Apr 27, 2025  
2025-2026 Academic Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Health Humanities and Social Sciences, B.S.


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Program Description

This degree is designed for students who intend to pursue graduate degrees in allied health professions, chaplaincy, law, medicine, or social sciences. The degree prepares students to be well-rounded applicants with a balanced exposure to the humanities, natural, and social sciences. The Bachelor of Science in Health Humanities and Social Sciences (HHSS) includes the option of an embedded minor. Students may select a minor or electives to complete the degree.

Admission 

To be accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Health Humanities and Social Sciences degree, a student must meet the general requirements for admission into AdventHealth University (see General Studies Admission in the Admission Information  section) and: 

  1. Have a minimum admissions GPA of 3.0 in high school or a 3.0 on 12 college credits. GPAs presented to the Admissions Committee for each applicant will be a cumulative record of all high school or college-level work. 
  2. Submit the Health Humanities and Social Sciences Program Application at admission. The application can be accessed at http://my.ahu.edu. Students will apply for the program at the same time they apply for the University. 
  3. Competitive applicants will be invited to an interview process. Meeting minimum admissions requirements does not guarantee an invitation for an interview. Applicants wishing to be accepted to the program must complete the interview process. Admission to the program will be granted upon completing the interview process.
  4. Students who have not completed 24 college credits must complete all courses in person until they have successfully completed 24 college credits. Then, with the guidance of their advisor, students may register for online courses. 

Progression

  1. Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
    • If a student’s GPA drops below 3.0 (cumulative), they will have one trimester to restore the cumulative GPA to 3.0. Failure to achieve a 3.0 cumulative GPA within one trimester will result in dismissal from the program.
  2. Earn a minimum grade of “C” (2.00) in all requirements* for the degree.
    • Students may repeat any requirement once to earn the required minimum grade of “C.” 
    • Students who do not earn a “C” in the second attempt to repeat a course requirement will be dismissed from the program. 
      • *The term “requirement” here refers to either a specific required course or a requirement for which students have a choice among options. In the latter case (a choice among options), if students do not achieve a “C” on the first attempt, they may select a different course when they repeat the requirement, but this will be considered a second attempt at this requirement. The student will be dismissed from the program if they do not achieve a “C” in this second attempt. 

Readmission​​​

Students are considered for readmission to the Health Humanities and Social Sciences program when they meet admission requirements and: 

  • Submit a Readmission Form to the Health Humanities and Social Sciences Chair eight weeks before the trimester in which they are seeking admission. 
  • Undergo a faculty review of prior academic performance, including reason(s) for withdrawal or dismissal and evidence of the applicant’s efforts to strengthen areas of weakness.

Students seeking readmission need to understand that 

  • Readmission is not automatic and is contingent on available class space and the discretion of the Department Chair. 
  • They will be readmitted under new academic catalog program policies.

Completion

AdventHealth University will consider students for graduation and conferral of a Bachelor of Science degree when they have met the general University requirements for graduation (see Graduation  in the Academic Information section) and have:

  1. Completed a minimum of 120 trimester hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
  2. Completed the prescribed course of study with a minimum of 42 upper-division credits.
  3. Achieve a grade of ‘C’ or above in all required courses and electives for the degree. 
  4. Completed a minimum of 60 trimester hours in residence at AdventHealth University. 
  5. Completed the service-learning requirement embedded in designated courses.

Curriculum

Liberal Arts Requirements


Biomedical Science Requirements


Science Requirements (16 credits)


Students may choose any 16 credits of science. 

Courses with “+” should be selected by pre-PT and OT students + 18 credits of science electives as directed by their advisor.
Courses with “-” should be selected by pre-MD and DO students 20 credits of science electives as directed by their advisor. 

Electives or Minor Option (minimum 18 credits)


Students may complete the degree with the selection of a minor or at least 18 credits of electives chosen in consultation with their advisor. While there is no official minor in science, selection of 18 or 20 credits of specific science courses would prepare students for application to PT school or medical school respectively. 

Department-approved minor options for students to choose from are listed below. 

Restricted Credits


*Students enrolled in the Health Humanities and Social Sciences bachelor’s degree could substitute RSCH 400 : Research Methods in Health Humanities and Social Sciences for HTCA 425  Healthcare Research Methods (3). They would need to choose an additional 3 credits from the restricted electives below. 

Students choose 9 credits of restricted healthcare administration electives from the following list.  

Language Minor through Adventist Colleges Abroad (Credits vary by program)


Students may minor in the following languages through Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA) affiliate programs: French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. 

To receive the minor, students must spend at least one academic year (either three quarters or two semesters) enrolled full-time in their chosen Adventist Colleges Abroad program. * 

Students who did not want to study abroad for a full academic year could count their credits toward electives but would not receive a language minor. 
*Please note that this minor will require more credit than minors on AHU’s campus. Cost and credit will vary by ACA program site.

Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA)


ACA provides undergraduate students the opportunity to be immersed in another culture while learning a foreign language. Students taking ACA classes may receive some credit toward their undergraduate degree based on the requirements for that degree. 

Suggested Course of Study


The potential course sequence below does not include the summer term. Students in the Health Humanities and Social Sciences degree are encouraged to take summers off in the interest of whole-person care, to provide time to shadow and research, and to open space for enriching activities like volunteering or studying abroad. 
Students may choose to take some general education classes in the summer, have time to repeat a course for which they failed to achieve a C, or increase work hours to offset expenses. The summer between the third and fourth years also allows for a research proposal written in RSCH 400  to be sent to SRC/IRB for review and, if approved, implementation in the program’s final year (with faculty supervision) during the 2 capstone credits. 
The suggested course study is an outline to aid students in picking courses. Students should choose courses based on their academic goals in consultation with an advisor. 

First Year


Second Year


Third Year


Fourth Year


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