|
|
2024-2025 University Catalog
Radiological Health Sciences-Health Physics, BS
|
|
 Return to: College of Health and Human Sciences (Undergraduate)
|
About the Program
The radiological health sciences major is dedicated to advancing the biomedical, health and scientific uses of radiation while protecting individuals, communities, and the environment from its harmful effects. This major also applies radiation to medicine to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of equipment that diagnoses and treats disease. The radiation protection - or “health physics” concentration prepares students for the profession devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards while also making it possible to enjoy the beneficial uses of radiation. Health physics involves many disciplines such as physics, biology, biophysics, engineering, chemistry, genetics, ecology, environmental sciences, metallurgy, meteorology, hydrology, medicine, physiology, toxicology, and industrial hygiene. A radiation safety officer within an organization is responsible for the safe use of radiation and radioactive materials as well as regulatory compliance. A trained health physicist evaluates the radiation environment using instruments and calculations and works with regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with radiation exposure standards.
School of Health Sciences
Radiological Health Sciences Major Change (CODO) Requirements Degree Requirements
120 Credits RequiredDepartmental/Program Major Course Requirements (48 credits)
A minimum grade of “C” is required for HSCI 31200, 31300, 51400, and 54000.
Health Physics Concentration (51-53 credits)
A minimum grade of “C” is required for HSCI 52600, 53400, and 57400.
Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (18-19 credits)
- COM 11400 - Fundamentals Of Speech Communication Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Oral Communication for core)
- ENGL 10600 - First Year Composition With Conferences Credits: 4.00 ♦ (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core) or
- ENGL 10800 - First Year Composition Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core)
- Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Sciences Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Behavioral & Social Sciences for core)
- English Selective (any ENGL course 20000 level or above) - Credit Hours: 3.00
- HSCI Humanities, Behavioral/Social Sciences Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Human Cultures: Humanities Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Humanities for core)
Electives (0-3 credits)
- An Ethics course (such as PHIL 11100 Ethics or PHIL 29000 Environmental Ethics) is highly recommended for elective credit.
GPA Requirements
- 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.
Pass/No Pass Policy
- A student may elect the Pass / Not-Pass grading option for elective courses only, unless an academic unit requires that a specific departmental course/s be taken Pass / Not-Pass. Students may elect to take University Core Curriculum courses Pass / Not-Pass; however, some major Plans of Study require courses that also fulfill UCC foundational outcomes. In such cases, students may not elect the Pass / Not-Pass option. A maximum of 24 credits of elective courses under the Pass / Not-pass grading option can be used toward graduation requirements. For further information, students should refer to the College of Health and Human Sciences Pass / Not-Pass Policy.
University Requirements
University Core Requirements
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.- Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
- Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Oral Communication (OC)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Science #1 (SCI)
- Science #2 (SCI)
- Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
- Written Communication (WC)
Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.
To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test. The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused. There are three different pathways:
- Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
- Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
- Approved course pathway - Complete one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.
More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.
Upper Level Requirement
- Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
- Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.
Spring 4th Year
- HSCI 53400 - Applied Health Physics Credits: 3.00
- MA/CS Science Selective - Credit Hours: 4.00
- General Science or RADH Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Human Cultures: Humanities- Credit Hours: 3.00
Pre-Requisite Information
For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.
World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)
Critical Course
The ♦ course is considered critical.
In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”
Disclaimer
The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.
Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
|
Return to: College of Health and Human Sciences (Undergraduate)
|
|
