Master of Science Degree in Respiratory Care
The Master of Science degree in Respiratory Care requires a minimum of 90 semester hours of credit for graduation. This is an integrated program, requiring 29 semester hours of program pre-professional prerequisite requirements prior to admission to Jacksonville University for the professional phase (24 months). The pre-professional phase requirements may be completed at any accredited college or university and include the successful completion of a baccalaureate degree. Dedicated to clinical and academic excellence, the professional phase includes over 1000 hours of clinical practice.
As a leadership program in respiratory care, this course of study aspires to provide graduates with the foundation needed to assume professional leadership roles in clinical practice, clinical specialty areas, research, education, and management. Upon completion of the program, graduates are eligible for the national board examinations in respiratory care as well as state licensure.
Rush University has granted licensing to the curriculum and course content so the Master of Science degree in Respiratory Care can be offered through Jacksonville University. The MOU stands for seven years with Rush University receiving 30% of net revenue from the program prior to it transitioning to Jacksonville University entirely with CoARC accreditation at the conclusion of the agreement. All courses will be vetted through the Jacksonville University curriculum committee and would become part of the Jacksonville University catalog. Jacksonville University will hire two non tenure track faculty (Registered Respiratory Therapists): a program director and a director of clinical education. They will be responsible for program leadership, providing laboratory instruction, coordinating clinical experiences, and supervising and leading discussions in didactic courses (online lectures provided by Rush faculty). A limited number of practitioners will be hired as adjuncts for specific courses due to skill demands. All courses and assessments have been built and provided by Rush University as a baseline for Jacksonville University affiliated faculty to build from. All didactic coursework and clinicals will occur in a face-to-face environment.
Pre-Professional Phase: Program Prerequisites
The preprofessional phase (lower-division college-level course work) requires a minimum of 29 semester hours of prescribed study as outlined below.
Professional Prerequisites* Semester Credit Hours
| Mathematics (College Algebra or Higher) |
3 |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology (or 4 hrs. Anatomy and 4 hrs. Physiology) |
8 |
| Chemistry (with Lab) |
4 |
| Physics (with Lab) |
4 |
| Microbiology (with Lab) |
4 |
| Psychology (courses with prefixes PSYC) |
3 |
| Statistics |
3 |
| |
|
| TOTAL |
29 |
General Education Requirements
Successful completion of a bachelor’s degree to include general education
course work in mathematics (college algebra or above), communications,
humanities and social and behavioral sciences as outlined below:
Semester Quarter
Credit Hours Credit Hours
| Communications (English, composition) |
6 |
|
9 |
| Mathematics (college algebra or higher) |
3 |
|
3 |
| Humanities, Fine Arts, Philosophy or Ethics (may not include a performance class) |
6 |
|
6 |
| Elective courses in Communications, Humanities, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Ethics, Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, or Computer Science |
16 |
|
43 |
| TOTAL |
31 |
|
61 |
Admission Requirements
Admission to the program is on a competitive basis. Student selection is based on a number of factors including overall grade point average, prerequisite grade point average, consistency of academic performance, and course work completed prior to application, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and interpersonal abilities. The program is rigorous, and applicants are required to arrange an orientation visit to a respiratory care department at a hospital prior to acceptance to the program if the applicant has no previous experience in the field of respiratory care.
Requirements for admission to the professional phase of the program in respiratory care include:
• A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 in undergraduate course work.
• Completion of all professional prerequisite required courses with a grade of "C" or better.
• Completion of a bachelor’s degree.
• The ability to complete all professional prerequisite course work by the beginning of the fall semester of the first year.
• A personal interview with division faculty.
• Completed application to the program and submission of official transcripts for all college course work completed.
Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the program will be prepared to function as competent advanced level respiratory therapists.
a. Upon completion of the program, all students will demonstrate the ability to comprehend, apply and evaluate information relevant to the role of the advanced level respiratory therapist.
b. Upon completion of the program, all students will demonstrate technical proficiency in all skills necessary to fulfill the role of the advanced level respiratory therapist.
c. Upon completion of the program, all students will demonstrate personal behaviors consistent with professional and employer expectations for the advanced level respiratory therapist.
Graduation Requirements
1. Completion of all required course work with a grade point average of 3.0 or better.
2. Completion of each required respiratory care professional course with a grade of "C" or better.
3. Successfully complete a division research project.
4. Completion of all University requirements for graduation.
Degree Requirements
Students accepted into the 90 hour program begin course work in the fall quarter of the first year of the program.
Course work is taken on a full-time basis in the following sequence:
FIRST YEAR
Fall Semester
| RCP 501 | Foundations of Professional Practice | 3 |
| RCP 511 | Introduction to Respiratory Care | 3 |
| RCP 512 | Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology | 5 |
| RCP 515 | Respiratory Care Pharmacology | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Spring Semester
| RCP 520 | Respiratory Care Equipment and Techniques | 4 |
| RCP 521 | Patient Assessment | 4 |
| RCP 522 | Pulmonary Disease | 3 |
| RCP 523 | Mechanical Ventilation | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Summer Semester
SECOND YEAR
Fall Semester
| RCP 530 | Cardiac Diseases | 2 |
| RCP 533 | Pediatric and Neonatal Respiratory Care | 4 |
| RCP 565 | Research Project I | 1 |
| RCP 569 | Clinical Practice 2 | 7 |
| RCP 524 | Biostatistics in Healthcare | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Spring Semester
| MSHI 526 | Policy and Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| Or | |
| RCP 526 | Healthcare Informatics | 3 |
| | |
| RCP 585 | Clinical Practice 4 | 7 |
| RCP 589 | Disease Management / Home Health | 3 |
| RCP 583 | Research Project 3 | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
*-These RCP XXX courses will be taught using a flipped classroom model (
Flipping the Classroom | Center for Teaching | Vanderbilt University). Rush University will develop all course content and provide electronic lectures for these courses throughout the seven-year agreement. Two full time JU faculty members (Program Director and Clinical Education Director) and an adjunct (9 credit hours per year) will deliver the classroom and lab activities to reinforce the required content. Clinical practice courses will be delivered by preceptors at clinical sites. Thus, 52 credit hours must be overseen by the two full time faculty (average 26 credit hours/faculty/year). Each full time faculty member will be on a 12 month contract (30 credit hour maximum teaching load). Additional faculty will be required after the end of the seven year agreement or if enrollments increase sufficiently beyond 25 students in each cohort.