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Interdisciplinary Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (IHRS)
The Bachelor of Science is a 124-unit major in Interdisciplinary Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. It is designed to prepare undergraduate university students with prerequisite coursework, knowledge, attitudes and skills that will help them gain admission to and succeed in graduate programs in the rehabilitation and health professions.
The Interdisciplinary Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (IHRS) degree offers 4 pre-professional options in Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Occupational Therapy, Pre-Public Health, and Pre-Rehabilitation Services. These degree options prepare students to meet the prerequisite requirements of graduate programs in Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Public Health, and Rehabilitation Counseling.
In addition to the major, a minor in Interdisciplinary Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is recommended for students pursing career paths in other health and human service professions, such as Nursing, Communicative Disorders, Public Health, Dietetics, Dentistry, Chiropractic, Medicine, Optometry, Clinical Psychology, Biomedical, Kinesiology and Counseling.
Students completing the IHRS major who apply and are selected for the Master of Physical Therapy program enter a 2-year program in Physical Therapy.
Rehabilitation professionals provide specialized services that enhance the function, self-care, mobility, vocational potential, communication or services and may allow an individual post head-injury to live independently in the community, an elderly person following hip fracture to ascend a flight of stars, or an individual with a visual impairment to walk to a bus stop independently to go to work. They may fabricate equipment to enable a person with gait abnormalities to walk, or a person with quadriplegia to control their environment in the absence of movement. Professional education for rehabilitation professions requires graduate education.
The needs of the health care market are changing. These changes require that health professionals be aware of practice strategies to maximize resources and contain costs and also deliver a variety of interrelated services that meet the client's needs. Integrated services delivery models require a different type of education, during which professionals receive training in collaborative processes, sharing goals for patients and clients. Such goals can be achieved through an interdisciplinary program which introduces the student to the practice of numerous professions, allows for practical observations and mentoring and enables student to form role concepts which incorporate interdisciplinary work, rather than a solo professional track.
Please click on the desired link for:
IHRS Major Options Descriptions and roadmaps
IHRS Major Course Descriptions