an aging services organization or a faculty supervised community-based project. This course is a culminating experience and is taken the last semester of academic enrollment. No new faculty or additional resources are required for this course. 

Course Description: The course includes an examination of the major theoretical and analytical frameworks from the core disciplines (biology, psychology, and sociology) which inform the field of gerontology. Emphasis is on the application of the theoretical contexts to research initiatives and gerontological practice. Students are expected to become familiar with contemporary research on aspects of aging, and they learn to identify and evaluate issues raised by the findings from the field of aging research. In addition, the course examines the connections between theory and age-related issues and problems such as economic inequality, retirement, health care, and aging in families. No new faculty or additional resources are required for this course. No new faculty or additional resources are required for this course. 

Summary of the Changes:
The Geriatric Management Program (GM), a track under the MSH degree, is being updated to reflect needed changes identified by alumni and provider recommendation and accreditation standards. The requested changes include restructuring the course work into an Aging Core, Major Requirements, electives and Capstone Courses.
The course changes include: replacing HSC 6735 Health Science Research (3cr hr) with a new course, HSA6XXX Applied Research in Aging (3 cr hr), replacing two courses (PHC 6412 Culture and Health and HSC 6566 Health Promotion in the Older Adult) with a new course, HSA6xxx Aging and Health in a Multicultural Society (3 cr hr), and adding a new course in aging policy, HSA6xxx Aging Health Policy (3 cr hr), which was submitted and approved in December 2006. These three new courses and a current required course, HSA6225 Long Term Care Administration (3cr hr), will make up the new Aging Core.
HSA 6186 Healthcare Leadership (3 cr hr) is added to the Major Requirement section. HSC6505 Epidemiology and Disease Control 3 cr h) will move from the Core section to the elective section and HSA6342 Healthcare Human Resource Management 3 cr hr) will be added to the elective section. Additionally, students will now be required to complete one of the two Capstone courses HSA6945 Long Term Care Internship or HSA6xxx Aging Capstone (3 -6 cr hr). Total program Hours will remain at 39 hours.
(click here to view the program of study)