BSRC Respiratory Care

Willow Hall Room 214
Round Rock Campus

The Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care (BSRC) degree prepares students to practice as nationally credentialed respiratory care practitioners and take their place as a key healthcare team member. Skilled in assessing patients with breathing disorders in the emergency room, intensive care units and many other areas in healthcare facilities, respiratory therapists work directly with physicians on newborn, pediatric or adult patients to analyze oxygen levels and breathing difficulty. Therapists administer prescribed medications to relieve breathing distress, provide pulmonary/lung therapies, and conduct lung diagnostics for all ages. Graduates find employment in many settings such as hospitals, pulmonary rehabilitation clinics, doctors' offices, sleep labs, homecare, and air-life transport teams as they work with patients in the emergency room, newborn/pediatric/adult intensive care units, and many other areas.

Respiratory care (RC) majors attend lab and lecture classes on the Round Rock campus and gain clinical experience in Austin-area hospitals. Students successfully admitted to the program must complete the sequenced curriculum within the cohort group. Individuals taking core courses prior to applying for admission to the RC program should contact the College of Health Professions’ Advising Office and request a change of majors to Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences - Pre-Respiratory Care. The BSRC Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and qualifies graduates to sit for national board credentialing exams to become a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) through the National Board for Respiratory Care immediately upon completion.

Students having already completed an associate degree in Respiratory Care from another university or college are eligible to apply for admission to the BSRC Online Completion Program at Texas State for bachelor degree completion. Once accepted to the university and the BSRC Online Completion Program, this 100% online program admits student every fall, spring, and summer semester without the need to come to the Texas State campus. The online degree completion program features 8-week courses and has a program completion time of one year for the full-time student. Enrollment is open each fall, spring and summer semesters. For information on this option, please contact the BSRC Online Completion program director.

The department also offers a Master of Science in Respiratory Care (MSRC) degree with concentrations in Leadership and Polysomnography Technology (sleep diagnostics). Both concentrations provide 24 semester hours of core courses that build leadership and knowledge of research with 12 semester hours of either Leadership or Polysomnography studies. The Leadership track prepares credentialed therapists for mid-management leadership roles in the hospital as department managers, clinical educators, supervisors, and other opportunities. Individuals credentialed in Polysomnography (PSG) or sleep diagnostics provide diagnostic and therapeutic treatment for those suffering from sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, and other conditions. The (PSG) course of study prepares individuals to sit for national sleep board credentialing exams immediately upon completion.

A rolling enrollment allows students to enter the MSRC program each fall, spring, and summer. Admission to the MSRC program requires the applicant to have previously earned the RRT credential and completed a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Please refer to The Graduate catalog for admission requirements and course descriptions.

It is a policy of the College of Health Professions that each student must provide the College Health Report completed by a physician or licensed healthcare provider and must complete specific required immunizations before being placed in a clinical or internship assignment. Information on these requirements and forms may be obtained through the departmental office.

As a condition for placement in some professional practice sites, all students are required to have a background check and/or drug screening to meet requirements of individual sites. Information on the drug screening process will be provided by the department to clinical facilities as required. Previous misdemeanor or felony convictions under various titles of the Texas Penal Code may affect eligibility for state respiratory care practitioner license status following graduation and future employment in healthcare.