College of Arts and Sciences to offer new programs – Archive
Written by Crow's Nest Staff, Oct 19, 2010, 0 Comments
Sadie Hewitt
Staff Writer
USF St. Petersburg recently approved a new area of study within the College of Arts and Sciences and it is anticipated to start next fall.
Students will be able to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in health sciences beginning in fall 2011.
“We are still waiting for final approval from the board, but don’t anticipate any problems at all,” said Mark Pezzo, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
The college is also developing a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, but the university has not yet approved it.
“We anticipate that demand will be strong. The No. 1 employer in Pinellas County is the health-care field,” Pezzo said.
Students earning a Bachelor of Science in health sciences would need additional training to be a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse.
“Area hospitals are telling us that they don’t need more nurses than are currently being trained. What they need are more people to work in more management-oriented settings,” Pezzo said.
Currently USF St. Petersburg only offers a pre-med health sciences track. The USF Tampa campus has a College of Nursing, in addition to a College of Medicine. While it is not a major, the pre-med health sciences track allows students interested in pursuing careers in medicine the opportunity to begin some general training in the field. The track requires that students take various biology, chemistry, physics and calculus classes.
“Hospitals have told us that they need a strong bachelor’s degree that teaches students not only the biological aspects of health, but also the business, social and ethical aspects of healthcare. That is exactly the degree that we’ve developed,” Pezzo said.
