Health, Medicine, and Society, B.A.

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Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120

Major Hours: 30

Minimum Upper-Division Hours: 48

Upper-Division Hours Within Major: 21


Overall GPA - Combined and OU: 2.50

Major GPA - Combined and OU: 2.50

Program Code: B502

Major Requirements

  • Some courses required for the major may also fulfill University General Education and/or Dodge College of Arts & Sciences Requirements.
  • Thirty hours of major coursework must be completed, and 21 of the 30 hours must be upper division courses.
  • A grade of C or better must be earned in each course for major credit
Introduction
HMS 1113Introduction to Health, Medicine and Society (meets Core IV Western Civ. & Culture)3
Ethical Issues in Health & Medicine
PHIL 1263Introduction to Ethics in Health Care3
or HSTM 3413 Biomedical Ethics
Historical/Humanistic Perspectives
Choose three courses 19
Social Scientific Perspectives
Choose three courses 19
In-Major Electives
Choose an additional course from Historical/Humanistic or Social Scientific Perspectives 13
Capstone
HMS 4993Health, Medicine and Society Capstone3
Total Credit Hours30
1

Choose courses from an approved list of courses maintained by the department. Other courses that meet program criteria may be counted towards the major with the written approval of the program advisor.

Major Support Requirements

A grade of C or better must be earned in each course for major support credit

PSY 1113Elements of Psychology (meets Core III additional Social Science)3
or SOC 1113 Introduction to Sociology
Choose a course in statistics, such as the following:3
Intro to Quantitative Biology
Elements of Statistics
Applied Statistical Methods
Choose at least 9 hours of coursework (including labs) in life or natural sciences in addition to those taken to meet Gen Ed requirements9
Total Credit Hours15

General Education and College Requirements

Courses for fulfillment of General Education and Dodge College of Arts & Sciences requirements must be from the approved General Education course list published in the Class Schedule or at http://www.ou.edu/gened/coursesCourses graded P/NP will not apply.

UNIVERSITY-WIDE GENERAL EDUCATION (MINIMUM 40 HOURS) AND COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS
Core Area I: Symbolic and Oral Communication
English Composition (6 hours)
ENGL 1113Principles of English Composition3
ENGL 1213Principles of English Composition3
or EXPO 1213 Expository Writing
Language (0-13 hours in the same language)
The college requirement cannot be met by high school coursework.
Beginning Course0-5
Beginning Course, continued0-5
Intermediate Course (2000 level) 1,20-3
Mathematics (3 hours)
Choose one course from the General Education Mathematics list3
Core Area II: Natural Science (7 hours, including one laboratory component)
Biological Science
Choose an approved General Education Natural Science course with one of the following prefixes: BIOL, HES, MBIO, or PBIO 13-4
Physical Science
Choose an approved General Education Natural Science course with one of the following prefixes: AGSC, ASTR, CHEM, GEOG, GEOL, GPHY, METR, or PHYS 13-4
Core Area III: Social Science (6 hours)
P SC 1113American Federal Government3
Choose one course from the General Education Social Science list3
Core Area IV: Arts and Humanities (18 hours)
Artistic Forms
Choose one course from the General Education Artistic Forms list3
Western Culture
HIST 1483United States to 18653
or HIST 1493 United States, 1865 to the Present
Choose one course from the General Education Western Culture list (excluding HIST 1483/1493)3
World Culture
Choose one course from the General Education World Culture list3
Additional Core IV Upper-Division Arts & Humanities courses
Choose one course from Artistic Forms, Western Culture, or World Culture 1,33
Choose one course from Artistic Forms, Western Culture, or World Culture 1,33
Core Area V: First Year Experience (3 hours)
Choose one course3
Total Credit Hours56
1

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements: college requirements are not automatically fulfilled by a previous degree.

2

One course at the intermediate level or demonstrated competency at that level

3

6 upper-division hours, 2 courses, at the 3000- 4000-level. Must be outside the major.

Free Electives

Electives to bring total applicable hours to the minimum total required for the degree including 48 upper-division hours.

Information Concerning General Rules, Regulations and Minimum Requirements

Arts and Sciences Hours: At least 80 semester hours of liberal arts and sciences courses are required for a BA degree. At least 55 semester hours of liberal arts and sciences courses are required for a BS degree.
Pass/No Pass Enrollment: A maximum of 16 semester hours of free elective credit may be attempted under this option.
Individual Studies (e.g., courses titled “Independent Study”): A maximum of 12 total semester hours may be counted toward graduation, excluding Honors Reading and Honors Research.
P.E. Courses: No physical education activity courses will be counted toward the 120 semester hours of acceptable credit for graduation.
Senior Institution Hours: A minimum of 60 semester hours applied toward graduation must be earned at senior (4-year) institutions.
Residency:

  • At least 15 of the final 30 hours applied toward the degree or at least 50 percent of the hours required by the institution in the major field must be satisfactorily completed at the awarding institution.
  • At least 15 semester hours of upper-division major work must be completed in residence at OU.
  • OU correspondence courses are not considered resident credit.

Grade Point Averages: Students must earn a minimum over all 2.00 for each of the following: Combined Retention GPA (all college grades), OU Retention GPA, GPA for all major courses, and GPA for all major courses taken at OU. Some schools and departments of the College have higher minimum grade point averages required for their students.
 

Suggested Semester Plan of Study

This plan shows one possible grouping of courses that would allow students to graduate in four years. Please refer to the front of the degree checksheet for official requirements. Students must consult with Dodge College of Arts and Sciences and/or Health, Medicine & Society academic advisors to verify that courses selected each semester fulfill the recommended plan and satisfy University, College of Arts and Sciences, and HMS major requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
First SemesterCredit Hours
ENGL 1113 Principles of English Composition (Core I) 3
First Year Experience (Core V) 3
General Education Physical Science (Core II) 3
Beginning Language 5
 Credit Hours14
Second Semester
ENGL 1213
Principles of English Composition (Core I)
or Expository Writing
3
HMS 1113 Introduction to Health, Medicine and Society 3
General Education Biological Science with laboratory (Core II) 4
Beginning Language, continued 5
 Credit Hours15
Sophomore
First Semester
Social Scientific Perspectives Course 3
MATH 1743
Calculus I for Business, Life and Social Sciences (Core I)
or Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
3
P SC 1113 American Federal Government (Core III) 3
PSY 1113
Elements of Psychology (Major Support & Core III)
or Introduction to Sociology
3
Intermediate Language (Core I) 3
 Credit Hours15
Second Semester
HIST 1483
United States to 1865 (Core IV)
or United States, 1865 to the Present
3
Statistics Major Support course 3
Physical or Life Science Major Support course 4
Physical or Life Science Major Support course 4
Physical or Life Science Major Support course 1
 Credit Hours15
Junior
First Semester
Historical/Humanistic Perspectives course 3
Historical/Humanistic Perspectives course (Upper Division) 3
Social Scientific Perspectives course (Upper Division) 3
Arts & Humanities, upper-division, outside major (Core IV) 3
Free Elective, Upper- or Lower-division 1
General Education World Culture (Core IV) 3
 Credit Hours16
Second Semester
PHIL 1263
Introduction to Ethics in Health Care (Core IV Western Culture)
or Biomedical Ethics
3
Historical/Humanistic Perspectives course (Upper Division) 3
Arts & Humanities, upper-division, outside major (Core IV) 3
Free Elective, Upper-division 3
Free Elective, Upper-division 3
 Credit Hours15
Senior
First Semester
Social Scientific Perspectives course (Upper Division) 3
In-Major Elective (Upper Division) 3
Free Elective, Upper Division 3
Free Elective, Upper Division 3
Free Elective, Upper Division 3
 Credit Hours15
Second Semester
HMS 4993 Health, Medicine and Society Capstone 3
General Education Artistic Forms (Core IV) 3
Free Elective, Upper Division 3
Free Elective, Upper Division 3
Free Elective, Upper Division 3
 Credit Hours15
 Total Credit Hours120