Bachelor's in Health Sciences Degree
Consider a Future in the Healthcare Field
This Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Sciences degree from Grand Canyon University is designed for working professionals in healthcare fields who are seeking to advance in their clinical discipline. Healthcare professionals who hold an associate degree or certificate in allied health professions may choose to return to school with the goal of tackling more responsibilities in the workplace or preparing for graduate-level education. Some allied health professionals who may consider this degree include:
- Respiratory therapists
- Radiology technicians
- Phlebotomists
- Surgical personnel
- Physical therapy assistants
- Emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
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Earn Your Health Sciences Bachelor’s Degree From GCU
This degree can give allied healthcare workers the opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills related to patient care. At GCU, you may benefit from the emphasis on the Christian worldview in your studies. Patient care comes with the responsibility of understanding people’s spirituality and diverse cultural experiences. Graduates from this program are taught to recognize the necessity of understanding the patient experience and individualizing care according to the unique needs of each individual.
Upon graduating with your bachelor’s in health science degree, you may choose to stay in your current career or pursue a role that requires greater responsibility or more autonomy in the healthcare field. Healthcare is an ever-evolving field and is designed to enable you to address modern challenges and support patient care with integrity and professionalism.
BS in Health Sciences Course Topics
This degree is focused on four domains of content and study. These domains offer a comprehensive curriculum that encompasses a full range of healthcare skills and knowledge areas needed to pursue professional excellence or to enroll in graduate-level health sciences programs.
You are expected to demonstrate an understanding of cultural awareness and be able to write formal and informal communications.
You are empowered to apply the principles of organizational behavior to work efficiently in healthcare organizations. You’ll have opportunities to set and achieve goals related to patient care and your own academic and professional progress.
The understanding of ethical and legal issues are important skills for allied health professionals. You will examine your roles and responsibilities regarding professional behaviors and risk management.
Because healthcare is always evolving, you are expected to be aware of emerging trends and healthcare issues. You will be exposed to scientific communications and studies and to critically examine research and your own professional practices to implement new skills in patient care.
This bachelor’s degree in health sciences culminates in a capstone project. You will have the opportunity to research a topic that is immediately applicable to your professional growth and development. The research can also lead to action items that may be applied to your workplace right away.
Career Paths for BS in Health Sciences Graduates
The bachelor’s in health science degree is a versatile choice that can equip you with a firm foundation of health science competencies that are applicable in a wide range of roles and workplace settings. As a graduate, you may go on to explore the role of a medical and clinical laboratory technologist, or similar position. You may decide to pursue clinical or nonclinical roles in settings such as:2
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Insurance companies
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Research laboratories
- Community-based health agencies
Some students who graduate with this bachelor’s degree may look to position themselves for potential career advancement into supervisory or leadership roles. A bachelor’s degree can also be a steppingstone to a master’s program in healthcare administration or public health.
Graduate With a Health Science Bachelor’s From an Institutionally Accredited University
As an institutionally accredited university, GCU strives for academic excellence with the goal of graduating confident, workplace-ready individuals who are prepared to tackle evolving challenges in healthcare. The Higher Learning Commission has continually accredited GCU since 1968. The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions shares the university’s commitment to upholding the principles and standards established by our accrediting bodies.
Bachelor’s Degree in Health Sciences FAQs
If you’re considering enrolling in a health sciences program, browse through our frequently asked questions to learn more.
A health science bachelor’s can enable you to explore core competencies that could improve the quality of patient care you provide. After graduating, you may decide to position yourself to potentially pursue career advancement in the healthcare field. Job growth for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians is projected to grow by 5% from 2022 to 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.1
The science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields include many types of scientific exploration, including within health and medical sciences. In general, STEM careers may focus on innovation, such as emerging developments aimed at making the world a better or healthier place.2
The bachelor’s degree in health sciences at GCU requires 120 credits. If you are enrolled in the online program, most of the classes are seven weeks in length. Fill out the form on this page and request a consultation with a university counselor to better understand how long it might take to earn your degree.
This bachelor’s degree does not directly lead to a career in nursing. However, it does offer opportunities to develop a strong background in health sciences which may prove useful in a nursing career if you choose to later pursue a nursing degree that leads to nurse licensure.
A Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree can help improve patient outcomes. Learn more about this degree at GCU by filling out the form on this page.
1 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2022 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2023, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, retrieved Feb. 23, 2024.
2 Claybourn, C. (2023, Aug. 25). A guide to STEM majors. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved Feb. 23, 2024.
General Education Requirements
General Education coursework prepares Grand Canyon University graduates to think critically, communicate clearly, live responsibly in a diverse world, and thoughtfully integrate their faith and ethical convictions into all dimensions of life. These competencies, essential to an effective and satisfying life, are outlined in the General Education Learner Outcomes. General Education courses embody the breadth of human understanding and creativity contained in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Students take an array of foundational knowledge courses that promote expanded knowledge, insight, and the outcomes identified in the University's General Education Competencies. The knowledge and skills students acquire through these courses serve as a foundation for successful careers and lifelong journeys of growing understanding and wisdom.
Requirements
Upon completion of the Grand Canyon University's University Foundation experience, students will be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of academic skills and self-leadership. They will be able to articulate the range of resources available to assist them, explore career options related to their area of study, and have knowledge of Grand Canyon's community. Students will be able to demonstrate foundational academic success skills, explore GCU resources (CLA, Library, Career Center, ADA office, etc), articulate strategies of self-leadership and management and recognize opportunities to engage in the GCU community.
Course Options
- UNV-103, University Success: 4
- UNV-303, University Success: 4
- UNV-108, University Success in the College of Education: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to construct rhetorically effective communications appropriate to diverse audiences, purposes, and occasions (English composition, communication, critical reading, foreign language, sign language, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of English grammar or composition.
Course Options
- UNV-104, 21st Century Skills: Communication and Information Literacy: 4
- ENG-105, English Composition I: 4
- ENG-106, English Composition II: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to express aspects of Christian heritage and worldview. Students are required to take CWV-101/CWV-301.
Course Options
- CWV-101, Christian Worldview: 4
- CWV-301, Christian Worldview: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to use various analytic and problem-solving skills to examine, evaluate, and/or challenge ideas and arguments (mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, physical geography, ecology, economics, theology, logic, philosophy, technology, statistics, accounting, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of intermediate algebra or higher.
Course Options
- MAT-154, Applications of College Algebra: 4
- MAT-144, College Mathematics: 4
- PHI-105, 21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: 4
- BIO-220, Environmental Science: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to demonstrate awareness and appreciation of and empathy for differences in arts and culture, values, experiences, historical perspectives, and other aspects of life (psychology, sociology, government, Christian studies, Bible, geography, anthropology, economics, political science, child and family studies, law, ethics, cross-cultural studies, history, art, music, dance, theater, applied arts, literature, health, etc.). If the predefined course is a part of the major, students need to take an additional course.
Course Options
- HIS-144, U.S. History Themes: 4
- PSY-102, General Psychology: 4
- SOC-100, Everyday Sociology: 4
Core Courses
Course Description
This course identifies allied health professionals and their involvement with all aspects of health care delivery and the collaborative health care team. This course also considers the role and scope of allied health as well as the interdisciplinary approach to care intended to meet the needs of a complex and changing health care system.
Course Description
This course introduces students to local, state, and federal statutes that regulate the administration of safe health care. Students explore the legal responsibilities of the health care facility in providing workplace safety and protection from injury for patients, families, and staff. The course examines the roles and responsibilities of the risk management department within an organization. At the end of this course, students should be able to explain the ethical and legal responsibilities of health care professionals related to risk management assessment and policies.
Course Description
This course examines the relationship between health care quality and organizational performance from an interdisciplinary approach to care. The student is introduced to the rationale for performance management and the role of the health care organization in ensuring compliance with the standards of accreditation. The methods for assuring quality in process and outcome through management are addressed along with trends in the provision and reimbursement of health care services. Students are introduced to changing trends in reimbursement of health care services as related to risk management.
Course Description
This is an introductory course on concepts of statistics, emphasizing applications to health care professions. The course is designed to prepare learners to understand concepts of statistics and the appropriateness of statistical methods used in published research papers and a variety of settings. Areas of emphasis include an introduction to the statistical analysis concepts of variable/reliability factors; P values; experimental design; descriptive statistics, including mean, median, and mode; sampling methods; and power analysis.
Course Description
This course explores meanings and expressions of health, illness, caring, and healing transculturally. Focus is on understanding and developing professional competence in caring for individuals, families, groups, and communities with diverse cultural backgrounds. Culture is examined as a pervasive, determining “blueprint” for thought and action throughout the human health experience. Patterns of human interaction that foster health and quality of life are analyzed, and health destroying patterns of interaction (e.g., stereotyping, discrimination, and marginalization) are examined and submitted to moral and ethical reflection.
Course Description
This course introduces a Christian foundation for spiritual assessment and care with specific emphasis on biomedical ethical principles and ethical decision-making within health care. Students practice assessment and propose holistic interventions that take into account the dignity of the human person. These assessments and interventions contribute to the physical and spiritual well-being of individuals across the life span and the health-illness continuum.
Course Description
The course explores the impact of numerous professional and societal forces on health care policy and practice. Content includes an analysis of current studies; health care policy and position statements; political, environmental, and cultural issues; and changing health care roles. The study of these issues examines the impact on health care delivery systems in society.
Course Description
This course provides an understanding of the factors shaping the present and future health care delivery system. Students learn about the aging population in the United States and ways in which the health care system is planning and forecasting for the upcoming needs of aging consumers. Additionally, shifting costs, health care environments, and technological advancements are examined for trends and potential areas of opportunity. Innovative organizational models are explored and analyzed as they continue to develop and shape the future of health care delivery.
Course Description
This course introduces students to major ethical theory, principles, and models for the recognition, analysis, and resolution of ethical dilemmas in health care practice. Students learn how to approach ethical dilemmas using theoretical frameworks and decision-making processes. Through the use of case studies, students are introduced to health topics such as patients’ rights, dilemmas of life and death, allocation of health care resources, and special dilemmas of health care professionals. This course also includes a review of classic cases in health care ethics and how they have shaped health policy. An overview of patient education and ethics and a discussion on the professional codes of ethics and standards are also part of this course.
Course Description
This writing intensive course introduces students to the purpose of research as applied in health care. Students examine the role of various research methods, including evidence-based practice, in communicating with patients and providers to improve health care. Students identify and develop the skills necessary to communicate effectively in the areas of interpersonal communication, group dynamics, diversity, motivation, team building, and conflict resolution.
Course Description
This course emphasizes major leadership approaches and models used within health care today. Topics include regulatory leadership, servant leadership, and formal and informal leadership roles. Students have an opportunity to analyze leadership approaches to decision making and the impact of professional mentorship. The significance and use of collaborative leadership, communication, and decision making, in health care are explored. Students examine leadership behaviors that leverage diversity and foster inclusion to ensure professionalism and the professional responsibility of leaders today.
Course Description
This writing-intensive course facilitates a professional capstone project that is the culmination of the learning experience of students in the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Sciences program. In this course, students identify a current issue in health care and provide a written proposal to address that issue. Additionally, students use evidence-based research and apply theory to practice. Students create an evidence-based project plan and prepare to propose a full implementation plan to current or future employers.
- GCU cannot and will not promise job placement, a job, graduate school placement, transfer of GCU program credits to another institution, promotion, salary, or salary increase. Please see the Career Services Policy in the University Policy Handbook.
- Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
- Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change
Pursue a next-generation education with an online degree from Grand Canyon University. Earn your degree with convenience and flexibility with online courses that let you study anytime, anywhere.