Janeen Hill, Ph.D., Dean
Laura Glynn, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research
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.
College Honors
Students will qualify for College Honors by meeting the following criteria: a cumulative GPA of at least 3.6 overall and in the major, attainment of the honors research/fieldwork requirement in each major (see department website for specific requirements), and a formal vote of the department 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 admission criteria and submit qualifying GRE scores to Chapman’s DPT program during the application cycle a year prior to program start. 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.
Integrated Program
Integrated 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.