BS in Behavior and Health

The Behavior and Health major is a bachelor of science degree program offered through the Department of Occupational Therapy at Sargent College. The program prepares students for entry-level positions working with people in hospitals and community-based health care facilities, and in education, and social and human service organizations. With appropriate selection of courses, students are well positioned to pursue graduate studies in related fields such as anthropology, sociology, or disability studies, as well as graduate professional preparation in behavioral medicine, social work, occupational therapy, special education, rehabilitation counseling,  speech-language pathology, and law. Coursework includes the Sargent core curriculum courses and courses designed to provide a foundation in the basic biological and psychosocial sciences. Students define a specific focus for their studies by their senior year that includes courses that represent critical content in that area, a practicum/internship experience, and a senior seminar taken in conjunction with the practicum. This focus may include a related minor (e.g., deaf studies or women’s studies), be tied to a specific professional career goal, or may represent a core area of interest that the student proposes to study in more depth.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 128 credits is required for graduation. Students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 and successfully complete all of the required courses (or transfer equivalents). Students may repeat a course only once to meet this requirement. A course will not be accepted for external transfer credit if the grade is lower than a C.

For more information, please contact BU Undergraduate Admissions or an Academic Counselor in the  BU Sargent College Academic Services Center (sarugrad@bu.edu or 617-353-2713).

Curriculum

Required coursework:

• two courses in writing: WR 100 and 150
• three courses in biological sciences: BI 105, 106, 211
• seven SAR courses: HP 151, HP 252, HP 353, HP 412, HP 500, HS 210 (Critical Inquiry), OT 300 (Health Conditions)
• seven other courses in behavioral sciences: PS 101, SO 100, PS 241, PS 332 and 3 others
• two humanities: one course in philosophy (PH 150 or 251), the other in any area of humanities
• one 4-credit practicum/internship and seminar OT 400 (applied community setting and/or faculty-mentored research)
• nine elective courses distributed among the following areas, depending on interest: anthropology, foreign language, philosophy, psychology, religion, sociology, criminal justice, any SAR area, public health. In their senior year, students may also be eligible to take related courses in medical anthropology or behavioral medicine offered by the Graduate Medical Sciences program.

Minors and study abroad programs are strongly encouraged.

Freshman Year

Semester I

• CAS BI 105 Biology I
• CAS PS 101 General Psychology
• CAS SO 100 Principles of Sociology
• CAS WR 100 Writing Seminar
• SAR HP 150/151 (2 cr)*

Semester II

• CAS BI 106 Human Anatomy
• CAS PS 241 Developmental Psychology
• CAS WR 150 Writing & Research Seminar
• SAR HS 210 Critical Inquiry (2 cr)*
• Elective

Sophomore Year

Semester I

• CAS BI 211 Human Physiology
• SAR HP 252 Health & Disability Across the Lifespan*
• HP 412 Abnormal Behavior in Health & Rehab*
• Elective

Semester II

• MA 113 Statistics (or CAS PS 211)
• CAS PS 332 Behavioral Medicine
• HP 500 Helping Skills*
• Elective

Junior Year

Semester I

• SAR OT 300 Health Conditions Across the Lifespan*
• SAR HP 305 Foundations of Health Promotion
• Electives

Semester II

• SAR HP 353 U.S. Health Care System*
• CAS PS 251 Psych of Personality
• CAS PH 150 or PH 251 Ethics course

Senior Year

Practicum/internship and seminar SAR OT 400 (4 credits), two courses in behavioral sciences, and six elective courses distributed among the following areas depending on interest: anthropology, foreign language, philosophy, psychology, religion, sociology, criminal justice, any Sargent topic, or public health. In their senior year, students may also be eligible to take related courses in medical anthropology or behavioral medicine offered by the Graduate Medical Sciences program.

Examples of areas and relevant courses for specialty areas. The list of potential courses is illustrative only.

Specialty area: Children and Families

• CAS PS 370 Psychology of the Family
• CAS AN 290 Children & Culture
• SED SE 533 Families of Children with Special Needs
• SED SE 650 Children at Risk
• Practicum with Health Leads

Specialty area: Community Action

• CAS SO 207 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
• SED HE 522 Community Health
• CAS AN 382 Wealth, Poverty, and Culture
• CAS PS 472 Family Violence: Theories and Research
• Practicum with teen health program

Specialty area: Behavioral Health

• CAS PS 333 Drugs & Behavior
• SPH PH 510 Introduction to Public Health
• MET SO 302 Women and Health in the Twenty-First Century
• Practicum with immigrant health program

Courses taken at CGS that satisfy Behavior and Health curriculum requirements are:

• NS 201 completes the CAS BI 105 requirement
• RH 101/102 completes the writing requirement
• HU 201/202 complete the humanities requirement
• SS 101 completes CAS SO 100 Principles of Sociology
• Other courses fulfill general electives

*Foundation course in the curriculum