Frequently Asked Questions

The Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences is designed for students with an interest in human health who plan to pursue careers in medicine, other health professions, and health promotion. The curriculum provides students with a solid educational background encompassing required core science courses and application-oriented courses that provide a strong foundation for advanced degree programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, occupational therapy, public health and others. Learn more about the degree program at catalog.ucf.edu.

The Health Sciences major is a four-year degree program that includes 120 credit hours. Full-time students who transfer with an AA degree from a Florida public state college or university complete the degree in an average of two to three years. Upon graduation, students are conferred a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences.

Most courses are offered face-to-face; however, some courses have both face-to-face and online versions. To identify the mode of instruction for a particular course, visit my.ucf.edu. Log on using your NID and NID password. Click on Student Self Service and select Search at the top left of the page.

Most courses in the major are offered in the morning and afternoon. Very few courses are offered in the evening. To find the times and days that courses are offered, visit my.ucf.edu. Log on using your NID and NID password. Click on Student Self Service and select Search at the top left of the page. Use the search options to modify your selections.

The Health Sciences major only offers courses at the Orlando campus.

Yes, the Health Sciences Internship (HSC 4943) is available as a 3-credit restricted elective course. Enrollment is by application only, and juniors and/or seniors in the Health Sciences major may apply. To learn more about the internship click here. If you have questions, please contact our Health Sciences internship coordinator at hsintern@ucf.edu or 407-823-4096.

Students also are encouraged to get involved with student organizations. These organizations can provide opportunities for leadership development, service and networking. Visit the Clubs & Organizations section of our website for a list of health-related student organizations. Students also may speak with the office of Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising and Career Services for more information about opportunities.

Information is available from the Department of Health Sciences website and the Undergraduate Catalog. For updates regarding courses, events, news and more follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences provides foundational preparation for a variety of medical/health-related careers including, but not limited to, medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and occupational therapy, as well as admission to clinically-focused graduate degree programs and programs with an emphasis on public health and/or health promotion. Students also may meet with Career Services to learn about other career opportunities.

UCF does not offer a program in occupational therapy or physician assistant; however, the curriculum for the Health Sciences major includes pre-requisite courses needed for entrance into these programs. Please visit the Career and Post-Graduate Planning section of our website to find universities that offer these and other graduate programs. The office of Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising also can provide information regarding these programs.

The Health Sciences curriculum includes two required nutrition courses, but UCF does not offer an undergraduate or graduate program in nutrition. Please visit the Career and Post-Graduate Planning section of our website to see where these programs, and others, are offered.

Appointments with the academic advisors can be scheduled through the Health Sciences Academic Advising Office by calling 407-823-0946. Students also are welcome to email the academic advisors at hsinfo@ucf.edu. Additional advising information can be found on the Academic Advising section of our website.

The major does not have any prerequisites that need to be completed prior to starting the major; however, there are two tracks within the major with different requirements, the Health Promotion track and the Pre-Clinical track.

• The Health Promotion track is an open access track. This means that there are no requirements to declare this track. Students must achieve an overall GPA of 2.5 or above to graduate from this track.
• The Pre-Clinical track is a restricted access track. This means that students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above to declare this track. Students wishing to pursue this track will be placed in pending status until their GPA is reviewed. Students meeting the requirements will be admitted to the Pre-Clinical track. No additional application is required. An overall GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation from the Pre-Clinical track.

For assistance with selecting a track, schedule an appointment with a Health Sciences academic advisor.

Prospective students must apply online via UCF Admissions for admission to UCF as an undergraduate student. As part of the application process, prospective students can declare Health Sciences as their major.

Applicants should review the Undergraduate Admissions website (admissions.ucf.edu) and the current Undergraduate Catalog for information on UCF entrance requirements and instructions for completing the online application process. Please refer all questions about admissions to Undergraduate Admissions at 407-823-3000 or admission@ucf.edu.

Once admitted to UCF, courses can be verified individually for equivalency by a Health Sciences academic advisor. (A course syllabus will be required.)

It is strongly recommended that students wishing to transfer to the Health Sciences major at UCF complete an AA degree from a Florida public state college or university. Some courses required for the major may also meet general education requirements. Students should be aware that not all transferred courses (within the AA degree or not) will count as courses for the major.

You can visit my.ucf.edu and click on the “Class Search” link located under the myUCF login. It is located with the quick links as the second option.

A great place to start is at the Office of Undergraduate Research – Division of Student Success and Well-being website UCF Undergraduate Research. This website includes information about how to sign up for an online, non-credit, self-paced Webcourse called Research Roadmap. Completing this Webcourse is a great first step.

Other resources available through the Office of Undergraduate Research website include a link to schedule an appointment with an experienced undergraduate researcher who can serve as a Peer Mentor to help you get started.

The Office of Undergraduate Research also offers workshops that guide you through finding a faculty member with whom to work, the first steps involved in getting started in research, availability of summer off campus research experiences, writing a research abstract for a conference, and more.

The Office of Undergraduate Research also offers two 1 credit hour courses to help you engage in research. These include:

• Summer Research Academy – 3-day event in July
• Introduction to Research & Creative Scholarship Opportunities Mentoring Program – a semester-long, immersive classroom experience offered during the fall and spring semesters

Research is governed by ethics and compliance requirements that all researchers need to know and follow. Members of a research team need training to ensure that the research they conduct adheres to ethical standards and compliance requirements. Completing the necessary training in advance of seeking an opportunity to be involved in research can help you learn what you need to know and may increase the chance of being selected to work with faculty on a research project. The training course completed by researchers at UCF is the CITI Program. This link provides information about the CITI Program training and how to access it: Guidance-IRB_G4-CITI_Training_4-15-2020.pdf (ucf.edu).

The Health Sciences major has two tracks: Health Promotion and Pre-Clinical. Students should select a track based on their career and professional/graduate school interests.

The Health Promotion track is designed for students interested in pursuing careers as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, clinical/behavioral health researcher, public health specialist, and other health-related fields. This is an open access track, but students must achieve a 2.5 minimum overall GPA for graduation.

The Pre-Clinical track is designed for students interested in pursuing careers as a physician, physician assistant, dentist, pharmacist and other healthcare careers. This track requires a 3.0 minimum overall GPA for entrance and graduation. Students pursuing this option are listed as “pending” until their GPA is reviewed.

No. Selecting a track depends on the student’s interests and goals. Both tracks offer a wide variety of restricted elective courses and career paths. To learn more about the track requirements and career options, meet with a Health Sciences academic advisor.

Restricted electives should be selected based on graduate and/or career goals. Restricted electives are determined based on tracks (i.e., Health Promotion or Pre-Clinical) and may not be interchanged. Students must select restricted electives specific to their declared track as listed in their myKnight Audit and the UCF Undergraduate Catalog for their catalog year.

Appointments with an academic advisor can be scheduled through the Health Sciences Academic Advising Office at 407-823-0946. Additional advising information can be found under the Academic Advising section of our website.

Transferred courses that do not appear on your myKnight Audit as meeting a requirement for the major will need to be reviewed by a Health Sciences academic advisor for equivalency. A course syllabus must be provided. If equivalency is verified, a substitution may be processed. E-mail hsinfo@ucf.edu with the course syllabus and a short explanation of the issue.

To access your myKnight Audit, log on to my.ucf.edu, select Student Self Service, and click on the drop down box on the left side of the page. It is extremely important to become familiar with and learn how to read your myKnight audit.

The department highly recommends that matriculated students complete the remaining courses needed for the major at UCF. Current UCF students in the major can “go transient” for certain courses if they meet the university’s residency requirement and other rules. You must verify with your Health Sciences academic advisor that the course will count towards your requirements. Please refer to the Registrar’s Office for more information on the transient student process.

Yes. The Health Sciences minor is designed to increase students’ knowledge in the areas of health care, health promotion, and disease prevention. It may prove beneficial to students seeking future employment within the healthcare arena and for students applying to various health-related academic programs. This minor is only available to students currently enrolled at UCF. For more information about the minor, please contact Mr. L. Timothy Worrell at 407-823-5236 or L.TimothyWorrell@ucf.edu.

• Health Sciences Academic Advising: Provides academic advising for current sophomore, junior and senior students majoring in Health Sciences and prospective Health Sciences students. The Health Sciences academic advisors can assist students with information about the major, schedule planning, selecting a track, restricted elective options, registration assistance, possible course substitutions, override information, transfer course equivalencies and general career information. More detailed career information is available from the offices of Career and Post-Graduate Planning, Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising and Career Services.
• CHPS Student Academic Services (SAS): Academic advising for freshman students is handled by the CHPS Student Academic Services office.
• Office of Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising (PHPL): Assists pre-professional students in any undergraduate major by offering advising for students interested in careers in any health profession. Services include career exploration, required courses for graduate schools, volunteer/shadowing opportunities, internships, graduate program admission tests (e.g., GRE, MCAT, DAT, and others), and application materials, as well as seminars and related workshops.

The Health Sciences academic advisors are available by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Health Sciences Academic Advising Office (located in HS II Room 210) at 407-823-0946.

You may also connect with a Health Sciences advisor via email (hsinfo@ucf.edu).