Earn your bachelor's degree in Cardiopulmonary Science
— New!SPC's Bachelor of Science Degree in Cardiopulmonary Science gives registered respiratory therapists the chance to keep pace with the advancing requirements of the profession. This program provides a broad-based curriculum that will lead to advanced credentials, professional growth and development in leadership, management, education and research. Courses include natural sciences, patient education, and advanced capstone experiences that are specifically tailored to the needs of practicing registered respiratory therapists. Increasingly, hospitals prefer to hire practitioners with baccalaureate degrees for bedside clinical positions.
This academic program prepares you for the following careers. All job data is provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Medical and Health Services Managers
Salary Data
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area Average
Florida Average
Projected employment for United States
2022 Employment
509,500
2032
654,200
Percent Change
28
Projected Job Openings
54700
Respiratory Therapists
Salary Data
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area Average
Florida Average
Projected employment for Florida
2022 Employment
8,700
2032
11,440
Percent Change
32
Projected Job Openings
740
Features of SPC's bachelor's degree in Cardiopulmonary Science
- Offered completely online
- Specifically designed for practicing RRTs to help them move up the career ladder in respiratory care
- Accredited and transferrable
- Requires no clinical or campus time; the capstone experience can be completed in your local area
- Affordable and is often covered by tuition reimbursement
- Offers eight-week courses, allowing you to focus on one or two courses at a time
Skills in SPC's Cardiopulmonary Science Bachelor of Science Degree
- Ability to effectively communicate and function as a health care team member
- Consistently display professional and ethical conduct, as defined by the American Association of Respiratory Care’s (AARC) Code of Conduct and the ethical standards defined by the appropriate state licensing agency
- Employ the empathy required to treat patient and others with kindness and compassion regardless of age, ability, gender, culture, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status
- Demonstrate the leadership skills required to help other caregivers perform to the best of their ability and to improve patient outcomes
- Safely and competently practice advanced level clinical skills within the discipline’s scope of practice
- Apply evidence-based principles and sound clinical decision-making and critical thinking in the management of mechanical ventilation, advanced cardiopulmonary monitoring and diagnostics, disease management, and other respiratory care for adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients
- Effectively manage and develop Respiratory Care plans and protocols across the spectrum of care
Cardiopulmonary Science Bachelor of Science
CARD-BS
Effective Beginning Catalog Term: Fall 2024 (640)
The requirements shown below are valid beginning Fall 2024 (640), and may not reflect degree requirements for current students. Current students should visit My SPC and view My Learning Plan to see specific degree requirements for their effective term.
Program Summary
This program is only offered Fully Online. A Baccalaureate degree in Cardiopulmonary Sciences (BSCS) will provide the Registered Respiratory Therapist, who has completed the Associate of Science (AS) in Respiratory Care, the opportunity to keep pace with the advancement and requirements of the profession. This program will provide a broader based curriculum that will lead to advanced credentials, as well as, professional growth and development in leadership, management, education and research.
Graduation Requirements
ALL COURSES MUST BE COMPLETED WITH A MINIMUM GRADE OF "C"
GENERAL EDUCATION: All students must complete the 36 credit general education requirement in order to graduate from this program. A.S. degree holders may need to complete an additional 15-21 general education credits to complete the thirty-six (36) credit hour general education requirement.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE: If you have not completed two consecutive years of the same foreign language in high school or 8 credits in college, you will need to complete 8 credits of foreign language before completing the B.S. program.
CIVIC LITERACY: As per Florida Rule 6A-10.04213, baccalaureate degree students entering a Florida College System (FCS) or State University System (SUS) institution in the 2021-2022 academic school year and thereafter must demonstrate competency through successful completion of a civic literacy course AND by achieving a passing score on the Florida Civic Literacy Examination (FCLE).
Academic Pathways
The Academic Pathway is a tool for students that lists the following items:- the recommended order in which to take the program courses
- suggested course when more than one option exists
- which semester each course is typically offered
- if the course has a prerequisite
- courses that may lead to a certificate (if offered in the program)
Please verify the Academic Pathway lists your correct starting semester.
Program Leadership Information
Florida CIP Code
1105109080 - CARDIOPULMONARY SCIENCE
Federal CIP Code
51.0908 - Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist.
CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION at SPC
Earn one of our associate degrees below and you can transfer to SPC's bachelor's degree in cardiopulmonary science.
There are three Advanced Technical Certificates embedded within this degree program.
- Advanced Adult Critical Care, which corresponds to the Adult Critical Care Specialist (ACCS) credential
- Advanced Neonatal/Pediatric Respiratory Care, which corresponds to the Neonatal Pediatric (NPS) credential
- Advanced Practitioner Prep, for those with a baccalaureate in a field other than respiratory care who are interested in preparing for graduate level course work in respiratory care.
Program Admissions
To be admitted to SPC's bachelor's program, you need an A.S. Degree in Respiratory Care from a regionally accredited institution that maintains current accreditation from the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care. You also need a valid and current RRT license, or for residents of Alaska, a current Registered Respiratory Therapy (RRT) credential issued by the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC).