Healthcare Services and Sciences Concentrations (HSSJ, HAUJ, HBLJ, HCPJ, HOTJ, HPAJ)

BS-Healthcare Services and Sciences Major (HSSJ)

Students must successfully complete 1) WMU Essential Studies requirements; 2) core major and core cognate courses; 3) concentration or minor courses; 4) capstone experiences, usually an internship.

Healthcare Services and Sciences Concentrations/Academic Minors

Students choosing the Healthcare Services and Sciences major will also need to select a concentration or minor. Each concentration will consist of courses that guide the student toward a specific health career. As described above, the following concentrations are offered in the Healthcare Services and Sciences degree:

• Clinical Practice in Health Concentration;
• Audiology Preparation Concentration (Admission to the WMU Doctorate of Audiology Program is currently suspended through Fall 2025.);
• Blindness and Low Vision Studies Preparation Concentration;
• Occupational Therapy Preparation Concentration;
• Physician Assistant Preparation Concentration

Capstone Experience

To graduate, students must complete a capstone experience (or transfer in an equivalent): either an internship, capstone project or individual research. A capstone experience is one that integrates special studies with the Healthcare Services and Sciences major and extends, critiques, and applies knowledge gained throughout the program. Students typically complete the capstone experience in the final semester before graduation. They will do this by also completing HSV 4900, HSV 4895 or HSV 4890.

• Most students will complete an internship as their capstone experience.
• Students who have at least one year of paid experience in healthcare or in a health-related organization may opt to complete a capstone project instead of an internship.
• Occasionally a student with extensive healthcare experience may decide that their future goals are best supported by completing an individual research project.
• For students who are accepted into the Clinical practice in Health Concentration, they may be able to transfer clinical placement experience to serve as their capstone experience. However, if they are unable to transfer in a clinical placement with comparable requirements they will have to complete a capstone experience.

Internship in Healthcare Services (HSV 4900) - Appropriate for most students
wmich.edu/healthservices/academics/internships

Students completing an HSS internship integrate and apply their knowledge and abilities, as well as hone skills in preparation for employment or graduate study in a healthcare or health-related organization.

In the semester prior to the internship, students meet with the internship coordinator to establish an appropriate, supervised placement that will further their education and professional objectives. A minimum of 200 clock hours is required for internships (some internships require more). A classroom seminar accompanies the internship placement (HSV 4900).

The requirements of the internship are:

Completion of all prerequisites prior to enrollment in any of the capstone courses.

Application to the capstone experience/internship program. Application includes the application form, the student’s resume and unofficial transcripts. All applications must be submitted via the Intern Placement Tracking (IPT) system found on the program website at www.wmich.edu/healthservices/academics/internships. Application must be made by the deadline for the semester in which a student wishes to begin the internship. See below for deadlines.

• Students should review the listing of internship sites on the BS-HSS website wmich.edu/healthservices/academics/internships/descriptions and mention any placements that they are interested in on their application.
• After the application is received, the student will meet with the internship coordinator to establish an appropriate, supervised placement that will further their education and professional objectives.
• Students must enroll in HSV 4900 and participate in the internship seminar.
• Students engaged in an internship must give evidence of having health insurance at the time of course enrollment.
• Liability insurance coverage will be provided by the University through a fee assessed at the time of enrollment in HSV 4900.
• Students must have the minimum of a 2.5 GPA to enroll in HSV 4900 and to complete an internship. If a student misses the minimum GPA the student will be given one semester to achieve the 2.5 before taking the course. If a student is unable to achieve the 2.5 GPA in one semester the student will be dismissed from the program barring hardship circumstances. If hardship circumstances are present the Internship Coordinator, the Program Coordinator and the Director of the School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs will review the case.

Students who are registered, certified, or licensed healthcare professionals may pursue a clinical experience providing it exposes the student to the development of new skills, or is in a situation outside their usual employment.

Capstone Project (HSV 4895)

The capstone project provides students an opportunity to design and complete a project in health services.  Only students who have completed at least one year of employment at a healthcare or health-related organization and have successfully applied for this option may select it. Students must complete a capstone experience application following the date guidelines for all capstone experiences. Students complete the project over one semester, typically the student’s final semester of his/her undergraduate career.

The capstone project requires students to conceive, plan, and implement a special project in an area within the scope of healthcare services and sciences. This is generally at their place of employment, but not always. Capstone projects may take many different forms. Some examples are: patient satisfaction surveys in an applied setting, a written health literacy project, analysis of a health informatics system, clinical review of a therapeutic intervention, implementation of a quality improvement project, development of a patient manual or an educational program.

Students will work under the supervision of an HSS onsite capstone project instructor. Enrollment in the capstone project course requires departmental approval from the HSS internship coordinator. If you have at least one year of healthcare experience and desire to take the capstone project course, contact the HSS internship coordinator for more information.

Students must have the minimum of a 2.5 GPA to enroll in HSV 4895 to complete a capstone project. If a student misses the minimum GPA the student will be given one semester to achieve the 2.5 GPA before taking the course. If the student is unable to achieve the 2.5 GPA in one semester the student will be dismissed from the program barring hardship circumstances. If hardship circumstances are present, the Program Coordinator and the Director of the School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs will review the case.

Health and Human Services Independent Research (HSV 4890)

Restricted to certified, licensed, or registered health providers, this course requires the completion of a student created research project related to a current issue in health and human services.

If a healthcare provider chooses HSV 4890: Independent Research (3 hours), the project must conform to the following standards:

The student must select a research committee consisting of a faculty mentor knowledgeable in the field of inquiry and a reader who will also act as a resource person (the resource person may work outside of the University).

Accelerated Graduate Degree Program

Students in the following majors are eligible for the department’s Accelerated Graduate Degree Program (AGDP). Interested students should consult WMU’s Graduate Catalog and, in their sophomore or early junior year, contact the department for details.

• Audiology
• Orientation and Mobility (Blindness and Low Vision Studies) 
• Visual Rehabilitation (Blindness and Low Vision Studies)