Health Sciences Student Handbook

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Department Office: 366 Riland Building, Long Island
Department Phone: 516.686.3828
Administrative Specialist: Jill Bryne, jbyrn04@nyit.edu
Chair: Dr. Mindy Haar, mhaar@nyit.edu

Welcome

The B.S. Health Sciences is offered by the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and we enthusiastically welcome you to this dynamic major! This program follows all New York Tech policies and procedures and reinforces and expands on information found in the New York Tech Student Handbook.

Introduction

The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences offers you an excellent foundation in health sciences as well as liberal arts and basic sciences. It is designed to prepare graduates for entry-level administrative positions in the private and public sectors of healthcare such as the medical centers, clinics, fitness and wellness centers, community health centers, government health departments, the health insurance industry, and pharmaceutical industry. In addition, coursework includes prerequisites to pursue graduate study in occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, and other health-related professions or business.

Curriculum

The list of all courses needed to complete the degree can be found on the program page.

Semester Map

View the recommended sequence of completing all courses in the degree. Students may not follow this precise sequence due to any of the following reasons: not placing into the prescribed math or writing course in the first semester at New York Tech, transfer into this major from another New York Tech major, transfer from another school, and/or unsuccessful completion of one of the required courses. Advisement with a program advisor can maximize the chance of completing the degree in a timely way.

Advisement

Students who are admitted as first year students are advised initially by the staff of the Undergraduate Academic Advising (UAA). After the first semester, they are then advised by a program advisor from our faculty. Students admitted as transfer students usually meet with a program advisor shortly after they are admitted. We encourage all students to meet with a program advisor as early as possible.

Advisement for the fall semester begins at the end of the previous March and advisement for the spring semester begins the previous November. You will receive an email about exact dates from both the Office of the Registrar and our department. Appointments for advisement are made by using the Engage online system or contacting our department office at 516.686.3828. You may only register after an advisor has "opened" your ability to register, and this can only happen after an advisement appointment. Those seeing their advisor during the priority advisement period are able to register online beginning at their designated "priority time" which increases chances of getting into courses with limited capacity.

To Register

Log into your my.nyit.edu account and use the Schedule Planner tool to prepare your schedule and send selected courses to your shopping cart.

Starting on your priority registration day, you will be able to submit your shopping cart to complete your course registration. If you are unable to register online, seek help from the Student Service HUB.

Registration Holds

During advisement, the advisor removes the "Advisement Hold". There may be other holds as well that can only be removed by the bursar. This includes issues regarding financial aid, missing tuition payments, non-payment of parking violations, non-payment of library fines. You must contact the Office of the Bursar to resolve the issue in order to register on time. The program advisor cannot remove these holds.

Financial Aid

All questions about financial aid should be directed to the New York Tech Office of Financial Aid.

Overrides

The number of students in a face-to-face course is limited and may be based on several factors; the size of the classroom, the number of stations in a lab, the nature of the course material, etc. For this reason, when a student is closed out of a course, the advisor can't simply "write them in." If the course is a health sciences course, the classroom can accommodate a few extra students, and the instructor approves, the department may consider giving an override. If this is not a course offered by our department, permission must be obtained from the department offering the course and our program advisors have no authority in granting an override. The department giving the override must enter the permission electronically. If a paper form is used, however, a signature must be obtained from both the program advisor and the department offering the course.

Online courses are strictly limited to 20 students. Permission to add another student to an online course must be obtained not only from the instructor and the department head but from the dean and provost as well. Permission is only granted in these situations when this is a required course, the student is graduating that semester and there is no alternative open section.

Online Courses

The department strives to give students a choice of formats for many of the courses offered. For assistance navigating through Canvas—the online learning management system—be sure to review the student training in the Help section when opening Canvas.

Permission to Take Courses Elsewhere

Taking courses elsewhere is usually done during the summer or winter sessions. There are several conditions for taking courses elsewhere:

  1. New York Tech is not offering the course during the summer or winter.
  2. Your program advisor approves. To find out, you can either make an appointment to see your department advisor or emailing your advisor and asking. You must have available the course description from the other institution and if approved, the program advisor signs the form.
  3. The department who offers the same course at New York Tech. Once the program advisor approves, you need to then visit and get approval from the department that offers the course at New York Tech.
  4. The registrar approves. Please note that once you have completed 70 credits at New York Tech, you can no longer take courses at a community college.
  5. The bursar approves. Be aware that aside from paying tuition to the other institution you will have to pay New York Tech a fee to transfer the credits as per this form.

Once you've taken the course, you need to request that the institution where you took the course sends an official transcript to New York Tech. Make sure it is addressed to the "New York Tech Registrar" and not just "New York Tech," since it may end up in Admissions instead of the Registrar.

Support Through the Semester

Please review the many student resources available. During the semester, students having academic issues are encouraged to contact the department and/or program advisor who may be able to assist. Please call the department office at 516.686.3828 to schedule an in-person or phone appointment to discuss any issue. In addition, the Undergraduate Academic Advising (UAA) offers many additional resources to help students in specific course subjects and in developing study and test-taking skills.

The Counseling and Wellness Center provides individual and group services as well.

Communicating with Instructors and Advisors

Students are notified about course matters, department events, advisement, registration, graduation and other matters through New York Tech email. It is the student's responsibility to check email. Students are expected to correspond with faculty through New York Tech email, and these emails should be written in a professional manner. Include the matter you'd like to bring to our attention in your subject line, never leave the subject line blank. Start off with "Dear Prof."or "Hi/Hello Dr." rather than "Hey" or have no salutation at all. Use proper spelling and grammar, and avoid using abbreviations more appropriate for texting. As instructors teach more than one course, mention which course you are enrolled in. Sign your name and include your id number, if appropriate, especially if the email is to an advisor and you have a question about your academic record.

Academic Integrity

The department follows all policies on academic integrity as outlined in the New York Tech Student Code of Conduct.

Attendance

It is your responsibility to be aware of the academic calendar. The New York Tech attendance policy can be found in the Academic Catalog. Students are expected to begin attending class as soon as the semester starts and to start logging on the first week on online courses. Instructors are asked to submit attendance records to the registrar after the end of the second week of class. Students who don't interact online during that time period are marked "never attended' and their registration is cancelled.

Withdrawal

Please consult the New York Tech policy on withdrawing from a course or the college.

Grade Appeal

The department follows the New York Tech Grade Appeal Policy.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

Our program follows all of the New York Tech undergraduate policies.

Career Guidance

Students are introduced to a myriad of healthcare opportunities in HSCI 195: Professional and Cultural Issues in Healthcare, and are encouraged to discuss their goals for employment, and/or graduate study, in the course of advisement visits each semester. Program advisors can help you realistically match your competencies and interests to rewarding career possibilities. You are also encouraged to take advantage of New York Tech's Office of Career Services and Experiential Education while at New York Tech, and upon graduating.

Senior Practicum

During the last two semesters of enrollment in the B.S. Health Sciences program, students enroll in Senior Practicum I and II, which is run by the department in conjunction with CSEE. These courses involve completing an internship each semester at a site of one's choice. You attend a mandatory orientation session the semester before beginning your internship, in which the course instructor and Career Services personnel explain what must be done to secure a site where you may work in a paid or volunteer position, at least 60 hours each semester. In addition, you meet for Practicum I and II to reflect on your experiences, as well as participate in integral projects and tasks that promote professional behavior.

Health Professions Honor Society

Alpha Eta: Each spring the School of Health Professions inducts students from all disciplines into the Alpha Eta Honor Society. To qualify, students must have a 3.5 GPA the last semester of attendance and the recommendation of the department.

Graduate Programs

Program advisors are happy to discuss graduate programs and an additional electronic guide has been prepared for this purpose. You are encouraged to check admission requirements for specific programs and schools as standards change from year to year. Aside from prerequisite courses, schools have varying requirements for hours of volunteer and/or paid experience.

Some disciplines solely use a centralized application while some have individual applications. Applications should be made as soon as programs begin accepting them and you should not wait until shortly before the deadline. Many programs start interviewing candidates as soon as applications start coming in and may fill a class before the deadline is reached. (For example if you are applying for a graduate program that starts September 2026, you should prepare applications summer 2025 and submit by August 31, 2025 even if the due date is November 30 or December 31).

Recommendation Letters

If you are requesting a recommendation letter for graduate school or employment from one of our faculty members, please give at least two weeks notice. The recommendation request should include;

Faculty are happy to help you and support your success in the process; however, unfortunately when requests are made at the last minute, with inadequate information, requests cannot always be accommodated.

Clubs and Student Activities

Participation in clubs and student activities are great ways to develop leadership capabilities, do volunteer work, broaden horizons and make friends.

The New York Tech Student Government Association (SGA) advocates on behalf of student interests and includes senators from each New York Tech division. Our department encourages you to become active and represent the School of Health Professions. Please contact the SGA president to find out how to facilitate election to the student senate and visit the website about events and clubs.