2024-2025 Binghamton University Academic Guide
Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences
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The Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences includes the Decker School of Nursing, the School of Applied Health Sciences and the School of Rehabilitation Sciences. The mission of the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences is to disseminate and advance knowledge about human healthcare, health promotion and disease prevention as well as the provision of healthcare and treatment of illness in individuals, families and communities, with an emphasis on underserved, rural and vulnerable populations. To support the mission of the college, students may enroll in the Decker School of Nursing, School of Applied Health Sciences or the School of Rehabilitation Sciences (as programs are approved). The Decker School of Nursing offers undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing. The School of Applied Health Sciences offers a graduate program in public health and an undergraduate minor in health and wellness studies. The School of Rehabilitation Sciences currently offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), a Post Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD), a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS), and an undergraduate minor in speech and hearing science.
The Decker School of Nursing
The Decker School of Nursing offers undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing. The undergraduate program awards the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree with the major in nursing. This baccalaureate degree in nursing prepares graduates for entry-level positions of professional nursing practice in hospitals, community healthcare agencies, long-term care facilities and other institutions. Students complete a four-year program that has a firm foundation in the liberal arts and sciences. Baccalaureate students may be admitted as first-year students or as transfer students at multiple entry points. Transfer students may be admitted to the liberal arts curriculum of the University before entering the upper-division nursing curriculum or into the junior level at the beginning of the upper-division nursing curriculum. There is also an accelerated 12-month, three-semester option, offered to persons with an earned baccalaureate or higher degree in another field who wish to pursue a degree in nursing. Upon graduation, graduates of the traditional and accelerated programs are eligible to take the national licensure examination (NCLEX-RN) to become registered professional nurses. Transfer students may also be licensed registered nurses (RN) who enroll in prerequisite courses before entering the upper-division baccalaureate nursing coursework.
The graduate program in nursing awards the Master of Science (MS) degree, the Doctorate in Nursing Practice degree (DNP) and the Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD). The Master of Science (MS) and Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) degree programs offer majors of study in specialty practice areas of family health, community health, family psychiatric mental health or adult-gerontological health nursing. The master’s degree program is a 46-48 credit curriculum preparing students with advanced knowledge and clinical skills in nursing specialty areas of study. All master’s students select a functional role as nurse practitioner (NP), clinical nurse specialist (CNS)**, nurse administrator or nurse educator. MS students may choose to complete a dual functional role (e.g., MS family NP/administrator) by completion of additional course credits; the dual role option is available to MS students with the exception of nurse educator, which is reserved as a primary functional role for enrolled MS in nursing students or by enrollment to post-graduate certificate students. Graduates of the MS program are eligible to sit for national certification exams upon graduation, depending on the functional role selected. Postgraduate certificates in various subjects are also available to prospective students (e.g., forensics and disaster management).
The Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is the terminal clinical doctorate for those interested in the advanced practice roles of nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. The DNP degree focuses on providing graduates with knowledge and competence in health systems leadership, policy development and interdisciplinary collaboration to improve healthcare outcomes and increase healthcare access for all populations. The post-graduate DNP degree program option is from 35-38 credits to completion.
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is the terminal research doctorate with emphasis in rural healthcare and vulnerable populations, preparing graduates for careers in higher education, health policy or research. Students may choose to enter the PhD program at the post-master’s level. The post-master’s PhD program is a minimum of 46-48 credits.
The School of Applied Health Science
The Division of Public Health in the School of Applied Health Sciences offers a 48-credit generic Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. The MPH program offers both full-time and part-time study options in which students can pursue scholarships in population/global health. For this degree, graduate students complete both foundation and core courses, as well as experiential courses that lay the groundwork for role development, professional socialization and acquisition of public health competencies. Those knowledge and skill competencies are further developed through an internship practicum and a capstone project. The coursework focuses on health promotion and disease prevention by addressing underlying environmental factors and social determinants, with the ultimate goal of achieving health equity among populations. Students wishing to pursue an MPH must satisfy the general conditions and procedures for admission to Binghamton University’s Graduate School. The MPH program prepares graduates for a wide range of careers in public health departments, health and human service agencies, non-governmental and nonprofit organizations, insurance and pharmaceutical companies as well as in settings across the healthcare spectrum, from primary care and home care to hospitals and long-term care facilities.
The Division of Health and Wellness Studies (HWS) in the School of Applied Health Sciences offers a health and wellness studies minor (24 credits). The HWS minor consists of four core courses and 10 elective HWS credits with no more than two courses designated as meeting the “B” General Education requirement. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for students who wish to minor in HWS. Transfer credits may be accepted from other academic institutions if the course is equivalent in contact hours and content to that offered at Binghamton University. Credits may not be transferred from nonacademic agencies. The HWS minor is designed to complement and enrich interdisciplinary learning at Binghamton University, and engages students in scholarship related to proper nutrition, stress management, emotional well-being and physical health. Undergraduate students who complete this minor develop the critical thinking skills to evaluate the maze of conflicting health information and acquire the personal tools important for life-long wellness. These educational experiences provide students with knowledge and skills to pursue careers in health and wellness. In addition, HWS offers a number of courses that meet undergraduate General Education requirements of Physical Activity (Y), Wellness (S) or both Physical Activity and Wellness (B). Graduate students may audit HWS courses on a “space available” basis.
**The CNS role is only available to students who enroll in the MS adult-gerontological program.
The School of Rehabilitation Sciences
Physical Therapy
Binghamton’s Division of Physical Therapy (PT) is committed to developing the next generation of physical therapy clinicians, educators and leaders by providing students with the resources, education, guidance and opportunities they need to be successful. PT’s innovative curriculum, leading faculty scholars and researchers, and brand-new state-of-the-art facilities allow Binghamton University to offer a top-notch education at a competitive price.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at Binghamton University is a full-time, three-year curriculum that requires 115 credit hours for completion. The curriculum combines classroom instruction, laboratory instruction and practice, online interactions, readings and homework assignments, discussions, peer-teaching, seminars and clinical experiences. Upon successful completion of this program, graduates are eligible to take the licensing exam to be able to practice as physical therapists.
Occupational Therapy
The Division of Occupational Therapy at Binghamton University offers two OTD programs: a Post Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program for practicing occupational therapists with a master’s degree who wish to advance in their field by earning an OTD in the 36 credits in a synchronous based learning format, and an Entry Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program for those who wish to become practicing occupational therapists in the 106 credit in-person program to be completed in 3 years. This program is designed to prepare reflective, motivated, and disciplined occupational therapists for clinical scholarship mastery in the roles of practitioner, manager, and contributor who are prepared for society’s ever-changing needs
The Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program builds on the experience gained as an occupational therapist, while teaching the knowledge and skills needed to advance beyond therapist-clinician into areas such as occupational therapy education, clinical research, clinical practice, leadership or advocacy. The 36-credit-hour, part-time, PP-OTD program uses a distance learning format, with classes held in the late afternoons and evenings. The program is designed to be completed in five continuous semesters; semesters are composed of two 7-week sessions. Binghamton University’s Post-Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (PP-OTD) program is for registered/licensed practicing occupational therapists who have a master’s degree and want to advance in their field by earning a clinical doctorate.
The Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program provides an evidence-based and sequenced curriculum that enables students to successfully achieve the competencies required for entry-level practice as an occupational therapy direct care provider, consultant, educator, manager, leader, researcher or advocate. Our 106-credit-hour program is based on active learning. Our curriculum integrates hands-on experiences with classroom learning, helping you synthesize your knowledge and put it into practice. Upon successful completion of this program, graduates are eligible to take the licensing exam to be able to practice as occupational therapists in the United States.
The Decker School of Nursing offers pre- and post-licensure undergraduate programs leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BS) degree.
Traditional program
Decker directly admits an incoming first-year cohort, high school graduates (recent or not) who have never been in college/university before. Decker also admits internal (Intra-university transfer/double degree) and external transfer students from other colleges/universities into the sophomore or junior class. Students are considered sophomores if they are admitted with prerequisites remaining, while those with completed prerequisites join the junior class. Students are admitted to this program every fall semester.
Accelerated program
Decker admits students with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing into this unique and rigorous 12-month Baccalaureate Accelerated Track (BAT) program that begins each summer. Applicants must apply using a transfer application for the fall semester of the year they intend to enroll.
Graduates of the traditional and accelerated programs are eligible to take the national licensing examination (NCLEX-RN) to become registered professional nurses. For more information about application criteria and procedures, see the Admission section of the Academic Guide.
RN-BS program
This 100% online program is for graduates of an associate degree in nursing or a nursing diploma program who have successfully completed the national licensing examination (NCLEX-RN). Students in this program can earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing at their own pace. The program features six, 7-week modules each year; no mandatory login times; and three clinical courses completed in the student’s own area. For more information about application criteria and procedures, visit the RN-BS in Nursing website.
For admission information to Decker College’s other schools, please see the University Admissions website.
Below you will find information for all of Decker College’s academic programs.
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