ADMISSIONS CRITERIA
| REGISTERED RESPIRATORY THERAPIST to BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Application: Allied Health Centralized Application Service (AHCAS)
AHCAS: The LSU Health Shreveport BS Cardiopulmonary Science Degree Advancement (DA) Program accepts applications for admission via the Allied Health Centralized Application Service (AHCAS). Applicants should submit all application materials directly to AHCAS. Applicants should NOT submit any application documents directly to the Program or LSU Health Shreveport.
Start Dates: The CPS DA program accepts applications throughout the year for admission on two start dates: October (Fall 2 Session) and March (Spring 2 Session).
Fall 2 Session - 2025
Application Deadline*: September 26, 2025
Classes Start: October 20, 2025
Spring 2 Session - 2026
Application Deadline*: February 13, 2026
Classes Start: March 2, 2026
Fall 2 Session - 2026
Application Deadline*: September 28, 2026
Classes Start: October 19, 2026*Your application Program Status must be "Complete" by the specified deadline for the intended start date. An application is complete when:
- All official college transcripts have been received and posted to your application.
- Credentials in respiratory care uploaded to your application (minimum RRT required).
- Your application fee payment was submitted and marked as received.
- You submitted your application and received an email confirming it was successfully submitted.
MINIMUM ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
- Earned associate degree from a CoARC-accredited program.
- Current RRT credential from the National Board for Respiratory Care.
- Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
- Minimum 2.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for all required pre-requisite courses.
- A grade of C or better in the following prerequisite courses earned from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university by the first day of class.
- English Composition, 6 Hours
- Mathematics, 6 Hours (College Algebra required; Trigonometry recommended)
- General Chemistry / Lab, 4 Hours
- General Physics / Lab (> 200 level recommended), 4 Hours
- Microbiology / Lab, 4 Hours
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I / Lab, 4 Hours
- Human Anatomy and Physiology II / Lab, 4 Hours
- Fine Arts Requirement, 3 Hours*
- Humanities, 9 Hours**
- Social/Behavioral Science, 6 Hours***
*Fine Arts: Music, Visual Arts, Applied Arts, Theatre, Dance, Interdisciplinary
**Humanities (recommended): Literature, Foreign Languages, History, Classical Studies, Communications, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Interdisciplinary
***Social/Behavioral Sciences (recommended): Social: Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Economics, Geography, International Studies, Interdisciplinary, Political Science. Behavioral: Psychology, Sociology
6. Selected applicants will be contacted to finalize and confirm their position in the cohort.
Please note: Accepted students are assigned provisional admission status until meeting conditions outlined in the acceptance letter and completing pre-matriculation requirements set forth by the Office of the Registrar. As part of the pre-matriculation requirements, accepted students are required to maintain ongoing accessibility to the technology and Learning Management System required by the Program.
Have Questions?
For more information about the Cardiopulmonary Science Degree Advancement Program, please contact LSU Online at lsuonline@lsu.edu.
