Cardiopulmonary Sciences, BS

The Bachelor of Science in Cardiopulmonary Sciences (BS-CPS) Program is designed to provide a well-rounded general education in the arts and sciences and an advanced understanding of cardiopulmonary science for credentialed cardiovascular technologists (RCIS or RDCS) and respiratory care professionals (RRT) who want to advance their education.

The Program provides the education necessary for career advancement for entry-level health profession practitioners. Students develop management and leadership skills and gain a broader-based knowledge of healthcare delivery. The Program offers a diverse population of students, innovative educational experiences, and opportunities to meet the healthcare needs of the community within which they serve. The Program provides a career and educational pathway for cardiovascular technologists and respiratory care professionals who have earned an Associate of Science degree in a related area and who hold current certification and licensure to treat patients.

Program Highlights:

The Program includes courses in professional issues, advanced pharmacology, diagnosis and intervention, patient management, education research, legal and ethical aspects of healthcare, pathophysiology, leadership, and community health. Courses are offered in a blend of online and traditional formats to accommodate students’ various schedules and learning preferences. Students may select from an array of electives to complement their learning. Courses are offered for full-time and part-time students. The Program also provides an excellent basis for continued formal education at the graduate level in the medical, public health, and education disciplines.

Career Opportunities:

Cardiopulmonary professionals will be able to further promote the expansion of services in their communities, such as diagnosis and treatment of cardiopulmonary and sleep disorders, health promotion and disease prevention, patient education, pulmonary rehabilitation, disease-specific case management, and life support, within and outside of the intensive care unit. Changes in health care policy, regulation, and reimbursements have required professionals to adopt these expanded roles, work more independently in settings across the continuum of care, and collaborate as partners on the healthcare delivery team.

Admission Requirements:

1. Applicants must submit an application to the Bachelor Degree Program and be accepted to Florida SouthWestern State College. Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities must be sent directly to the Office of the Registrar.
2. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants must possess licensure, certification, or registration from the profession in which the applicant is practicing. Applicants must hold one of the following credentials:

• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) from the National Board for Respiratory Care
• Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) or other registry level credentials from Cardiovascular Credentialing International
• Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) from the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

3. Applicants must have earned either:
   1. An Associate in Science (AS) degree in either Cardiovascular Technology or Respiratory Care from any college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association as defined by State Board of Education rule, with a minimum of 60 credit hours earned. Current AS students are encouraged to apply for admission after the term they complete their AS degree program and receive their required licensure or national credential.

OR

2. A minimum of 60 credit hours, with all General Education and Electives met, may apply for admission. Students must possess required licensure, credential as noted above.

General Education:

Each state university and Florida College System institution shall establish a general education curriculum, which shall require thirty-six (36) semester hours of communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences for students working toward an associate in arts or baccalaureate degree.

After a state university or Florida College System institution has published its general education curriculum, the integrity of that curriculum shall be recognized by the other public postsecondary institutions. After a student’s official transcript has been certified, by such an institution as having completed its prescribed general education curriculum satisfactorily, regardless of whether the associate in arts degree is conferred, no other public postsecondary institution to which the student transfers shall require any further such general education courses.

If a student does not complete the general education curriculum prior to transfer, the general education requirement becomes the responsibility of the new institution, consistent with Section 1007.24, F.S.

Students who have completed a General Education curriculum from a college or university outside the State of Florida will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine which courses will meet the Florida SouthWestern State College 36 hour General Education Requirements.  Students must have earned equivalent credit hours in each of the five General Education areas: communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. 

Transient Student Enrollment in Upper Division Coursework:

Transient students must obtain prior approval to enroll in Upper Division Cardiopulmonary Sciences Core coursework. Transient students are currently enrolled college students who register for courses at another institution on a temporary basis (e.g., university students attending summer semester at a state college). In order to take courses at another institution, students must receive approval from their home institution. The application will initiate your request and be routed to the appropriate personnel. Students initiate this process using Florida Virtual Campus at www.FloridaShines.org.

Priority Application Deadlines:

Fall Semester Start - Application due by August 1
Spring Semester Start - Application due by December 1
Summer Semester Start - Application due by April 1

Graduation Requirements:

1. Students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 120 credit hours as outlined in the Cardiopulmonary Sciences BS Program of Study.
2. To satisfy residency requirements, a minimum of 15 credit hours of Upper Division Cardiopulmonary Sciences Core coursework must be completed at Florida SouthWestern State College and a minimum of 30 total credit hours at Florida SouthWestern State College.
3. Students must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
4. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all Upper Division Cardiopulmonary Sciences Core coursework.
5. Students must complete the General Education Core, including assessment of General Education outcomes that are required by the College. Transfer courses will be reviewed for equivalency or meet Program requirements, through the Credit Review process.

Note:  Students must indicate their intention to attend commencement ceremony, by completing the Commencement Form by the published deadline.

Foreign Language Competency Requirements:

• 2 years of the same High School Foreign Language, or
• Documented foreign language proficiency through testing, or
• 2 semesters of the same College Level Foreign Language (level II proficiency), or
• Level II proficiency- this criterion occurs when a student has completed the second course of a sequence of college foreign language without completing the first course. For example, if a student has successfully completed a college-level Spanish II but not Spanish I, then the student has met the Foreign Language Competency requirement.