Proposal 12-20

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The University Senate of Michigan Technological University

Proposal 12-20

(Voting Units: Academic)

“Proposal for an Undergraduate Minor in Pre-Health Professions”

1.  Date:

November 8, 2019

2. Contact Information:

Dr. John Durocher, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences

Dr. Chandrashekhar Joshi, Department Chair, Biological Sciences

Nicole Seigneurie, Health Professions Coordinator, College of Sciences and Arts Travis Wakeham, Academic Advisor, Biological Sciences

3. Introduction:

The proposed minor in Pre-Health Professions offered through the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Sciences and Arts will be intended for Michigan Tech students who are interested in one day applying for admission into a graduate health program. These programs might include medical, physician assistant, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, and chiropractic schools. Due to the fact that graduate health programs do not require one specific major, students are able to choose any major offered at the university. Therefore, this minor is designed to complement any major a student chooses in order to better prepare them for applying to their desired graduate health program.

4.  Rationale

Currently, there are approximately 200 students at Michigan Technological University who are interested in applying to graduate health programs. These students come from a variety of majors throughout the University. Because of this, it is currently difficult to easily identify and track all of the pre-health students. Offering this minor will provide us with an opportunity to fill this gap and establish an underlying Pre-Health Program that connects all of our students. By having a more efficient tracking process, we can better support our students who are applying to these programs.

The primary goal of this minor is to help increase the overall competitiveness of our students’ applications. Students who declare this minor will be required to meet with the health professions coordinator, who will serve as the minor advisor. The structure of this minor is meant to be flexible, interdisciplinary, and will not add a large number of additional credits. This minor is also designed to offer a variety of courses from our primary pre-health departments. This includes courses from Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Humanities, Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Social Sciences, and Psychology. We are requesting that the proposed minor be housed in the Biological

Sciences department because the largest number of pre-health students choose this degree path. Additionally, this will help with visibility for the minor and will ensure that administrative tasks can run smoothly and efficiently.

Students who choose this minor will take two, one-credit professional development courses that will focus on health career exploration as well as guide them through the application process for their desired programs. After taking these courses, students will obtain the knowledge and resources that they need in order to build a strong application. Also, the additional courses in this minor will help students satisfy some of the prerequisite courses required for graduate health programs. This is important because while students can choose any academic major to apply, they must still meet course requirements set by the individual graduate health programs. Students will work with the Health Professions Coordinator in order to obtain any additional requirements needed for their respective programs.

A major focus of this minor is to also help students gain proficiency in pre-professional competencies as informed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Competencies such as cultural competency, ethical reasoning, and knowledge of human systems are highly desired in pre-health applicants for all programs (Appendix 1). Ultimately, this minor serves to help our students enhance both their science and interpersonal skills to become more well-rounded individuals who are ready to enter professional healthcare training.

5.  Details

1. Title of Minor

Pre-Health Professions Minor

II.  Catalog Description

The minor in Pre-Health Professions will provide students a structured pathway to prepare for graduate health programs. This minor is designed for any student who is interested in one day applying to a graduate health program. Students who declare this minor can come from any major offered at Michigan Technological University.

Upon successful completion of a minor in Pre-Health Professions, students will be able to:

1. Identify health profession career options and understand the educational and experiential requirements for these desired
2. Apply knowledge and skills in natural sciences to solve problems related to living systems at the molecular, cellular and organ
3. Apply knowledge and skills in social sciences to solve problems related to psychological and socio-cultural factors that influence health and well-being.
4. Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with diverse

III.  List of Courses

The Pre-Health Professions minor requires a total of at least 18 credits, including 12 credits of required courses and 6 credits of electives.

Six courses are required as shown in Table 1. All students are required to take the following 6 courses: BL 1590, BL 3006, BL 2010, BL 2011, BL 3020 and PSY 2000 or SS 2700.

Students must select at least 1 elective course (3 credits or more) in the Biomedical Science Elective category. This list is shown in Table 2.

Students must select at least 1 elective course (3 credits or more) in the Ethics, Culture, and Communication Elective category. This list is shown in Table 3.

Table 1: Required Courses (12 Credits)

Table 2: Biomedical Science Electives (3+ Credits)

Table 3: Ethics, Culture, and Communication Electives (3+ Credits)

*BL 3020 is a proposed course pending the current binder process for the 2020-2021 academic year.

 6. New Course Descriptions

No new courses are proposed for the Pre-Health Professions minor.

7.  Estimated Costs

There will be no additional costs associated with this minor.

8.  Planned Implementation Date

This proposed minor will be offered starting in Fall 2020.

9.  Appendix

Association of American Medical Colleges Core Competency List