There is always confusion regarding the terms “college”, “school” and “university”, so let me address those before we tackle “departments”.
A college originally referred to a group of people living together under a common set of rules. Nowadays, a college is typically a post secondary
institution providing mainly undergraduate education. Colleges can be a separate institution, such as a Junior College or Community College, or
part of a University. Schools are independent academic operational units of Universities that carry out teaching, research and scholarship functions.
Finally, a University is an educational institution that operates one or more four-year undergraduate Schools leading to an undergraduate degree,
as well as a graduate School awarding master’s degrees and doctorates.
The School of Science and Health
Professions is composed of five separate yet interdigitated Departments. Departments are simply divisions of the
School that offer classes in a specific field, in our case biology, chemistry, nursing, physical therapy and physics. Many of our students will refer
to themselves as “biology”, “chemistry” or “nursing” majors but, due to the nature of science and medicine, these are really interdisciplinary studies
with emphasis in a particular field with advancing education. You can’t learn biology without knowing chemistry. Physics influences chemical,
biochemical and biophysical processes – nurses and physical therapists would have a hard time practicing their professions without a good understanding
of the material in this discipline. So, five departments with different degrees rely on each other to provide the foundational material necessary to
be successful in each area. We are interdisciplinary.
Each department has a slightly different approach to teaching students enrolled in classes, whether they be majors or non-majors. The teaching methods in
the “hard sciences” (biology, chemistry, physics) rely more on investigative rather than instructional approaches. Students can learn science by
doing science in well-equipped laboratories or in the field. Faculty mentor students throughout the academic year and opportunities for summer research abound.
Nursing utilizes state-of-the-art laboratories equipped to simulate a hospital setting, and together with clinical experiences mean our program is recognized
as one of the best in Georgia. Physical Therapy instituted problem-based learning as the core component of student education when the program was initiated
over 10 years ago. All our programs stress small class sizes and student-oriented programs that feature innovative learning environments and hands-on experiences.
If you are serious about your education, follow the links to get more information about any or all of our educational programs. Our top priority is to
help you achieve your goal, whatever it may be. Your success means graduating with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that will allow you to excel and
be successful in today’s job market or to successfully pursue a graduate education.
I invite you to explore our programs through these web pages.
Feel free to
contact any of our departments, or my office, to
arrange a campus visit.
My administrative assistant,
Sheila Noah, will be happy to assist you.
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