Curriculum

Curriculum Details

60 TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED

Students must earn a total of 120 college credit hours to receive the BSHS degree. They may transfer in up to 60 college credit hours from another institution, which are applied toward the general education and advanced standing requirements. They then must earn at least 60 college credit hours at GW to meet the academic residency requirement, of which 48 credit hours are required courses for the major.*

* Students may be considered for review with a minimum of 45 transfer credits but will be required to complete any missing general education credit hours in addition to completion of the 60 programmatic hours. Transfer credit hours will be evaluated prior to admission.

Core

EHS 2109 Infectious Disease and Bioterrorism (Credit Hours: 3)

Examination of the basic principles of epidemiology, the growing problem of emerging infectious diseases, the threat of biological warfare, and emergency preparedness planning and response for large-scale biological events. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission Recommended background: 4 credits in courses in the areas of biology or anatomy and physiology; or HSCI 2102.

EHS 2160 Disaster Response Planning & Management (Credit Hours: 3)

Planning for and management of mass-casualty incidents in the pre-hospital and hospital environments for all risks (attack, man-made, and natural), including development of response plans, triage, medical evacuation procedures, communications, roles of government and the private sector, terrorism, pandemics and epidemics, and medical care for mass gatherings. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission.

EHS 2211 Introduction to Telemedicine (Credit Hours: 3)

An introduction to the ethical, legal, and technical aspects of telemedicine, including, but not limited to, emerging technologies, planning and operational considerations. Students will complete a number of practical exercises requiring direct application and utilization of Internet, video, audio, and other technologies.

EHS 3101 Leadership Concepts (Credit Hours: 3)

Leadership topics in the context of emergency action and disaster response, including developing leadership skills, team and group dynamics, and contrasting military and civilian leadership structures. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission.

EHS 3103 Technology in Critical Incident Response (Credit Hours: 3)

Examination of the role of technology in critical incident response through an assessment of domestic and international cases. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the permission of the instructor Prerequisite: EHS 2160.

EHS 3107 Financial Management for the Disaster Cycle (Credit Hours: 3)

Financial management, budgeting, and grants management in the emergency response and preparedness arenas. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission Prerequisite: EHS 2160.

EHS 4101 Humanitarian Relief Options (Credit Hours: 3)

An integrative approach to humanitarian relief operations, including factors that can influence relief delivery, field planning considerations, and the roles and limitations of non-governmental organizations, international organizations, local government, and various federal and civilian and military agencies. Emphasis on medical aspects of working with particular populations such as women, children, the elderly, and culturally underrepresented or persecuted population subsets.

EHS 4103 Advanced Topics in Leadership (Credit Hours: 3)

Leadership topics for emergency managers and responders, including leadership in complex systems, change management, interagency collaboration, and leadership in domestic and international responses. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission. Prerequisite: EHS 3101. Recommended background: EHS 2160

EHS 4105 Operations Management in Asymmetric Conditions (Credit Hours: 3)

Application of operations management principles in asymmetric conditions, including multi-dimensional approaches and responses to attack, man-made, and natural disasters. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission Prerequisites: EHS 2160 and EHS 3101.

EHS 4160 Seminar in Project Management & Leadership (Credit Hours: 3)

Capstone course using challenges and opportunities encountered by emergency managers to apply and develop project management and leadership approaches. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission. Prerequisites: EHS 2160 and EHS 3101. Recommended background: Completion of EHS 3107, EHS 4103, and EHS 4105.

HSCI 2105 Current Issues in Bioethics (Credit Hours: 3)

Basic issues, approaches, and requirements of ethically acceptable decision making with patients, including patient confidentiality, conflicts of interest, allocation of scarce resources, occupational risks in health care, and professional responsibility for overall quality of care.

HSCI 2110 Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Concepts (Credit Hours: 3)

An overview of basic public health concepts for health sciences students, including epidemiology, health promotion, and disease prevention Review of current issues in health promotion Completion of a public health project in a clinical site.

HSCI 2112W Writing in the Health Sciences (Credit Hours: 3)

Introduction to the health sciences literature Emphasis is on construction, evaluation and organization of written communication of health sciences information.

HSCI 2114 Healthcare in Developing Nations (Credit Hours: 3)

An introduction to health concerns in the developing world. Students will explore interventional approaches for such issues as malaria, HIV/AIDS, clean water, maternal and women’s health, and childhood mortality.

HSCI 2117 Introduction to Statistics for Health Science (Credit Hours: 3)

Foundational concepts in descriptive and inferential statistics, including probability, sampling distribution, estimation, correlation, t-Test, simple linear regression, and chi-square. Application of statistical concepts and methods within the health sciences.

HSCI 4102 Human Physiology in Extreme Environments (Credit Hours: 3)

The course examines human physiology and the pathophysiology of acute illnesses and injuries, and evaluates appropriate mitigation strategies associated with living and working in extreme environments.

HSCI 4106 Intro to Epidemiology for Health Sciences (Credit Hours: 3)

n/a

HSCI 4112W Research and Writing in Health Sciences (Credit Hours: 3)

Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement.

Elective

EHS 2161 Principles of Hazmat and CBRNE Incident Management (Credit Hours: 3)

Examination of hazardous materials and their risks, including chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE). Identification of hazardous materials and related problems, precautions in approaching the contaminated patient, protective clothing, decontamination, and management of selected hazards, and countermeasures. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission Recommended background: 4 credits in courses in biology or anatomy and physiology; or HSCI 2102.

EHS 3105 Integrated Response to High Impact Violent Incidents (Credit Hours: 3)

Examination of resources and response strategies needed to mitigate high impact, violent incidents involving an ongoing threat; evaluation of multiagency and multidiscipline integrated operations, mass casualty events, and terrorism. Restricted to students in the health sciences program or with the instructor’s permission Prerequisite: EHS 2160.

EHS 4198 Administrative Internship (Credit Hours: 3)

n/a

HSCI 2104 Management of Health Science Services (Credit Hours: 3)

Application of management and organizational principles to the delivery of services provided by health sciences disciplines Issues addressed include information systems, leadership, team building, fiscal management, human resources management, quality improvement, and management of conflict and change.

HSCI 4105 Case Studies in Health Care (Credit Hours: 3)

The goal of the course is to equip learners to examine issues in health care and develop multi-dimensional approaches and solutions.