BHS in Health Science with Emphasis in Leadership & Policy

Degree Program Description

The leadership and policy emphasis in the health science major prepares students to enter careers in health administration, informatics, sales, or other health related industries. The leadership and policy emphasis may also prepare students for graduate studies in health administration, informatics, public health, policy or law.

The leadership and policy emphasis area includes 20 hours of core required courses, professional emphasis requirements and required electives that complement the student's pathway. In addition, the health science program requires an internship that is appropriate for a student's career goals. Examples of internships include health administration, health consultant, clinical analysis and strategic planning at RehabCare, Health Literacy Missouri, Institute for People, Place and Possibility, Tiger Institute and Cerner Corporation.

Major Program Requirements

In addition to University of Missouri requirements, including University general education, and BHS in Health Science Core requirements, students pursuing the Leadership & Policy emphasis must also complete the following requirements, each of which requires a grade of C- or higher. 

Emphasis Requirements
ENGLSH 1000Writing and Rhetoric3
BIO_SC 1010
BIO_SC 1020
General Principles and Concepts of Biology
and General Biology Laboratory
5
or BIO_SC 1500 Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory
or BIO_SC 1030 General Principles and Concepts of Biology with Laboratory
CDS 2190Medical Terminology3
CHEM 1100Atoms and Molecules with Lab4
or CHEM 1400
CHEM 1401
College Chemistry I
and College Chemistry I Laboratory
COMMUN 1200Public Speaking3
ECONOM 1014Principles of Microeconomics3
or ECONOM 1000 General Economics
or ABM 1041 Applied Microeconomics
or ECONOM 1051H General Economics - Honors
HLTH_SCI 3400Global Health Care Systems3
or P_HLTH 3400 Global Public Health and Health Care Systems
HLTH_SCI 4400Culture and Health Literacy for the Health Professions3
HLTH_SCI 4500Health Care Management3
HLTH_SCI 4510Essential Tools for the Health Care Leader: A Problem-Based Approach3
STAT 1200Introductory Statistical Reasoning3
or STAT 1300 Elementary Statistics
or STAT 2500 Introduction to Probability and Statistics I
or ESC_PS 4170 Introduction to Applied Statistics
Select one of the following:3-5
BIO_SC 2100Infectious Diseases3
PTH_AS 2201Human Anatomy Lecture3
NEP 2380Diet Therapy for Health Professionals3
MICROB 2800Microbiology for Nursing and Health Professions4
or MICROB 3200 Medical Microbiology and Immunology
MPP 3202Elements of Physiology5
or BIO_SC 3700 Human Physiology
Approved Person-Centered Care Course (choose one) *This requirement may double-dip with Health Science 4400 in emphasis or Health Science Electives. 3
HLTH_SCI 2310Perspectives on Disability3
HLTH_SCI 2850Inclusion and Equity in Health Care3
HLTH_SCI 2900Health Care In Missouri3
HLTH_SCI 4400Culture and Health Literacy for the Health Professions3
HLTH_SCI 4410Humanism and Health Literacy3
P_HLTH 2050Gender and Public Health3
P_HLTH 4610Race, Ethnicity, and Health: An Intersectional Examination of Health Inequalities3
SOC_WK 4390Helping Strategies With Children and Adolescents3
SOC_WK 4395Death, Grief and Loss3
SOC_WK 4480Direct Practice with Older Adults3
Health Science Electives *18
Students must complete 18 hours of approved elective coursework. At least 9 credit hours must be taken as 3000/4000 level courses. Transfer courses taken at the freshman-sophomore level and accepted as equivalent to a 3000/4000 level course at the University may not count towards the 9 hour upper-level Health Science Elective requirement for the Health Science degree.
*

See Health Science Electives for a course list of electives that count towards this requirement.

Semester Plan

Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester, for the Leadership & Policy emphasis. A student's actual plan may vary based on course offerings, course choices where options are available, and a student's academic/career goals.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
BIO_SC 10103CHEM 11004
BIO_SC 10202ENGLSH 10003
Humanities course3HLTH_SCI 10003
Elective3HIST 1100, 1200, or POL_SC 11003
Elective3Elective3
 14 16
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
COMMUN 12003HLTH_SCI 37003
HLTH_SCI 24003CDS 21903
STAT 120032000+ level Humanities course3
Elective3Writing Intensive course3
Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ECONOM 10143NEP 23803
HLTH_SCI 30001HLTH_SCI 4200W3
HLTH_SCI 448032000+ level Approved Health Science Elective3
2000+ level Approved Health Science Elective33000+ level Approved Health Science Elective3
Elective3Elective3
Elective 2 
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
HLTH_SCI 34003HLTH_SCI 45103
HLTH_SCI 4400also meets Person-Centered Care3HLTH_SCI 49853
HLTH_SCI 450032000+ level Approved Health Science Elective3
HLTH_SCI 497533000+ level Approved Health Science Elective3
3000+ level Approved Health Science Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Total Credits: 120

Degree Audit

The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. 

MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.

Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.

Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.

For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.

Major and Career Exploration

The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.

  • If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.

  • If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major

  • If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.

For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.