By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Bowling Green State University took another step last week toward building its portfolio of health related programs.
The Faculty Senate approved a new doctorate in physical therapy and a new Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration.
Stephanie Thurmond, physical therapy program director, said that the aim is to start the program in fall, 2022 with an initial class of 24. The goal is to enroll 100 students. All 12.5 new faculty positions need to be filled by spring of 2022. Four faculty in addition to the director have been hired with another due to be hired soon. The program will also have four staff positions.
The program will be submitted to the accrediting agency in fall, 2021.
This will be an accelerated program involving 96 weeks of academic work over two years. The classroom component will be offered online. Students will have to come to Northwest Ohio to complete their immersive labs – six in the first year and two in the second.
Hans Schmalzried, an emeritus professor in public health, presented the new program in health care administration.
The degree will replace a specialization within applied health science, he said.
That program, which the College of Health and Human Services adopted from the College of Business in 2007, is outdated and cannot be accredited. It is also not very visible and attracts mostly transfer students from other programs.
The new degree program will replaced more general course offerings with seven new courses that directly cover health care issues.
Those courses will “largely” be taught by adjunct professors, Schmalzried said. Those professors will be drawn from “a highly qualified pool who have positions in health care leadership.”
The specialization has 77 students, more than 60 of whom are juniors and seniors. They will be able to either complete that program or transfer to new program.
The program will begin in fall, 2021. All new students will have to enroll in the new degree program.
The new programs must now be approved by the Board of Trustees, who are meeting this week, before getting final approval from the state.
