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A total of 21 entry-level programs of study
are available to undergraduates at University
of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy—
offers the entry-level doctor of pharmacy,
a six-year program. Other majors
offered are four-year programs leading
to the BS degree in pharmacology and
toxicology, pharmaceutical marketing
and management, and pharmaceutical
sciences.
Misher College of Arts and Sciences—
offers programs in biochemistry, bioinformatics,
biology, chemistry, computer
science, environmental science, microbiology,
pharmaceutical chemistry,
pre-medical track, psychology, and
science teacher certification. All are four-year
programs leading to the BS degree
except that the pre-medical track and
science teacher certification are offered
in the context of a major such as biology.
The college also offers a five-year
BS/MS program in health psychology.
College of Health Sciences—
offers four-year BS programs in health
science and medical technology. There is
a five-year program of study offered in
occupational therapy, leading to a BS in
health science and a master of occupational
therapy. For students with a bachelor’s
degree, a two-and-a-half-year master’s
degree in occupational therapy is offered.
In 2004, the physical therapy program
changed from a five-year master’s program
to a six-year program, leading to a BS in
health science as well as a doctor of
physical therapy. A transitional doctor
of physical therapy program offers
students with an MPT from USP the
opportunity to earn their DPT by taking
four on-line courses. The program in
physician assistant studies leads to a
BS in health science from University
of the Sciences in Philadelphia and an
MS from Philadelphia College of
Osteopathic Medicine. Students may
also enter USP as undeclared majors
and pursue an open curriculum for the
first year as they explore a number of
programs of study.
Declaring a Major
Students attending University of the
Sciences in Philadelphia usually declare a
major field of study during the admission process.
All degree programs are described in
detail later in this catalog.
Qualified students may also enroll at USP
in the undeclared major program. This option
enables the student to formally begin academic
studies while gaining more information on
which to base a decision regarding a specific
major field of study. In consultation with the
Dean of the College of Health Sciences, each
student in the undeclared program is expected
to apply for a specific major by April 15 of
the student’s first year at the University. An
extension of undeclared status into the second
year may be granted to an undeclared student
with approval of the Dean of the College of
Health Sciences. If at the end of the second
year the student has not been accepted into a
specific major, he/she will need to select one
of various majors available at USP. Students
must select a major by the end of second year,
or they will be dropped from the rolls. More
information on the undeclared option can
be found in the section on the College of
Health Sciences.
Changing Majors
Changing from one major field of study to
another major at this University is often possible,
but it neither automatic nor guaranteed.
Following consultation with his/her academic
advisor, the student intending to change
his/her major should meet with the college
dean and program director responsible for the
degree program into which the student desires
to transfer.
Formal requests for change of major must
be submitted to the student’s prospective
college dean by the following dates: not later
than April 15 for the fall semester, not later
than October 15 for the spring semester, and
not later than February 15 for the summer
session for programs that accept summer
changes. Programs offered in the Philadelphia
College of Pharmacy accept applications for
change of major only for April 15 and
October 15 consideration.
A change of major is subject to approval
of the appropriate program director(s) and
college dean(s) and is based on a review of
the student’s academic record, other qualifications
for acceptance into the degree program
under consideration, and space availability.
An academic minor is a concentration of
courses, usually with a common theme, that
enables the student to develop a degree of
formal expertise in a discipline outside of the
student’s major. It is intended to supplement
the student’s academic training by broadening
the scope of knowledge and experience
beyond that obtained from courses required
for the student’s major degree.
While obtaining a minor is not a requirement,
a minor can offer several advantages,
such as enhancement of job opportunities,
increased potential for advancement and/or
greater opportunity for more challenging
assignments, and the demonstration of a
broader academic background that may
increase the student’s chances of being accepted
into graduate or professional school. The
student’s transcript will note that the student
is enrolled in a minor program. Satisfactory
completion of the requirements for the minor
will be noted only on the student’s transcript,
not on the student’s diploma.
Eligibility
To be eligible for acceptance into a minor
program, a student must:
- Be in good academic standing
- Obtain the approval of the student’s
academic advisor and major program
director
- Obtain the approval of the chairperson
of the department offering the minor
program
A student should apply to participate in a
minor program early in his/her academic
career, usually by the fifth semester of college work. A student cannot enroll in a minor
program offered by his/her major department.
Requirements
In addition to any introductory courses in
the area of concentration for the minor, a
minimum of 18 credit hours of coursework
having a common intellectual bond is
required. The faculty of the department offering
a minor will decide the number of credits
needed to earn the minor, which courses are
required, and which courses are suitable electives
for the minor.
Up to 6 semester hours of coursework, with
an earned grade of “C” or better, taken at
another accredited institution, may be applied
to the course requirements of the minor upon
prior approval of the chairperson of the
department offering the minor and the appropriate
college dean. The student must achieve
a cumulative average of 2.0 in all the courses
taken as part of the minor.
While enrolled in a minor program, the
student must remain in good academic standing
and maintain satisfactory academic
progress. A student placed on probation is
automatically terminated from the minor
program. A student whose participation in
a minor has been terminated may request
reinstatement when the student meets the
criteria for continuing in the minor program.
Information regarding the academic status
of a student in a minor program should be
forwarded by the chair of the department
offering the minor to the faculty advisor,
program director, appropriate college dean,
and Registrar.
Double Degrees and Double Majors |
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Students wishing to earn two degrees or
pursue two majors must be accepted by both
of the degree programs. Addition of the
second major requires the approval of the
dean(s) and program directors of each major.
Students may earn two baccalaureate degrees,
one baccalaureate and one entry-level professional
degree, or one degree with two majors
by completing the following:
- The Core Curriculum: Courses taken
to fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements
may be used for both degrees or
majors. Courses taken to fulfill the
Core Distribution Elective(s) may not
be required by either degree program
or major and may not be from the
department(s) offering the degree
programs or majors.
- Required courses of the degree programs
or majors: All required courses for both
degrees or both majors must be completed
with the exception of when
the degree programs or majors require
different courses (or course sequences)
on the same topic. In such cases, the
student must take the course (or course
sequence) with the higher number of
credits. If both courses have the same
number of credits, the course selected
must have written approval of both
program directors.
- Elective courses of the degree programs
or majors: Students pursuing two
degrees or two majors may not use
courses required by one of the degree
programs or majors to fulfill elective
requirements of another degree program
or major. Courses which are electives in
both degree programs or both majors
may be used to fulfill the elective
requirements of both degrees or both
majors. Exceptions may be made only
with the permission of both program
directors and of the college dean(s) to
whom they report.
Completion of Degrees
A degree may be awarded once all requirements
for that degree are met.
- A double major is awarded when the
student has satisfied the requirements
for earning a degree and all requirements
for both majors are met.
- The first degree of the double degree may
be awarded when the student has completed
the requirements of that degree.
The second degree may be awarded once
the student has earned the credits for the
second degree, including the minimum
30 credits beyond what is required for
one of the degrees.
Limitations
Neither double degrees nor double majors
may be earned for programs that are offered
within the same department. An exception is
made for semiautonomous, cross-disciplinary
programs that have an affiliation with one of
the departments in which the other major or
degree is being sought, such as bioinformatics
or medical technology.
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