Health Sciences Major

The Health Sciences Major is a broad-based program of study that prepares students for careers or graduate study in the health care industry and related areas. This major provides excellent preparation for students entering health professions such as physical therapy, physician's assistant (PA), and pharmacy. Requirements for each professional program vary, thus early consultation with an advisor is encouraged. At the center of the major is the Health Sciences Core, a group of courses that provides a foundation in the natural and social sciences in a manner consistent with the liberal arts tradition. In addition to completing the Health Sciences Core, each student majoring in Health Sciences must also take additional upper division coursework in both the natural and social sciences. The additional courses may be chosen by students to enhance the depth of their major in their particular area of interest. The multi-disciplinary Health Sciences major has been designed to fulfill both the Natural Science and Social Science PEAK requirements. The Health Professions Studies minor in the Professional Enhancement PEAK is a good complement to this major since it includes any additional coursework needed for individual health professions graduate programs.

Required courses are:

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Grounding in the foundational natural sciences on which the understanding of health and disease is based.
  • Foundational knowledge in the social sciences.
  • Completion of at least one course that highlights human illness.
  • Formation of a framework for considering biomedical issues.
  • Integration of natural and social sciences.
  • Application of the natural and social sciences to real-world problems.