State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites

Students wishing to transfer to USF should complete an A.A. degree at a Florida College System institution. Some courses required for the major may also meet General Education requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university.

If a student wishes to transfer without an A.A. degree and has fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the student must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.

Transfer students are also required to comply with the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.

Students should complete the following prerequisite courses at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted.

• BSC XXXXC or BSC X007/X007L or BSC X005/X005L or BSC X010/X010L
• MAC X105
• PSY X012
• STA XXXX or STA X023 or STA X014
• DEP X053 or DEP X004 or DEP X000 or CLP X140
• APK X0105C or BSC X085/X085L or (BSC X093 and BSC X094)
• ENC X210 or ENC X254

Total Major Hours: 64 Hours

Major Core Courses - 34 Hours

• BSC 1020 The Biology of Humans or BSC 1005 Biological Principles for Non-Majors or BSC 2010 and BSC 2010L Biology I: Cellular Processes and Laboratory
• BSC 2085 and BSC 2085L Anatomy and Physiology I for Health Professionals and Lab or BSC 2093C Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BSC 2094C Human Anatomy and Physiology II
• CLT 3040 Scientific and Medical Terminology
• DEP 2004 The Life Cycle
• ENC 2210 Technical Writing
• HSC 2000 Introduction to Health Professions
• MAC 1105 College Algebra
• PHI 3633 Biomedical Ethics or PHI 3636 Professional Ethics
• PSY 2012 Introduction to Psychological Science
• STA 2023 Introductory Statistics I
• Choose one of the following courses:
  • ACG 2021 Principles of Financial Accounting
  • ANT 2511 Biological Anthropology
  • COM 2000 Introduction to Communication
  • GEY 2000 Introduction to Aging Sciences
  • SYG 2000 Introduction to Sociology

Concentration Core Courses - 30 Hours

Social and Behavioral Health Sciences courses (students must take 15 hours from this list):

• CLP 4143 Abnormal Psychology
• COM 4020 Communicating Illness, Grief and Loss
• COM 4021 Family Communication and the End of Life
• COM 4022 Health Communication
• COM 4225 Global and Cultural Issues in Health Communication
• COM 4702 Communication, Language, and Mental Illness
• HSC 4172 Women's Health: A Public Health Perspective
• HSC 4211 Health, Behavior and Society
• HSC 4579 Foundations of Maternal and Child Health
• HSC 4631 Critical Issues in Public Health 
• HSC 4933 Special Topics in Public Health*
• LIS 4776 Health Information Technology
• LIS 4930 Selected Topics in Information Studies*
• MHS 4022 Adult Psychopathology in the Community
• MHS 4452 Co-Occurring Disorders
• MHS 4490 Behavioral Healthcare Issues for Children
• PAD 4930 Selected Topics in Public Administration and Public Policy*
• PHI 4930 Selected Topics*
• SOP 4330 Social Psychology of HIV/AIDS
• SOW 3102 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II
• SOW 3203 Introduction to Social Work
• SOW 3210 The American Social Welfare System
• SPC 4305 Communicating Emotions
• SPC 4321 Communication and Aging
• SPC 4930 Selected Topics in Communication*
• SYO 4400 Medical Sociology
• WST 4320 Politics and Issues in Women's Health

Mental Health Cluster (courses for students interested in mental health professions)

• MHS 3411 Multidisciplinary Behavioral Healthcare Services
• MHS 4002 Behavioral Health Systems Delivery
• MHS 4408 Exemplary Practices in Behavioral Healthcare Treatment
• MHS 4703 Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues in BHC
• MHS 4931 Selected Topics*

Substance Abuse Cluster (courses for students interested in substance abuse counseling and treatment professions)

• MHS 3411 Multidisciplinary Behavioral Healthcare Services​
• MHS 4408 Exemplary Practices in Behavioral Healthcare Treatment
• MHS 4703 Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues in BHC
• MHS 4931 Selected Topics*
• PSB 3444 Drugs and Behavior

Health Information Technology courses (students must take 15 hours from this list):

• ISM 3113 Systems Analysis and Design
• LIS 3261 Introduction to Information Science
• LIS 3352 Interaction Design
• LIS 3353 IT Concepts for Information Professionals
• LIS 3361 World Wide Web Page Design and Management
• LIS 3783 Information Architecture 
• LIS 4204 Information Behaviors
• LIS 4365 Web Design Technologies
• LIS 4380 Information and Social Media
• LIS 4414 Information Policy and Ethics
• LIS 4477 Clinical Decision Support
• LIS 4482 Networks and Communication
• LIS 4776 Health Information Technology
• LIS 4779 Health Information Security
• LIS 4785 Introduction to Health Informatics
• LIS 4930 Selected Topics in Information Studies*
• PAD 4712 Managing Information Resources in the Public Sector
• SPC 4930 Selected Topics: Online Communication

*See Health Sciences Advisor for approval.

Additional Major Requirements

Major Residency Requirement

A minimum of 20 credit hours of courses must be taken in residency at USF Tampa and be applicable to the major.

Major Internship Opportunities

The Health Sciences program has competitive internships available for students in various health fields such as health informatics, administration, marketing, sales, health care centers and government to name a few. Students must take Career Development for Health Professionals (IDS 4937) or participate in the Health Sciences Career Development Workshop Series prior to applying for the internships. Placement applications and information are available upon completion of the course or workshops. Students can find more information about the course and workshops on the Health Science Majors Canvas site. Internships are restricted to health sciences majors only and a permit is required for registration. Please email hhsadvise@usf.edu for a permit. Internship course credit (3-6 hours) may be applied to any concentration in the major.