Academic Policies and Procedures

Students can declare a major in one of the college’s undergraduate programs upon admission to the university. Progression standards include courses completed and cumulative and prerequisite GPA. Meeting minimum standards as freshmen and sophomores does not guarantee admission to the junior year within the college because health professions programs are limited in size. In order to be considered in the applicant pool for admission at the junior level, students must meet the requirements listed in the sections below. In addition, students must submit an application for admission to the junior level, which can be found on the college Web site (www.hp.ufl.edu).

Students are eligible to be considered for admission once they meet the following criteria:

• Earned at least 60 semester hours of acceptable college credit with an overall average GPA of 3.0 or higher for health science and 2.7 or higher for rehabilitative services on all college/university-level work attempted.
• Completed all prerequisites, including all preprofessional course work with the required GPA. (Prerequisite courses are listed under the college catalog section entitled Programs of Study.)
• Passed all sections of the College Level Academic Skills Test or have received a CLAST waiver.
• Fulfilled the university-wide general education requirements described in the Academic Advising section of this catalog. The course sequence in the Programs of Study section for each of the college’s programs indicates how to fulfill these requirements while planning careers in health professions.
• Completed all writing, math, and foreign language requirements.
• Submitted a college application.

• Completed all requirements for the A.A. degree.
• Completed all prerequisites, including all prerequisite course work with the required GPA.
• Passed all sections of the College Level Academic Skills Test (or have received a CLAST waiver).
• Completed 60 semester hours of transferable college-level credit with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher for health science and 2.7 or higher for rehabilitative services.
• Submitted a college and university application (these are separate applications).

• Followed a program of general education and preprofessional courses comparable to the curriculum for freshmen and sophomores outlined for each program.
• Completed 60 semester credit hours (96 quarter hours) that can be accepted as transfer credit. (Refer to Transfer Credit Policy in the Academic Regulations section of the catalog.)
• Submitted a college and university application (these are separate applications).

All junior-/senior-level core course work must be taken at UF. Transfer credit is not allowed. Undergraduate transfer credit taken at four-year institutions is allowed for electives with the approval of the undergraduate coordinator.

In addition to specific GPA and course work requirements, health science and rehabilitative services require evidence of commitment to the field. Students are encouraged to volunteer in a human services field to demonstrate this commitment. An interview may be required for admission to a major in the College of Health Professions.

Students can find application materials for the undergraduate programs on the college Web site at www.hp.ufl.edu (click on "Students." Students must apply separately to the university and to the college to be considered for admission to the junior year. If students have questions, they are welcome to contact the dean’s office and speak with an adviser (352 273-6379).

Health Science admits twice per year. The Health Science preferred application deadline is April 1 for fall admission and March 1 for summer admission. Rehabilitative Services admits three times per year. The Rehabilitative Services preferred deadline is March 1 for the summer A term, May 15 for the fall term, and October 1 for the spring term. After the deadlines, student applications are considered on a space available basis.

While the dean and faculty of the college are aware of the need to prepare well-qualified graduates in the various degree programs, limitations in available staff, faculty and facilities oblige the college to limit enrollment in the junior and senior years. Therefore, admission to this college at the junior level is selective; satisfaction of minimum GPA and course requirements, which are listed in this catalog, does not guarantee admission to the junior level.

A student’s total record, including educational objectives, courses completed, quality of academic record, and application essay will be considered in evaluating an applicant for admission.

The college offers a Bachelor of Health Science degree with a double major in health science and rehabilitative services. Students interested in this option should check both majors on their application for admission to the junior year. Students who are accepted into one major and subsequently decide they are interested in both majors will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Students must meet the prerequisite requirements of both majors and have fewer than 96 credit hours to be eligible for the double major.

Students in the College of Health Professions can pursue an additional degree outside of the college, and students from other colleges can consider a dual degree with the College of Health Professions with permission of both colleges. Students are eligible to apply for the dual degree after they have completed 45 credit hours but before completion of 96 credit hours. Students must meet the necessary curricular requirements for both degrees.

The College of Health Professions offers minors in health science and in rehabilitative services. These minors are open to students in any college at the University of Florida as long as the student has completed the prerequisites with the appropriate GPA for the minor of interest. Minors are typically 15 credit hours, of which 12 credit hours must be from course work 3000 level or higher and all graded C or better. Up to three credits of approved transfer course work with a grade of C or better will be accepted. Students interested in a minor can obtain an application form and a list of appropriate course work beginning in the junior year from the dean‘s office (HPNP 4104A).

In order to assist students in navigating the university system, the college provides information about college majors and program requirements at its Web site – www.hp.ufl.edu. The college also offers academic advising that is accessible to all students interested in or already admitted to the College of Health Professions. Academic advising is important for selecting an appropriate major and preprofessional and major course work, understanding university and college policies, and career development. All students considering a major in the college should review the college Web site and make an academic advising appointment with a dean’s office adviser (352-273-6400). Freshmen and sophomores are responsible for ensuring they complete all prerequisites with appropriate grades to apply to the junior level. The course work and grade requirements that are met and not met are included on an audit available to each student during the fall and spring. Students are strongly encouraged to review this audit with a college academic adviser to ensure they fully understand the requirements.

Once admitted to the junior level, students work with a faculty adviser to develop a plan of study. This required plan lays out the course work the student anticipates taking each term until graduation. Creating a plan of study helps each student stay on track and achieve all college graduation requirements. Faculty advisers are available throughout the student’s academic program to assist the student with questions and career planning.

The S-U option is not permitted for required prerequisite or major courses. However, the S-U option can be used for general electives.

The Dean’s List recognizes outstanding academic achievement at the completion of each semester. Inclusion on the list means that the student has achieved a GPA of 3.65 or higher on a full-time curriculum of graded course work. Students receiving a final grade of U or a failing grade may not be considered for the Dean’s List, regardless of overall grade point average.

Students not making sufficient progress toward program completion are considered to be off track. Off track status means the student has not met all tracking criteria for the designated term. Students who are off track can be placed on probation. The purpose of probation is to develop a plan to help the student return to good academic standing. Students off track for two or more semesters can be dismissed from the College of Health Professions based on the college’s policy below.

Freshman and sophomores can be off track for one of two reasons: low GPA or missing or incomplete grades in prerequisite or major courses.

Students must receive at least a C grade in all courses required for the major. Unsatisfactory grades, defined as grades lower than a C or grades of unsatisfactory in classes graded S-U, are grounds for probation and/or dismissal from the college.

Freshmen and sophomores wishing to change majors should contact a college adviser. Juniors and seniors wishing to change majors in the college must contact the undergraduate coordinator or associate dean for academic affairs. If a student withdraws from the major, specific permission from the program and the college must be given at the time of withdrawal for the student to be eligible to re-enter the college.

The college requires evidence of ability to meet the physical and academic requirements of the program. Personnel in the Department of Student Health will test each health professions student for sensitivity to tuberculosis. The Department of Student Health will verify immunization against diphtheria, rubella (German measles) and tetanus.

Students who elect practica in hospital or other patient care settings must also be immunized against Hepatitis B. All students must be immunized against varicella (chicken pox) or provide the Student Health Center with medical documentation that they have had chicken pox. All students must participate in bloodborne pathogen training and repeat their TB test annually.

Students registered in clinical courses must have hospitalization insurance. Full-time students are eligible for the health insurance plans sponsored by Student Government. Twelve-month coverage may be purchased at the time of registration.

Required immunizations and other expenses are the student’s responsibility. Field experience is required in rehabilitative services, and students are responsible for financing this portion of their preparation. Cost varies depending upon location of the field assignment, which can be out of state. Students are responsible for computer-related costs required for course work completion.

* Accessibility to the World Wide Web

* Windows operating environment

* Minimum system resources to run all

required applications

* Basic word processing software

* Microsoft Power Point and Word

software

• Students are responsible for operating the computer system they choose and the software packages required.
• Students are responsible for any repairs and are expected to complete assignments on time, regardless of the state of repair of their computer systems.
• Over the course of a student’s program, computer upgrades are likely. Students are responsible for the upgrades required for curriculum completion.
• Course work may require additional software not already delineated. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to ensure the software requirements are delineated on the class syllabus. Students then are responsible for acquiring the software.
• Students are responsible for printing their materials, including the cost.
• All work completed on the computer must be the student’s original work. Students must not receive assistance to complete assignments unless specifically allowed as part of that assignment.
• Copying material from others, such as scanning others’ materials, copying others’ files or discs and/or downloading material from other sources, and claiming it as the student’s own work, is strictly prohibited.