TSU 2004-2005 Undergraduate Catalog

Kathleen A. McEnerney, D.A., Dean
161 Clement Hall
615-963-5924

General Statement: The College of Health Sciences was established in 1974 as the School of Allied Health Professions and is jointly supported and administered by Tennessee State University and Meharry Medical College. Program offerings in the College include Cardio-Respiratory Care Sciences, Dental Hygiene, Health Care Administration and Planning, Health Sciences, Health Information Management, Medical Technology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Pathology and Audiology. While Meharry Medical College provides in-kind support and participates in the administration of all programs in the College, Meharry assumes primary responsibility for three of these programs: Dental Hygiene, Health Care Administration and Planning, and Medical Technology. The College was established to offer educational programs designed to produce allied health professions practitioners and to prepare individuals who are interested in pursuing careers as educators in the health professions; to encourage, develop and support interest in research; and to provide health care, when appropriate and continuing educational services to the community. This threefold purpose is consistent with the stated missions of Tennessee State University and Meharry Medical College.

The goals of the College of Health Sciences are:

1. To develop and implement educational programs designed to produce allied health practitioners and educators based upon employment demands and the availability of resources.
    
2. To recruit students interested in careers in the health care field in programs offered in the College and instill in these students the basic principles of morality and professional ethics; to provide these students with career counseling, academic advisement, and tutorial assistance designed to assist in achieving career goals.
    
3. To identify and serve the needs of students whose prior disadvantage has prevented achievement of the level of preparation required to pursue an allied health career.
    
4. To maintain full accreditation by appropriate agencies for all programs offered by the College.
    
5. To recruit and maintain faculty capable of making significant contributions to the basic and applied research efforts of the supporting institutions.
    
6. To encourage and promote the rendering of service to the community through the sponsorship of seminars, workshops, consultation, and the delivery of health care when and where appropriate.

Admission/Retention Requirements: The College of Health Sciences offers programs in seven undergraduate health related fields and two graduate fields. (See Graduate Catalogue for information on master’s degree programs in Physical Therapy and Speech and Hearing Sciences.) Five of the seven programs require completion of a pre-professional curriculum as prerequisite to admission to the professional/clinical level program. In addition to meeting the criteria for admission to Tennessee State University, prospective students must also apply to the specific department in accordance with departmental admissions criteria. Admission to professional programs is a competitive process in addition to and separate from the University’s admissions process. Completion of the prerequisites for any health sciences program does not ensure acceptance into that program.

Admission and retention policies for each program are found under departmental headings. The following table gives basic program information:

HEALTH SCIENCES PROGRAMS