Health & Occupational Sciences BS

Our bachelor’s degree in health and occupational sciences (HOS) serves two purposes – it extends the career path for our occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students, and prepares others for a variety of healthcare-related roles.

Due to the rapid-changing demographics and healthcare trends, demand for HOS graduates is expected to be high. Advances in technology and emphasis on outpatient care all continue to drive job growth in this field.

The Occupational Therapy Connection

The majority of Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) students wish to continue their journey to become a licensed occupational therapist – which requires a master’s degree. At Maria, upon completion of the OTA program, students can transition into our Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Occupational Sciences, allowing them to get one step closer to their career goals.

Advancing Your Education

Maria’s Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Occupational Sciences is “transfer-friendly” and an excellent preparation for graduate school, especially if you’re interested in physical therapy, nutrition, or any other health services. Contact Admissions at 518.861.2517 or admissions@mariacollege.edu to get started.

Program Learning Outcomes
The overarching objective of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Health and Occupational Sciences program is to provide graduates with the relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to succeed in their chosen profession and/or graduate level study.
In the area of knowledge base and life-long learning skills, graduates will:
- Have a strong foundation in the natural, clinical and behavioral sciences.
- Develop the skills and professional and personal habits to acquire and apply new knowledge.
- Develop insight into their own and others’ behavior and mental processes and will apply effective strategies for self-management and self-improvement.
- Have the necessary entry requirements for graduate level study in occupational therapy.
In the area of professional values and ethics, graduates will:
- Understand and accept their duties and responsibilities required of their chosen career, advanced study, and to society in general, and are expected to have developed value systems and ethical standards that guide their behavior.
- Gain an enhanced understanding of the social and ethical issues that may be encountered and have an impact on health care services.
- Recognize, understand and respect the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity.
- Pursue realistic ideas about how to implement their knowledge, skills and values in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings that meet personal goals and societal needs.
In the area of critical and creative thinking skills, graduates will:
- Use critical and creative thinking and an evidence-based approach to identify, analyze and solve problems.
- Understand and apply scientific techniques, skills and tools to define, formulate and solve basic problems.
- Integrate knowledge from general education courses and will synthesize knowledge from the natural, clinical and behavioral sciences.
In the area of communication and collaborative skills, graduates will:
- Be able to communicate effectively with stakeholders in the health care industry and agencies, and function effectively on multi-disciplinary teams.
- Demonstrate effective oral, written and visual communication skills.

Course Overview

Major Field Requirements (36 credits)

Group I – all courses required (27 credits):
Course		Credits
SCI 100	Medical Terminology and Conditions	3
HOS 150 HCM 120	Introduction to Health Professions or The U.S. Healthcare System	2 3
HOS 300	Fundamentals of Occupational Science	3
BIO 300	Applied Kinesiology	3
PSY 350	Research Methods I	3
HOS 400 HOS 400 COM 450	Internship in Health and Occupational Sciences or Internship in Health and Occupational Sciences and Capstone 1: Professional Competencies for the 21st Century	6 3 3
COM 451	Capstone II: Graduate Competencies	3

*Group II – select any three courses from the following (12 credits):**
Course		Credits
BIO 310	Pathophysiology	3
BIO 320	Neurobiology	4
BIO 330	Gross Anatomy	4
BIO 340	Genetics	3
CHM 301	Environmental Heath	3
CSC 308	Healthcare Informatics	3
CUL 320	Culture, Health and Healing	3
HCM 330	Healthcare Quality Management	3
HCM 350	Healthcare Law and Policy	3
HOS 410	Epidemiology	3
PSY 300/400	Psychology, 300/400 level elective	3
SOC 410	Health Promotion Across the Lifespan	3

*extra credits count as free elective credits, extra natural science (BIO/CHM/PHY) credits can be counted towards the natural science requirement

Natural Science Requirements (20 credits):

Group I – all courses required (8 credits):
Course		Credits
BIO 209	Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BIO 210	Anatomy and Physiology II	4

Group II – select any three courses from the following (12 credits):
Course		Credits
BIO 101	General Biology I	4
BIO 102	General Biology II	4
BIO 103	Introduction to Human Biology**	4
CHM 100	General Chemistry I	4
CHM 101	General Chemistry II	4
CHM 211	Organic Chemistry I	4
CHM 212	Organic Chemistry II	4
BIO 203	Microbiology	4
PHY 101	General Physics I	4
PHY 102	General Physics II	4

** cannot be taken after other higher level biology courses

Liberal Arts Courses (36 Credits):
Cultural Studies/History (3 credits): CUL or HIS elective
English (9 credits): ENG 111, ENG 211, ENG 300 or 400 level elective
Mathematics (3 credits): MAT 200
Psychology (6 credits): PSY 100, PSY elective
Religious Studies/Philosophy (9 credits): RES 201, PHI 300, RES or PHI elective
Sociology (6 credits): SOC 101, SOC 300

Course Sequence: Direct Entry

Health and Occupational Sciences, BS

First Year: First Semester
Course		Credits
BIO/CHM/PHY	Science Requirement	4
ENG 111	Composition I	3
HOS 150 or HCM 120	Intro to Health Professions or The U.S. Healthcare System	2 3
SCI 100	Medical Terms & Conditions	3
	Free Elective	3
		15
First Year: Second Semester
BIO/CHM/PHY	Science Requirement	4
CUL/HIS	Cultural Studies/History Elective	3
ENG 211	Critical Inquiry and Writing	3
MAT 200	Statistics	3
	Free Elective	3
		16
Second Year: First Semester
BIO 209	Anatomy & Physiology I	4
PSY 100	General Psychology	3
RES 201	Foundations in Social Justice	3
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology	3
	Free Elective	3
		16
Second Year: Second Semester
BIO 210	Anatomy & Physiology II	4
PSY	Psychology Elective	3
RES/PHI	Religious Studies/Phil Elective	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
	Free Elective	3
		16
Third Year: First Semester
BIO/CHM/PHY	Science Requirement	4
BIO 330	Group II Major Field Requirement	4
PHI 300	Healthcare Ethics	3
	Free Elective	6
		17
Third Year: Second Semester
BIO 300	Applied Kinesiology	3
HOS 300	Fund. of Occupational Science	3
SOC 300	Medical Sociology	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
	Free Elective	3
		15
Fourth Year: First Semester
PSY 350	Research Methods I	3
ENG	English 300/400 Elective	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
COM 450	Free Elective or Capstone 1: Professional Competencies for the 21st Century and Free elective	4 3 1
		13
Fourth Year: Second Semester
HOS 400 or HOS 400 COM 450	Internship in Health and Occupational Sciences or Internship in Health and Occupational Sciences and Capstone 1: Professional Competencies for the 21st Century	6 3 3
COM 451	Capstone II: Graduate Competencies	3
	Free Elective	3
		12

Course Sequence: Concurrent Degree

BS in Health and Occupational Sciences and AAS in Occupational Therapy Assistant

First Year: First Semester
Course		Credits
BIO/CHM/ PHY	Science Requirement	4
ENG 111	Composition I	3
PSY 101	General Psychology	3
SCI 100	Med Terms and Conditions	3
SOC 101	Intro to Sociology	3
		16
First Year: Second Semester
BIO/CHM/ PHY	Science Requirement	4

CUL/HIS	Cultural Studies/History Elective	3
ENG 211	Critical Inquiry and Writing	3
MAT 200	Statistics	3
RES/PHI	Religious Studies/Phil. Elective	3
		16
Second Year: First Semester
BIO 209	Anatomy & Physiology I	4
HOS 150 or HCM 120	Introduction to Health Professions or The U.S. Healthcare System	2 3
OCT 112	OT Skills and Application I	1
OCT 114	Foundations of OT I	3
PSY	Psychology Elective	3
RES 201	Foundations in Social Justice	3
		16
Second Year: Second Semester
BIO 210	Anatomy & Physiology II	4
BIO 300	Applied Kinesiology	3
OCT 116	OT Skills and Application II	1
OCT 117	Fieldwork I – Service Learning	1
OCT 120	Occ. Perform. Across Lifespan	3
OCT 121	Foundations of OT II	3
		15
Third Year: First Semester
BIO/CHM/ PHY	Science Requirement	4
OCT 210	Fieldwork I – Psychosocial	1
OCT 211	Preparing for Practice	1
OCT 213	OT in Develop. Disabilities	3
OCT 214	OT in Physical Dysfunction	3
OCT 215	OT in Psychosocial Dysfunction	4
		16
Third Year: Second Semester
OCT 216	Fieldwork II, First Rotation	6
OCT 217	Fieldwork II, Second Rotation	6
SOC 300	Medical Sociology	3
		15
Fourth Year: First Semester
BIO 330	Gross Anatomy	4
ENG	English 300/400 Elective	3
PHI 300	Healthcare Ethics	3
PSY 350	Research Methods I	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
		16
Fourth Year: Second Semester
HOS 300	Fund. of Occupational Science	3
COM 451	Capstone II: Graduate Competencies	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
		12

Course Sequence: Transfer

AAS in Occupational Therapy Assistant transfer into BS in Health and Occupational Sciences

Third Year: First Semester
Course		Credits
BIO/CHM/ PHY	Science Requirement	4
ENG 211	Critical Inquiry and Writing	3
MAT 200	Statistics	3
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
		16
Third Year: Second Semester
BIO 300	Applied Kinesiology	3
BIO/CHM/PHY	Science Requirement	4
CUL/HIS	Cultural Studies/History Elective	3
HOS 300	Fund. of Occupational Science	3
SOC 300	Medical Sociology	3
		16
Fourth Year: First Semester
HOS 150 or HCM 120	Introduction to Health Professions or The U.S. Healthcare System	2 3
BIO/CHM/PHY	Science Requirement	4
BIO 330	Group II Major Field Elective	4
PHI 300	Healthcare Ethics	3
PSY 350	Research Methods I	3
		17
Fourth Year: Second Semester
ENG	English 300/400 Elective	3
COM 451	Capstone II: Graduate Competencies	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
	Group II Major Field Req	3
	Free Elective	2
		14

Articulation Agreements
- Capital Region BOCES Sterile Processing Program graduates with national certification for Sterile Processing to the BS in Health and Occupational Sciences degree at Maria College
- Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with AAS in Health Studies to BS in Health and Occupational Sciences at Maria College
- Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with AS in Health Science to BS in Health and Occupational Sciences at Maria College
- Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with AS in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Science to BS in Health and Occupational Sciences at Maria College