Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BS-HS)
The Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BS- HS) is a rigorous program of study that provides a multi-disciplinary grounding in factors influencing the prevention of disease and the improvement of societal health. It provides an understanding of the social and biological causes of health and illness; covers the knowledge and skills needed to work in areas of disease prevention and promotion of health; and explores the role of policy, ethics and resources in the management of prevention programming and health service delivery. Opportunities for employment in this field are expanding, and graduates will also be equipped for continued study at the graduate level.
The program requires 122 semester hour credits. Students must complete a minimum of 39 courses. Each course is 9 weeks in length. Students earn 3 credit hours in all courses with three exceptions. BIOL 1121 Biology 1 for Health Studies Majors and BIOL 1122 Biology 2 for Health Studies Majors carry 4 credit hours each; the Internship (HS 3995) is 6 credit hours.
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science Health Science degree must complete all required courses in their chosen major as outlined below.
Prerequisites
Students must pass the following three prerequisites before they can begin taking courses in the major:
| BIOL 1121 | Biology 1 for Health Studies Majors |
| PSYC 1111 | Introduction to Health Psychology |
| SOC 1502 | Introduction to Sociology |
Required Courses in the Major
| BIOL 1122 | Biology 2 for Health Studies Majors |
| HS 2211 | Human Anatomy & Physiology (proctored course) |
| HS 2212 | Infectious Diseases |
| HS 2611 | Nutrition |
| HS 2711 | Health Science 1 (proctored course) |
| HS 2712 | Health Science 2 |
| HS 3311 | Epidemiology (proctored course) |
| HS 3610 | Human Development in a Global Perspective (proctored course) |
| HS 4212 | Genetics (proctored course) |
| HS 4241 | Psychopathology and Mental Health (proctored course) |
| HS 4510 | Biostatistics (proctored course) |
| HS 4810 | Health Policy and Management (proctored course) |
Program Electives
| HS 2720 | Oral Health |
| HS 3210 | Human Diseases |
| CHEM 3212 | Biochemistry |
| HS 3810 | Health Systems and Structures |
| HS 3814 | Community Health |
| HS 4812 | Bioethics |
Capstone Courses
| HS 3995 | Internship (6 credits) |
| HS 4990 | Research Capstone 1 (3 credits) |
| HS 4995 | Research Capstone 2 (3 credits) |
Other Electives: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree may choose additional elective courses beyond those specified in the General Education requirements, and/or select introductory courses in other majors, and/or take additional courses in a student’s major that may not be required for the degree.
Health Science Capstone Requirements
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science must complete at least six credit hours in capstone courses. This can be through either HS 3995 Internship, or HS 4990 & HS 4995 Research Seminars. Students may opt to complete both the Internship and the Research Seminars, but are not required to do so.
In order to meet proficiency in the capstone experience, a student must earn at least a C- in the course. If a student fails to meet proficiency in their first attempt, they must meet with the Department Chair to develop a plan for successful completion.
HS 3995 Internship
Students who have completed at least 80 semester hours including the following 10 courses in the Health Science major are eligible to apply for the internship.
| BIOL 1122 | Biology 2 for Health Studies Majors |
| HS 2211 | Human Anatomy & Physiology |
| HS 2212 | Infectious Diseases |
| HS 2611 | Nutrition |
| HS 2711 | Health Science 1 |
| HS 2712 | Health Science 2 |
| HS 3311 | Epidemiology |
| HS 3610 | Human Development in a Global Perspective |
| HS 4510 | Biostatistics |
| HS 4810 | Health Policy and Management |
The internship experience comprises 270 hours of meaningful, supervised internship experience as part of the program of study for the Bachelor of Science in Health Science, and students are encouraged to begin planning for it at least two terms in advance.
The internship can be completed over one or two terms. Students engage in the onsite internship activities and complete the associated academic course requirements according to the following schedule:
Internship completed in one term — 30 hours per week for 9 weeks
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- Submit the Application for Internship Experience at the beginning of the term immediately preceding the term in which the internship is expected to begin.
- Register for HS 3995 for 6 semester credits for the term when the internship will take place.
- Submit the project paper no later than the end of the final examination period in Week 9 of the term.
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Internship completed in two terms — 15 hours per week for 18 weeks
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- Submit the Application for Internship Experience at the beginning of the term immediately preceding the term in which the internship is expected to begin.
- Register for HS 3995 for 6 semester credits during the second term of the internship experience; no course registration is required for the first term of the internship.
- Submit the project paper no later than the end of the final examination period of Week 9 of the second term of the internship experience.
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Students must submit an Application for Internship Experience to their Program Advisor by the end of Week 1 of the term before the beginning of the term in which they intend to start their internship. The Application for Internship Experience must include the signed approval of the client organization where the experience will occur and the signed agreement of the contact person who agrees to serve as an onsite advisor for the internship.
In order to receive credit for the internship, all steps in the application process must be completed and approved by the Department of Health Science before starting the internship.
HS 4990 & 4995 Research Seminars
Students who have completed at least 80 semester hours including the following 10 courses in the Health Science major are eligible to apply for the Research Seminar two-course sequence.
BIOL 1122 Biology 2 for Health Studies Majors HS 2211 Human Anatomy & Physiology
HS 2212 Infectious Diseases HS 2611 Nutrition
HS 2711 Health Science 1
HS 2712 Health Science 2
HS 3311 Epidemiology
HS 3610 Human Development in a Global Perspective HS 4510 Biostatistics
HS 4810 Health Policy and Management
The Research Seminar two-course sequence allows students to plan and conduct a small research project in health sciences.
Proctored Courses for Health Science
The following courses have final examinations that must be taken under the supervision of a proctor (exam monitor). [18]
| MATH 1201 | College Algebra |
| MATH 1280 | Introduction to Statistics |
| HS 2211 | Human Anatomy and Physiology |
| HS 2711 | Health Science 1: Health Education and Behavior |
| HS 3311 | Epidemiology |
| HS 3610 | Human Development in a Global Perspective |
| HS 4212 | Genetics |
| HS 4241 | Psychopathology and Mental Health |
| HS 4510 | Biostatistics |
| HS 4810 | Health Policy & Management |
[18] The list of proctored courses required for Community and Public Health majors includes courses required for the Bachelor’s Degree.
Learning Pathway
The learning pathway for your program has been curated to create the best learning experience for each student. For the most effective way to learn, courses need to be taken in the right sequence; lower-level courses prepare students with the foundational knowledge they need for higher level courses. This allows students to learn in order to better achieve the program and institutional learning outcomes .
Each student’s learning pathway is customized based on the courses the student has already taken and the degree requirements at the time of enrollment. For this reason, your path may differ from another student’s path. However, here is an example of a sequence a student with no previous classes or transfer credits may take through the Bachelor of Science in Health Science* program:
- UNIV 1001 Online Education Strategies
- PSYC 1111 Introduction to Health Psychology
- ENGL 1102 English Composition 2
- SOC 1502 Introduction to Sociology
- General Education – Social and Behavior Science Course
- BIOL 1121 Biology 1 for Health Studies Majors
- General Education – Social and Behavior Science Course
- BIOL 1122 Biology 2 for Health Studies Majors
- General Education – Mathematical Sciences Course
- HS 2611 Nutrition
- General Education – Mathematical Sciences Course
- HS 2711 Health Science 1
- General Education – Values and Ethical Reasoning Course
- HS 2712 Health Science 2
- General Education – Natural Science and Technology Course
- COM 2001 – Professional Communication
- General Education – Humanities Course
- HS 2211 Anatomy and Physiology
- General Education – Civilization Studies, Culture, and Belief Course
- HS 2212 Infectious Diseases
- General Education – Humanities Course
- General Elective Course
- General Elective Course
- Major Elective Course
- General Elective Course
- HS 3311 Epidemiology
- Major Elective Course
- General Elective Course
- HS 3610 Human Development in a Global Perspective
- General Elective Course
- Major Elective Course
- General Elective Course
- HS 4212 Genetics
- HS 4241 Psychopathology and Mental Health
- HS 4510 Biostatistics
- HS 4810 Health Policy and Management
- Major Elective Course
- HS 4990 Research Methods in Health Science
- Major Elective Course
- HS 4995 Research Methods in Health Science 2
*For the Associate Degree, courses 1-20 serve as the learning sequence.