College of Applied Life Studies
112A Huff Hall
1206 S. Fourth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-2131
Fax: (217) 333-0404
The College of Applied Life Studies offers degree programs that prepare
graduates for successful careers in health education, health administration
and rehabilitation; teaching, coaching, and athletic training; recreation,
sport, and tourism management; and speech-language pathology and audiology.
The programs in the College of Applied Life Studies are united by their
common mission to enhance health and well-being. All programs combine
a broad general education with theory-based professional preparation and
possible internship experiences, offering excellent opportunities for
employment.
As America's approach to health and wellness changes, health care is
no longer limited to the traditional practice of doctors and nurses. As
a result, the growth market lies in areas related to prevention, quality
of life, health planning, and therapeutic intervention. As society struggles
with these issues, the College and its graduates will continue to play
an important role in shaping the future. A degree from the College of
Applied Life Studies allows graduates to pursue a wide array of scientific
and professional careers.
Students in the College of Applied Life Studies enjoy many advantages:
high quality degree programs, small classes, an emphasis on student-faculty
interaction, active research programs, the opportunity to participate
in professional student organizations, the availability of internships,
and the largest separate college library in our field.
Along with the relationships they establish with faculty, students work
closely with an academic adviser. The College of Applied Life Studies
requires students to meet with advisers to develop a relationship that
will guide their studies and experiences while on campus. A solid network
of student services available at the University of Illinois enhances the
advising experience.
Departments and Curricula
The bachelor of science degree is offered in four academic areas: Community
Health, Kinesiology, Leisure Studies, and Speech and Hearing Science.
- Advising services are available to assist with career information
and the development of appropriate courses of study.
- Honors programs are available for outstanding students at the college
and campus level.
- Internship experiences are required with most departmental curricula.
Quality placements are available throughout the United States and around
the world in specific degree programs.
- Study abroad programs are available around the world.
- Students have access to the nation's third largest academic library,
including an excellent college library, reference service, interlibrary
loan system, and term-paper counseling system.
Health care is among the most rapidly evolving industries in the United
States today. People in all settings are concerned about maintaining access
to effective health care and the costs of securing it. An aging population
places greater demand upon health care providers. To address these issues,
hospitals and clinics have reorganized, consolidated, and introduced educational
components designed to teach patients how to manage their personal health
concerns. At the same time, business and industry leaders have invested
millions of dollars in new health programs for their employees. Federal
and state governments are evaluating ways to make health care more effective
and less costly.
Recognized as one of the leaders in the United States with its strong
emphasis on research and excellence in scholarship, the Department of
Community Health prepares students for careers in the rapidly changing
world of health and rehabilitative services. It is an exciting time in
health care with emerging behavioral and environmental health concerns
that challenge the field for new theories, policies, and technological
innovations. The department's programs place special emphasis on the community
context in which health care is delivered. Students can become involved
in a variety of research projects related to issues such as bioethics,
cancer epidemiology, disability studies, cultural aspects of health and
disability, information technologies in health education, and health policy.
The Department of Community Health offers students the opportunity to
focus their studies in Health Planning and Administration, Health Education
or Rehabilitation Studies. In addition to the core of community health
courses, course work is completed in areas related to business, health
behavior, marketing, and promotion. The degree is culminated with a fieldwork
experience in setting appropriate to the area of concentration. Graduates
are equally prepared for jobs in progressive careers such as health education,
policy, planning, and administration or for graduate study in areas such
as medicine, nursing, and physical therapy.
The Department of Kinesiology is committed to the study and research of
human movement in all its dimensions. Undergraduate study focuses on exercise
stress, movement efficiency, and fitness; the social, cultural, and psychological
aspects of participation in physical activity and sport; coordination, control
and skill of physical activity; physical growth, development, and body form
throughout the life span; the effects of therapeutic techniques of kinesiology
upon recovery from physical injury; and the instructional process of teaching/coaching
of physical activity and sport.
The curriculum combines a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences education
with in-depth study in a particular area of interest. The program of study
provides knowledge and understanding essential for human movement and
sport careers in either public or private agencies. The hours required
for graduation include prescribed courses for all students as well as
requirements determined by the various areas of emphasis selected by the
student. Teaching and research emphasize hands-on learning through the
use of technology and modern laboratory equipment. Graduates find employment
in a variety of fields including teaching, corporate fitness, coaching,
and athletic training. Many students continue their education and become
physical therapists, physicians, exercise physiologists, and sport psychologists.
Leisure Studies encompasses a wide range of disciplines-business administration,
marketing, management, physiology, psychology, sociology, human development,
urban planning, and public policy analysis-as they relate to the impact
of leisure services upon individual satisfaction and quality of life. In
this dynamic field, researchers and practitioners alike seek answers to
such questions as: What measurable values of leisure and recreational activities
impact development throughout a person's life? How does the changing work
force affect our leisure? What impact does the leisure industry have on
the global economy? How can a service industry best market itself?
The leisure industry is one of the top three industries in almost every
state and generates more than $900 billion nationwide. As one of the first
leisure studies programs in the United States, the program at the University
of Illinois continues to rank nationally among the top three in the field.
The faculty is world-renowned for their research and scholastic endeavors
in the areas of tourism, sports, and recreation management. The Department
of Leisure Studies has established and maintained the central position
in the study of leisure, recreation, tourism and play over the past five
decades.
The curriculum in leisure studies prepares students to design, manage,
and deliver leisure services to a variety of populations in diverse settings
and provides a firm foundation from which students may pursue graduate
studies. A broad general education is emphasized and complemented with
a core of professional courses. Beyond a strong core integrating leisure
theory, management, and research, the program allows students to focus
their studies on a major market segment within the leisure and recreation
field. Graduates pursue careers in variety of settings, including event
management, amateur and professional sports industries, park districts,
resorts, and health clubs.
Research has shown that communication is a key element in resolving the
major problems of our society; improving communication for all people is
an overall goal of study in speech and hearing science. In the Department
of Speech and Hearing Science, students learn about human interpersonal
communication. Through studies in speech-language pathology and audiology,
they focus on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing, speech,
and language disorders in people of all ages.
This major also equips students with strong oral and written communication
skills and necessary tools to enter today's job market. Graduates hold
positions in school systems, hospitals, medical practices, and clinics.
They also work in government agencies, research laboratories, and various
businesses. A baccalaureate degree in speech and hearing science also
prepares students to enter a graduate program in speech-language pathology
or audiology or other areas including psychology, special education, business,
medicine, and dentistry.
Requirements for Admission
|
College Preparatory Subjects |
Semesters of Course Work Required |
Semesters of Course Work Recommended |
|
English |
8 |
8 |
|
Mathematics |
6 |
6 |
|
One foreign language* |
4 |
8 |
|
Laboratory science (not general science) |
4 |
|
|
Social studies |
4 |
4 |
|
Flexible academic units: Two courses from any
of the five subject categories. Approved art, music,
or vocational education courses may be included.
|
4 |
|
|
Total |
30 |
|
* At least 6 semesters of the same foreign language should be taken
to meet the graduation requirement.
Once high school course work requirements are fulfilled, qualifications
for admission are primarily determined by a combination of class rank
at the end of the junior year with the highest ACT or SAT test score on
file at the time of the admission decision. These two factors are used
to predict an applicant's likelihood of academic success and one may help
to offset the other. For example, an applicant may compensate for a low
test score with a high class rank.
Transfer applicants must have attained junior standing (60
semester hours of transferable credit) by the desired
date of entry. Lower-division transfer students (less
than 60 semester hours) must petition for admission.
Admission is competitive, based upon cumulative grade
point average. The minimum transfer GPA requirement for
the college is 2.5 (A = 4.0).
Special Programs
Honors at Graduation
Graduation from the College of Applied Life Studies with any honors designation
requires that a student must have attained at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign a specific minimum cumulative grade point average based
on a minimum of 55 semester hours in residence.
- Bronze Tablet (see Graduation with Honors section)
- Dean's List (see Graduation with Honors section)
- Highest Honors: 3.75 to 4.0
- High Honors: 3.5 to 3.74
- Honors: 3.25 to 3.49
Edmund James Scholars
The James Scholar Program is a University-wide honors program established
to encourage undergraduate research and independent study and to foster
scholarly endeavors. For further information see the Edmund J. James Undergraduate
Honors Programs.
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