Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences
The Department of Health Sciences takes a multi-disciplinary approach to preparing students for careers in the areas of health education and health promotion, public health, community health, health care delivery, disease prevention, and rehabilitation. The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) includes two tracks:
- Health educator
- Pre-professional, with emphases in occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, speech-language pathology or pharmacy
Health Educator Track
The health educator track of the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) provides training in the competencies for health educators identified by the National Health Educators Competencies Update Project and qualifies students to take the Certified Health Educator Specialist (CHES) exam. In addition, it provides education in population-based health and a community health education practicum. The health educator track provides a good foundation for careers or graduate study in health education, public health and community health promotion.
Admission Requirements
Complete the Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
Field Practicum
The practicum provides students with an opportunity to apply health sciences and health education knowledge and skills to specific assigned projects within a community health organization. Placements may become competitive. The Department of Health Sciences makes every effort to find appropriate field placements for students; however, admittance to the BSHS Health Educator track does not guarantee acceptance by cooperating health agencies.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the following major requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| HS A210 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| HS A220 | Core Concepts in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| HS A230 | Introduction to Global Health | 3 |
| HS A326 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| HS A345 | Planning and Implementation of Health Education Programs | 3 |
| HS/SOC A370 | Medical Sociology | 3 |
| HS/HUMS A420 | Introduction to Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HS/NS A433 | Health Education: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| HS A492 | Senior Seminar: Contemporary Health Policy | 3 |
| HS A495 | Health Sciences Practicum | 3 |
| PEP A384 | Cultural and Psychological Aspects of Health and Physical Activity | 3 |
| PHIL A302 | Biomedical Ethics | 3 |
| PSY A372 | Community Psychology | 3 |
| Support Courses | ||
| BIOL A111 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BIOL A112 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| BIOL A240 | Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences | 4 |
| COMM A241 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| DN A203 | Nutrition for Health Sciences | 3 |
| WRTG A212 | Writing and the Professions | 3 |
| or WRTG A213 | Writing and the Sciences | |
| or WRTG A214 | Arguing Across Contexts | |
| PSY A111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSY A150 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| STAT A200 | Elementary Statistics | 3-4 |
| or STAT A253 | Applied Statistics for the Sciences | |
| or PSY A260 & A260L | Statistics for Psychology and Statistics for Psychology Lab | |
| SWK A243 | Cultural Diversity and Community Service Learning | 3 |
| Complete one course from the natural science GER list in a discipline other than Biology. | 3 | |
| Complete one of the following focus area sequences: | 6-9 | |
Aging | ||
| Public Health for an Aging Society | ||
| Adult Development and Aging | ||
Public Policy | ||
| Introduction to American Government | ||
or PS A102 | Introduction to Political Science | |
| Public Administration | ||
Nutrition | ||
| Preventive and Therapeutic Nutrition | ||
| Community Nutrition | ||
Medical Anthropology | ||
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Biological Anthropology | ||
| Culture and Health | ||
Communication | ||
| Small Group Communication | ||
or COMM A237 | Interpersonal Communication | |
| Intercultural Communication | ||
Research Methods | ||
| Social Science Research Methods | ||
| Social Science Statistics | ||
| Total | 81-85 | |
A minimum of 120 credits is required for this degree, of which 42 must be upper-division.
Honors in Health Sciences, Health Educator Track
The BSHS Health Educator track recognizes exceptional performance by conferring departmental honors in health sciences. In order to receive honors in health sciences, a student must meet each of the following requirements:
- Satisfy all requirements for the BSHS Health Educator track.
- Earn a GPA of 3.50 or higher in upper-division (300- and 400-level) BSHS core and focus sequence courses.
- Meet the requirements for Graduation with Honors.
- Complete the HS A492 with a minimum grade of B.
- Complete a senior project or thesis (HS A498 or HS A499) with a grade of B or better. The health sciences faculty must approve the project/thesis proposal and the final written report.
- Notify the departmental advisor in writing on or before the date of filing an Application for Graduation with the Office of the Registrar.
Pre-professional Track
The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Pre-professional (PP) track provides training in public health and health education along with preparation for occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), physician assistant (PA), speech-language pathology (SLP), pharmacy, or other professional health-related graduate programs.
Prerequisites for graduate programs vary across graduate schools. The UAA BSHS PP track includes most prerequisites for many OT, PT, PA, SLP and pharmacy graduate programs. However, students must check the prerequisites for the schools they plan to attend in order to ensure that they meet all admission requirements. Students are encouraged to meet with an advisor in the Department of Health Sciences early in their academic program to assist with course selection.
Admission Requirements
Satisfy the Application and Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Programs.
Graduation Requirements
- Satisfy the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the following major requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| HS A210 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| HS A220 | Core Concepts in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| HS A230 | Introduction to Global Health | 3 |
| HS A326 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| HS A345 | Planning and Implementation of Health Education Programs | 3 |
| HS/SOC A370 | Medical Sociology | 3 |
| HS/HUMS A420 | Introduction to Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HS/NS A433 | Health Education: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| HS A492 | Senior Seminar: Contemporary Health Policy | 3 |
| PEP A384 | Cultural and Psychological Aspects of Health and Physical Activity | 3 |
| PHIL A302 | Biomedical Ethics | 3 |
| Support Courses | ||
| BIOL A108 | Principles and Methods in Biology | 6 |
| BIOL A111 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BIOL A112 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| CHEM A105 & A105L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM A106 & A106L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| DN A203 | Nutrition for Health Sciences | 3 |
| WRTG A212 | Writing and the Professions | 3 |
| or WRTG A213 | Writing and the Sciences | |
| or WRTG A214 | Arguing Across Contexts | |
| PSY A111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| or PSY A150 | Lifespan Development | |
| STAT A200 | Elementary Statistics | 3-4 |
| or STAT A253 | Applied Statistics for the Sciences | |
| or PSY A260 & A260L | Statistics for Psychology and Statistics for Psychology Lab | |
| Complete one of the following options: | 9-21 | |
Occupational Therapy | ||
| Kinesiology and Biomechanics | ||
| Movement Theory and Motor Development | ||
| Adult Development and Aging | ||
Physical Therapy | ||
| Kinesiology and Biomechanics | ||
| Movement Theory and Motor Development | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
| Adult Development and Aging | ||
Physician Assistant | ||
| Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences | ||
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| Adult Development and Aging | ||
Speech-Language Pathology | ||
| Foundations of Communication Disorders | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing | ||
| Phonetics | ||
| Language Development Across the Lifespan | ||
| Phonology and Articulation Development and Disorders | ||
| Audiology | ||
| Aural Rehabilitation | ||
Pharmacy | ||
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Public Speaking | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Total | 76-89 | |
A minimum of 120 credits is required for this degree, of which 42 must be upper-division.
Honors in Health Sciences, Pre-professional Track
The BSHS Pre-professional track recognizes exceptional performance by conferring departmental honors in health sciences. In order to receive honors in health sciences, a student must meet each of the following requirements:
- Satisfy all requirements for the BSHS Pre-professional track.
- Earn a GPA of 3.50 or higher in upper-division (300- and 400-level) BSHS core and focus sequence courses.
- Meet the requirements for Graduation with Honors.
- Complete the HS A492 with a minimum grade of B.
- Complete a senior project or thesis (HS A498 or HS A499) with a minimum grade of B. The health sciences faculty must approve the project/thesis proposal and the final written report.
- Notify the departmental advisor in writing on or before the date of filing an Application for Graduation with the Office of the Registrar.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the BSHS Health Educator track will be able to:
- Assess individual and community needs for health education.
- Plan effective health education programs.
- Implement health education programs.
- Evaluate effectiveness of health education programs.
- Coordinate provision of health education programs.
- Act as a resource person in health education.
- Communicate health and health education needs, concerns and resources.
Graduates of the BSHS Pre-Professional track will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of public health and public health intervention strategies.
- Demonstrate adequate preparation for professional and/or graduate work in selected clinical concentration areas.
- Explain the interconnectedness of physical, socio-cultural, and environmental aspects of health and the role of civic engagement in promoting population based health in clinical and community settings.
- Collaborate with individuals, community groups, medical professionals, and policy makers to create culturally meaningful health and health education materials.
- Apply skills and professional expertise to meet Alaska’s health workforce needs.