Program Overview

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Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science Major, B.S.

The Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science (NDSS) major prepares individuals for professional practice in the health specialties of neurodiagnostics and sleep science. The NDSS major also allows current practitioners to continue their professional development, while learning new skills in an increasingly important and rapidly expanding segment of health science.

Overview

The emphasis of the curriculum is to enhance and advance the student's professional career in neurodiagnostics and sleep sciences with additional education skills in critical thinking and creative problem solving needed for key leadership, educational, and management positions. The curriculum offers specific professional coursework in advanced methods and monitoring, program administration, and clinical outcomes evaluation. The program culminates in a capstone experience that is developed around the students’ specific professional interest area.

Accreditation

The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation for Polysomnographic Technologist Education (CoAPSG).

Admission to the Program

• Students must complete all First-Year Foundation requirements, all Reflection and Integration requirements, and complete at least six Focus Capacity requirements.
• The following pre-admission math/science courses are required:
  • MATH 130: Precalculus Mathematics F (3-4 hours)
  • or MATH 231: Calculus of Functions of One Variable I
  • BIOL 101 & 101L: Principles of Biology and Introductory Biology Laboratory H, F (4 hours)
  • BIOL 252 & 252L: Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology and Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory H (4 hours)
  • CHEM 101 & 101L: General Descriptive Chemistry I and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory I H, F (4 hours)
  • or BIOC 107: Introduction to Biochemistry
  • PHYS 114: General Physics I: For Students of the Life Sciences F (4 hours)
  • or PHYS 118: Introductory Calculus-based Mechanics and Relativity
  • PHYS 115: General Physics II: For Students of the Life Sciences F (4 hours)
  • or PHYS 119: Introductory Calculus-based Electromagnetism and Quanta
  • PSYC 101: General Psychology F (3 hours)

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science program, students should be able to:

• Perform as competent entry-level neurodiagnostic and polysomnographic technologists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
• Investigate healthcare issues individually and within teams that uniquely involve the overlap of electrophysiology, laboratory science, management, and education.
• Demonstrate leadership skills necessary to oversee electrophysiological and sleep science facilities (laboratory, hospitals, industry, colleges).
• Teach courses related to neurodiagnostic studies and sleep science.
• Exemplify innovation and sound scientific theory for the use of verified methodology and principles of neurodiagnostics and sleep science practice.
• Explain advanced, clinical diagnostic measurements, disease prevention techniques, and theories supporting current neurodiagnostic and sleep science practices.
• Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills.
• Establish a practical connection between the undergraduate major and the professional world.

Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must:

• Earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
• Complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
• Take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements

Sample Plan

Sample plans can be used as a guide to identify the courses required to complete the major and other requirements needed for degree completion within the expected eight semesters. The actual degree plan may differ depending on the course of study selected (second major, minor, etc.). Students should meet with their academic advisor to create a degree plan specific to their interests.

Core Requirements

• NDSS 393: Clinical rotation in Neurophysiology and Polysomnography 1 (2 hours)
• NDSS 401: Basic Neurophysiology and Sleep for Clinical Neurophysiology 1 (3 hours)
• NDSS 410: Intro to Basic Sleep and Neurophysiology Instrumentation and Technology 1 (4 hours)
• NDSS 415L: Polysomnographic and Neurophysiologic Technology/Lab 1 (7 hours)
• NDSS 420: Pathophysiology of Sleep, Neurological, and Related Disorders (3 hours)
• NDSS 430: Neurological and Sleep Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods, and Monitoring (3 hours)
• NDSS 440: Evidence Based Practice in Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science (3 hours)
• NDSS 450: Advanced Sleep and Neurodiagnostic Clinical Procedures (3 hours)
• NDSS 460: Informational Technology and Analytics in Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science (3 hours)
• NDSS 493: Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science Practicum (3 hours)
• NDSS 500: Principals and Practice of Healthcare Education (3 hours)
• NDSS 510: Program Administration: Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science Department Management (3 hours)
• NDSS 520: Advanced Physiological Monitoring and Data Acquisition (3 hours)
• NDSS 530: Leadership in Healthcare Organizations (3 hours)
• NDSS 593: Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science Internship (3 hours)
• NDSS 697: Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science Capstone (3 hours)
• NDSS 698: Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science Capstone II (3 hours)

Total Hours: 81

Additional Requirements

• BIOL 101 & 101L: Principles of Biology and Introductory Biology Laboratory H, F (4 hours)
• BIOL 252 & 252L: Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology and Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory H (4 hours)
• CHEM 101 & 101L: General Descriptive Chemistry I and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory I H, F (4 hours)
• or BIOC 107: Introduction to Biochemistry
• MATH 130: Precalculus Mathematics F (3 hours)
• or MATH 231: Calculus of Functions of One Variable I
• PHYS 114: General Physics I: For Students of the Life Sciences F (4 hours)
• or PHYS 118: Introductory Calculus-based Mechanics and Relativity
• PHYS 115: General Physics II: For Students of the Life Sciences F (4 hours)
• or PHYS 119: Introductory Calculus-based Electromagnetism and Quanta
• PSYC 101: General Psychology F (3 hours)