Program Overview

The Bachelor's in Science in Respiratory Care program allows graduates of AS degree Respiratory Care programs and licensed Respiratory Care Practitioners (RCP) a pathway to complete their four-year degree without having to transfer to a four-year college or university. The curriculum provides advanced scope of practice education with emphasis in advanced cardiopulmonary pathophysiology, advanced respiratory case management, advanced respiratory neonatal/pediatrics, health education in respiratory care, research methodology, quantitative principles, respiratory care sleep medicine, and respiratory care leadership and management. Increasingly, Respiratory Care Practitioners hold responsibilities formerly conducted by physicians requiring a greater level of critical thinking and analytical skills.

Completion of up to 127-129 semester units including upper and lower division general education coursework in alignment with the California State University General Education (CSU-GE) Breadth requirements and 78 major semester units in Respiratory Care.

  • Completion of lower division major coursework (or equivalent) to Skyline College CoARC accredited Associate in Science (AS) Degree in Respiratory Care: (50 units)
  • General Education Requirements:

Lower division semester unit pattern (37-39 units)

  • Upper division Major Coursework in Respiratory Care (28 units)
  • Upper Division General Education (12 units)

The cost of tuition is $130 per unit for upper division coursework, much less than at a four-year institution.

ADMISSION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS

Admission to the Bachelor's in Science in Respiratory Care is by special application and can be found on the college website. Students are admitted into the program once a year, in the Fall semester. Approximately 40 students are admitted to the program per cohort.



To qualify students must:

  • Complete lower division Respiratory Care coursework from a CoARC accredited program.
  • Complete a minimum of 30 CSU GE Breadth or IGETC (CSU or UC) lower division GE units from a regionally accredited program (or equivalent).
  • Be licensed or licensure eligible.
  • Students may transfer up to 90 units of lower division coursework and enter the program in junior status.

Selection procedures: (based on criteria approved by the Skyline College Administration and consistent with state regulations)

  • Forty (40) applicants will be accepted each year to create the cohort.
  • If more applicants are received than space allows, a lottery system will be set up and a waiting list of fifteen (15) students will be formed.

Priority will be granted to:

  • Students who are enrolled in the A.S. Respiratory Care program at Skyline College and intend to continue to B.S. Respiratory Care Program, and have completed 30 CSU GE Breadth or IGETC (CSU or UC) lower division GE units.

Remaining seats will be granted to the following applicants:

  • New graduates from other programs who have completed an accredited Respiratory Care Program equivalent to an A.S. in Respiratory Care, are California licensure eligible, and have completed 30 CSU GE Breadth or IGETC (CSU or UC) lower division GE units. and submitted all application materials.
  • Respiratory Care Practitioners who have completed an accredited Respiratory Care Program equivalent to an A.S. in Respiratory Care, are California licensure eligible, have completed and submitted all application materials, and have completed 30 CSU GE Breadth or IGETC (CSU or UC) lower division GE units.

For further information, please visit the program website: skylinecollege.edu/respiratorycarebachelors

Program Requirements

Upper Division Major Coursework Units
RPTH B10 Advanced Cardiopulmonary Respiratory Care 3 units
RPTH B15 Sleep Medicine and Respiratory Care 3 units
RPTH B20 Advanced Respiratory Case Management 3 units
RPTH B30 Principles of Health Education 3 units
RPTH B40 Health Care Research Design and Methodology 3 units
RPTH B50 Respiratory Care Leadership and Management I 3 units
RPTH B52 Respiratory Care Leadership and Management II 3 units
RPTH B60 Advanced Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care 3 units
RPTH B90 Respiratory Care Capstone Project 4 units
Upper Division General Education Units
COMM B10 Health Communication 3 units
COUN B10 Multicultural Human Relations 3 units
SOCI B10 Intersectionality and Citizenship 3 units
SOSC B10 Public Health Policy 3 units
Lower Division Major Coursework Units
RPTH 410 Introduction to Patient Care & Respiratory Assessment Techniques 3 units
RPTH 415 Respiratory Pharmacology 2 units
RPTH 420 Application of Cardiopulmonary Anatomy & Physiology 3 units
RPTH 430 Introduction to Respiratory Therapeutics 6 units
RPTH 438 Clinical Clerkship I 1 unit
RPTH 445 Respiratory Diseases I 2 units
RPTH 448 Clinical Clerkship II 2.5 units
RPTH 450 Respiratory Diseases II 3 units
RPTH 458 Clinical Clerkship III 6 units
RPTH 460 Respiratory Critical Care 3 units
RPTH 475 Hemodynamic Monitoring and Selected Topics in Respiratory Care 2 units
RPTH 480 Diagnostic Testing and Outpatient Respiratory Care 2 units
RPTH 485 Clinical Medicine Seminar and Professional Development 2 units
RPTH 488 Clinical Clerkship IV 7.5 units
RPTH 490 Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care 2.5 units
RPTH 495 Respiratory Care Board Examination Preparation and Review 2 units
Lower Division General Education (or equivalent) Units
CSU GE Breadth or IGETC (CSU or UC) GE Pattern 37-39 units
Units
Total Required Major Units: 126.5 - 128.5

Double Counting of Upper-division and Lower-division General Education

Up to six units (6) of upper-division general education completed in residence may be double-counted to meet lower division general education requirements in the areas of, Arts and Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Physical and Biological Sciences. When an upper-division general education course is double counted to meet a lower-division general education area requirement, a student must have completed additional lower-division general education course(s) beyond those already applied in order to meet the lower-division general education area unit requirement. The units will be applied to make up for the unit deficiency incurred in the double counting of upper-division and lower-division general education courses. Please note: Upper-division courses used for lower-division general education requirements may not be used to certify CSU GE or IGETC.