The Department of Health Sciences takes a multi-disciplinary approach to preparing students for careers in several health sciences professions including health education and health promotion, public health, health care delivery, and rehabilitative sciences. 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 BSHS provides training in the competencies for health educators identified by the 2015 National Health Educators Competencies and qualifies students to take the Certified Health Educator Specialist (CHES) exam. In addition, it provides education in population-based health and includes a community health education practicum. The health educator track provides a good foundation for careers or graduate study in health education, public health and population health sciences.
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 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.
- For the Quantitative Skills requirement, choose STAT A200 or STAT A253.
- For the Oral Communication Skills requirement, choose COMM A241.
- For the Social Sciences requirement, choose PSY A150.
- For the Natural Sciences requirement; choose BIOL A111 and BIOL A111L, and BIOL A112 and BIOL A112L.
- For the Alaska Native-Themed requirement, choose AKNS A201.
- For the Diversity and Inclusion requirement, choose SWK A243.
- For the Integrative Capstone requirement, choose HS A492.
- Complete the following major requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| COMM A300 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HLTH A151 | Breaking Trail on Your Health and Social Services Career | 3 |
| HS A210 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| HS A220 | Core Concepts in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| HS A230 | Introduction to Global Health | 3 |
| HS A305 | Public Health for an Aging Society | 3 |
| HS A326 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| HS A345 | Planning and Management of Health Programs | 3 |
| HS/SOC A370 | Medical Sociology | 3 |
| HS A420 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HS/NS A433 | Health Education: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| HS A485 | Professional Preparation in Health Sciences | 3 |
| HS A492 | Senior Seminar: Contemporary Health Policy | 3 |
| HS A495 | Health Sciences Practicum | 3 |
| KIN A384 | Cultural and Psychological Aspects of Health and Physical Activity | 3 |
| MA A101 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| MA A104 | Essentials of Human Disease | 3 |
| PHIL A302 | Biomedical Ethics | 3 |
| PSY A261 | Research Methods in Psychology | 3 |
| Support Courses | ||
| AKNS A201 | Alaska Native Perspectives | 3 |
| BIOL A111 & A111L | Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Lab | 4 |
| BIOL A112 & A112L | Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | 4 |
| BIOL A240 | Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences | 3 |
| COMM A241 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| DN A151 | Nutrition Through the Life Cycle | 3 |
| or DN A203 | Nutrition for Health Sciences | |
| 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 Sciences GER list in a discipline other than biology. | 3 | |
| Advisor-approved Electives | 15 | |
| Total | 107-108 | |
A minimum of 120 credits is required for this degree, of which 39 must be upper-division.
Pre-professional Track
The BSHS Pre-professional (PP) track provides training in public health and health promotion 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 BSHS PP track includes most prerequisites for many OT, PT, PA, SLP and pharmacy graduate programs with special focus on UA partner 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 academic or faculty advisor early in their academic program to assist with course selection.
Admission Requirements
- Complete the Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Programs.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- For the Quantitative Skills requirement, choose STAT A200 or STAT A253.
- For the Oral Communication Skills requirement, choose COMM A241
- For the Social Sciences requirement, choose PSY A150.
- For the Natural Sciences requirement; choose BIOL A111 and BIOL A111L, and BIOL A112 and BIOL A112L.
- For the Alaska Native-Themed requirement, choose AKNS A201.
- For the Diversity and Inclusion requirement, choose SWK A243.
- For the Integrative Capstone requirement, choose HS A492.
- Complete the following major requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| COMM A300 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HLTH A151 | Breaking Trail on Your Health and Social Services Career | 3 |
| HS A210 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| HS A220 | Core Concepts in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| HS A230 | Introduction to Global Health | 3 |
| HS A305 | Public Health for an Aging Society | 3 |
| HS A326 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| HS/SOC A370 | Medical Sociology | 3 |
| HS A420 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HS/NS A433 | Health Education: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| HS A492 | Senior Seminar: Contemporary Health Policy | 3 |
| HS A485 | Professional Preparation in Health Sciences | 3 |
| PHIL A302 | Biomedical Ethics | 3 |
| or PHIL A305 | Professional Ethics | |
| Support Courses | ||
| AKNS A201 | Alaska Native Perspectives | 3 |
| BIOL A108 | Principles and Methods in Biology | 6 |
| BIOL A111 & A111L | Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Lab | 4 |
| BIOL A112 & A112L | Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | 4 |
| CHEM A105 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| General Chemistry I Laboratory | ||
| DN A203 | Nutrition for Health Sciences | 3 |
| PSY A150 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| STAT A200 | Elementary Statistics | 3-4 |
| or STAT A253 | Applied Statistics for the Sciences | |
| Advisor-approved Electives | 24 | |
| Total | 92-93 | |
A minimum of 120 credits is required for this degree, of which 39 must be upper-division.
Honors in Health Sciences
The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences recognizes distinguished achievement by conferring programmatic honors in health sciences. In order to receive honors in health sciences, a student must meet the following requirements:
- Complete all requirements for the BSHS program.
- 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.
- Develop implementation strategies for 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 core health science skills to meet Alaska’s health workforce needs.
Sample Plan
The academic plan below is one pathway through the degree/certificate. It includes all requirements, taking into account recommendations from program faculty. Each student’s plan may vary according to their initial course placement, intended course load, additional majors and/or minors, and their placement into required prerequisite courses. Any change in the below can have an unforeseen impact on the rest of the plan. Therefore, it is very important to meet with your academic advisor to verify your personal academic plan.
Please review the following terms, definitions, and resources associated with the sample academic plan below.
- Each course in the far left column links to a pop-up bubble with a course description, prerequisite requirements, and associations with university requirements. For example, if a course fulfills a general education requirement, you will see that in the pop-up bubble.
- GER: indicates a General Education Requirement. GERs that also count toward degree/certificate requirements appear as a specific course in the plan. For these courses, "GER" is not indicated explicitly in the table, but if you click on the course, you will see the course's GER status in the pop-up bubble.
- Program Elective: indicates a specific course selection determined by program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Elective: indicates an open selection of 100-400 level university courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate.
- Upper Division Program Elective: indicates a specific 300-400 level course selection determined by the program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Upper Division Elective: indicates an open selection of 300-400 level courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate. These courses must be upper division in order to meet General University Requirements for the particular degree/certificate type.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| GER Humanities | 3 | |
| MA A101 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| HLTH A151 | Breaking Trail on Your Health and Social Services Career | 3 |
| STAT A200 or STAT A253 |
Elementary Statistics or Applied Statistics for the Sciences |
3 |
| WRTG A111 | Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GER Fine Arts | 3 | |
| GER Written Communication Skills | 3 | |
| BIOL A111 & A111L |
Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Lab |
4 |
| COMM A241 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| MA A104 | Essentials of Human Disease | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL A112 & A112L |
Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab |
4 |
| DN A151 or DN A203 |
Nutrition Through the Life Cycle or Nutrition for Health Sciences |
3 |
| HS A220 | Core Concepts in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| HS A210 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| PSY A111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| AKNS A201 | Alaska Native Perspectives | 3 |
| BIOL A240 & A240L |
Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences and Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences Laboratory |
4 |
| HS A230 | Introduction to Global Health | 3 |
| PSY A150 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| SWK A243 | Cultural Diversity and Community Service Learning | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| COMM A300 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HS A305 | Public Health for an Aging Society | 3 |
| HS A326 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| GER Natural Sciences (other than biology) | 3 | |
| PSY A261 | Research Methods in Psychology | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| HS A345 | Planning and Management of Health Programs | 3 |
| HS A370 or SOC A370 |
Medical Sociology or Medical Sociology |
3 |
| KIN A384 | Cultural and Psychological Aspects of Health and Physical Activity | 3 |
| PHIL A302 | Biomedical Ethics | 3 |
| Program Elective | 3 | |
| Check with your advisor if you have met the requirements for an associate degree | ||
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| HS A420 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HS A433 or NS A433 |
Health Education: Theory and Practice or Health Education: Theory and Practice |
3 |
| HS A485 | Professional Preparation in Health Sciences | 3 |
| Program Elective | 3 | |
| Program Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| HS A492 | Senior Seminar: Contemporary Health Policy | 3 |
| HS A495 | Health Sciences Practicum | 3 |
| Program Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Program Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Sample Plan
The academic plan below is one pathway through the degree/certificate. It includes all requirements, taking into account recommendations from program faculty. Each student’s plan may vary according to their initial course placement, intended course load, additional majors and/or minors, and their placement into required prerequisite courses. Any change in the below can have an unforeseen impact on the rest of the plan. Therefore, it is very important to meet with your academic advisor to verify your personal academic plan.
Please review the following terms, definitions, and resources associated with the sample academic plan below.
- Each course in the far left column links to a pop-up bubble with a course description, prerequisite requirements, and associations with university requirements. For example, if a course fulfills a general education requirement, you will see that in the pop-up bubble.
- GER: indicates a General Education Requirement. GERs that also count toward degree/certificate requirements appear as a specific course in the plan. For these courses, "GER" is not indicated explicitly in the table, but if you click on the course, you will see the course's GER status in the pop-up bubble.
- Program Elective: indicates a specific course selection determined by program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Elective: indicates an open selection of 100-400 level university courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate.
- Upper Division Program Elective: indicates a specific 300-400 level course selection determined by the program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Upper Division Elective: indicates an open selection of 300-400 level courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate. These courses must be upper division in order to meet General University Requirements for the particular degree/certificate type.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| BIOL A111 & A111L |
Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Lab |
4 |
| GER Humanities | 3 | |
| HLTH A151 | Breaking Trail on Your Health and Social Services Career | 3 |
| STAT A200 or STAT A253 |
Elementary Statistics or Applied Statistics for the Sciences |
3-4 |
| WRTG A111 | Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| Credits | 16-17 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL A112 & A112L |
Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab |
4 |
| COMM A241 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| GER Fine Arts | 3 | |
| GER Written Communication Skills | 3 | |
| HS A210 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| AKNS A201 | Alaska Native Perspectives | 3 |
| HS A220 | Core Concepts in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| CHEM A105 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM A105L | General Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| HS A230 | Introduction to Global Health | 3 |
| PSY A150 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL A108 | Principles and Methods in Biology | 6 |
| DN A203 | Nutrition for Health Sciences | 3 |
| Program Elective | 3 | |
| SWK A243 | Cultural Diversity and Community Service Learning | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| COMM A300 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HS A305 | Public Health for an Aging Society | 3 |
| HS A326 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| PHIL A302 or PHIL A305 |
Biomedical Ethics or Professional Ethics |
3 |
| Program Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| HS A370 or SOC A370 |
Medical Sociology or Medical Sociology |
3 |
| Program Elective | 3 | |
| Program Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Program Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Program Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| HS A420 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HS A433 or NS A433 |
Health Education: Theory and Practice or Health Education: Theory and Practice |
3 |
| HS A485 | Professional Preparation in Health Sciences | 3 |
| Program Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Program Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| HS A492 | Senior Seminar: Contemporary Health Policy | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 120-121 | |