Janeen Hill, Ph.D., Dean
Laura Glynn, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research
Ky Kugler, Ed.D., Associate Dean of Undergraduate Student Affairs
Lynn Tierney, DPT, Associate Dean of Clinical and Instructional Faculty
The Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs to prepare students for graduate school, master’s and doctoral level healthcare professional programs and for careers in healthcare and human services settings. The college is committed to helping students develop critical thinking skills, written and verbal communication skills and an evidence-based empirical approach to problem-solving. The faculty are teacher-scholars committed to quality teaching and involving students in the discovery of new knowledge through faculty-student research. All degree programs combine comprehensive didactic education with practical experience to foster the development of interpersonal skills, knowledge and practical expertise.
Undergraduate programs aim to foster an understanding of the biological, psychological and social bases of health and human behavior and require students to engage in individual scholarship or team research that frequently is of an interdisciplinary nature. One distinct goal of the various undergraduate degree programs is to prepare students for graduate study in professional healthcare programs, medicine and psychology. Students in the school’s graduate programs learn to apply concepts and principles of natural behavioral and social science to be successful in the professional community in a variety of healthcare and human services settings.
School Honors
Students graduating with a B.S. in Health Sciences or Applied Human Physiology will earn school honors at graduation by meeting the following criteria. Students must have a cumulative GPA of a 3.500 or higher and must have completed independent research. Completion of independent research includes the submission of a scientific manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal or a poster presentation at a regional or national scientific meeting. Students can earn credit for research by enrolling in HSCI 491 or AHP 491 under the supervision of a science faculty member. All departmental honors candidates must present their research at the University’s Student Research Day. An appropriate assessment score of the research presentation and a vote by the appropriate faculty group will qualify the student for honors.
Students graduating with a B.A. in Psychology will earn honors at graduation by meeting the following criteria: a cumulative GPA of at least 3.500 overall and in the major; a grade of “A” in six credits of individual research (PSY 491 or PSY 499 ) or in at least three credits of individual research (PSY 491 or PSY 499 ) and at least three credits of fieldwork in psychology (PSY 490 or PSY 492 ) and formal election by the psychology faculty.
Health Sciences Areas of Study
The B.S. in Health Science has areas of study for: pre-health communication, pre-occupational therapy, pre-physical therapy, and pre-physician assistant or pre-nursing. Students are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor throughout their undergraduate career at Chapman to select the appropriate area of study to meet their educational and career goals.
Students using Advanced Placement (AP) credits to satisfy Chapman University admission requirements please note, not all medical schools and graduate healthcare programs accept AP credits to satisfy prerequisite requirements. All pre-medicine students should work closely with the pre-medicine advisor to select appropriate coursework.
Bridge Programs
Bridge Program B.S. in Health Sciences to Doctor of Physical Therapy
Health science students are given preferential consideration into Chapman University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program if they meet the early admission criteria and submit qualifying GRE scores to Chapman’s DPT program before the beginning of the senior year. For specific criteria and deadlines, go to the
Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences website.
Bridge Program B.S. in Health Sciences to Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies
Health science students are guaranteed an interview and given preferential consideration for admission into Chapman University’s M.M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies if they meet the admission criteria. For specific criteria and deadlines, go to the
Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences website.
Bridge Program B.S. in Applied Human Physiology to Master of Science in Food Science
Applied Human Physiology students are guaranteed early admission into Chapman University’s Master of Science in Food Science program if they meet the early admission criteria. GRE must be taken before the beginning of the senior year. Food Science (FSN) graduate courses used to satisfy undergraduate degree requirements may also satisfy up to 12 credits of graduate coursework and may be double-counted towards both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. For specific eligibility criteria for this program, refer to the
Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences website.
Accelerated Program
Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences/Master of Science in Health and Strategic Communication
Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences pre-health communication area of study may complete up to 12 credits of the required graduate coursework in their senior year provided they meet the admission requirements for the graduate degree. Up to 12 credits that satisfy the undergraduate major or the 120 credits required for the bachelor degree may also double count towards the requirements of the graduate program. Students complete 46 credits of core courses and 24 credits in the pre-health communication area of study. Nine of the 18 credits of electives must be health and strategic communication (HCOM) graduate courses. All courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade, earning a “C” or higher. Information is provided below and in the Graduate catalog.