Apr 03, 2025  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Exercise Science + Orthotics and Prosthetics [BS + MS]

New Program [Fall 2020]

The mission of the Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics(MSOP) program is to foster the education and training necessary to develop professionals committed to improving orthotic and prosthetic outcomes. As life-long learners, our graduates will be prepared to apply and advance the profession’s knowledge and evidence base.

The MSOP program is one of twelve such programs in the entire country. Traditionally, students complete a bachelor’s degree before beginning a two-year MSOP program, which means a total of six years of coursework. The Combined Exercise Science and Orthotics & Prosthetics program provides exceptional, motivated students the opportunity to complete a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Exercise Science and Orthotics & Prosthetics in five years. Our program is one of two combined programs in the country, and it’s the only one in which students earn a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science in addition to a Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics.

During the first year of the five-year program, students primarily complete courses in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology. Then, during the second and third years of the program, students build their understanding of the human body on the basic science foundation established in the first year. This phase of the program includes courses in human anatomy, human physiology, exercise physiology, nutrition, biomechanics, pharmacology, and more. Students finish out the five-year program with two years of coursework in orthotics and prosthetics.

School Information

Health Promotion & Human Performance | Christopher Herman, Ph.D., Director | 319J Porter, 734.487.2815, cherman2@emich.edu

Advisor Information

Please contact the school for advisor information.

Program Admission

Applicants to the combined program must meet the following requirements:

  • Minimum of a 3.0 GPA through the first three years of coursework (94 number of credit hours).
  • Completion of 94 hours of undergraduate coursework, including completion of:
    • All Foundational Requirements with a B- or higher
    • All Undergraduate “EXSC” coursework with a B- or higher
  • GRE Results
  • Submit an OPCAS application. As a part of the OPCAS application, applicants are required to submit three professional references. See opcas.liaisoncas.com for additional information.
  • Background Check - All students entering the Orthotics and Prosthetics graduate program at Eastern Michigan University will be required to complete a background screening before beginning clinical rotations successfully. The student will pay the background screening fee directly to the appropriate vendor. Applicants for the Orthotics and Prosthetics program at Eastern Michigan University must be free of offenses that would disqualify one for employment in a health-related field or sit for a state licensing exam.

Submission Deadline:

The applicant must submit a completed application, transcripts, and all other requirements to program faculty no later than December 31. Program faculty will notify applicants no later than February 15 regarding class selection. The program also offers rolling admission throughout the year, to select individuals with a minimum of a 3.5 GPA.

Undergraduate Degree -

The requirements listed below will appear on a student’s undergraduate transcript.

For the undergraduate portion of this program, students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education  or print a worksheet .  

Major Requirements: 85 hours

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Graduate Degree -

The requirements listed below will appear on a student’s graduate transcript.

Degree Requirements: 30 hours

Combined Program Total: 154 hours

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
  • Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.