Program Overview

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Respiratory Therapy Major

The Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy at Ball State University prepares students to become respiratory therapy professionals. This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

Accreditation

The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

Program Mission

The program's mission is to prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists and to prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content related to the acquisition of skills in management, education, and research.

Program Overview

Program graduates are eligible to apply for the national certification exam administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Individuals who pass the exam are known as Registered Respiratory Therapists, RRT. Licensing is also required in most states to work as a respiratory therapist. Many states, including Indiana, use the NBRC Respiratory Therapy credentialing exam as part of the state licensing process.

What You Will Learn

In this program, students will learn to become entry-level respiratory therapists. These are highly skilled professionals qualified by education to help evaluate, treat, rehabilitate, and educate to prevent and manage cardiopulmonary diseases. The responsibilities of a respiratory therapist can include:

• performing drug therapy, bronchopulmonary clearance, and administration of medical gases
• providing ventilator support, pulmonary rehabilitation, and CPR
• providing airway maintenance
• procuring and analyzing arterial blood gas samples
• performing pulmonary function tests

Program Requirements

This baccalaureate degree program is divided into two phases and takes a minimum of 4 years to complete. The Ball State University Respiratory Therapy Program is offered in cooperation with IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

• The first, or prerequisite, phase and University Core Curriculum (UCC) takes place on the Ball State campus and includes coursework in the sciences and the University Core Curriculum.
• The second, or professional, phase takes place in Indianapolis where medical, technical, and clinical courses are taught at IU Health Methodist Hospital and other clinical settings.

Credits

• Total: 121 - 122
• Prerequisite Phase and University Core Curriculum: 51 or 52
• Professional Phase: 70

Admission Requirements

• Students may complete the required respiratory therapy prerequisite and UCC courses upon admission to the university. Admission to the professional phase requires a separate application and is competitive.
• All accepted students to the professional phase of the program must provide documentation of BLS and required immunization/tests and successfully complete a background check and mandatory drug testing performed by IU Health.
• To participate in the professional phase of the program, no accepted student may appear on specific Federal exclusion lists.

To apply for admission to the professional phase, students must:

• Meet with the Respiratory Therapy Major Advisor.
• Be a current Ball State student by December 1 of the year immediately prior to the professional phase application deadline. All transfer credits must be evaluated and appear on the official BSU transcript.
• Successfully complete 28 of the 51 or 52 hours of respiratory therapy prerequisite and UCC courses.
• Earn a minimum of 2.5 overall GPA.
• Disclose any termination from a healthcare facility.
• Meet the following requirements for the math/science courses (ANAT 201, BIO 113, CHEM 101, MATH 112 OR MATH 114, MATH 181, PHYC 110, PHYS 215):
  • Complete 10 hours of the required math/science courses.
  • Earn a grade of C or higher for all required math/science courses.
• Read the most current Respiratory Therapy Program documents.
• Be a minimum of 18 years of age by the first day of the professional phase of the program to meet legal clinical setting policies.

Retention Requirements

To maintain admission and participate in the professional phase of the Respiratory Therapy Program, students must:

• Successfully complete all 51 or 52 hours of the respiratory therapy prerequisite and UCC courses by the end of summer semester prior to beginning the professional phase.
• Earn a grade of C or higher for all required math/science courses.
• Earn a minimum of 2.5 overall GPA.
• Earn a grade of C or higher in all professional courses.

Application

The application for the professional phase must be completed and submitted with required documentation by the specified deadline. Only the most current application will be accepted.

Selection

Qualified applicants will be ranked based on their cumulative GPA. All undergraduate college credit attempted will be included in the computation of the GPA, including all attempted transfer hours. Preference in admission will be given to applicants who are residents of the State of Indiana. The number of non-resident applicants accepted into the program will be limited to a maximum of 10% of each class.