Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences

The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences is designed for students passionate about improving health and well-being across diverse populations. This interdisciplinary program combines foundational knowledge in biological sciences, health policy, public health, nutrition, environmental health and health services administration preparing graduates for a variety of careers in the health sector. Students in the BS in Health Science are able to tailor their degree curriculum to meet a variety of career and life goals. Students who have completed the pre-requisite courses for the BS in Nursing program or for the MS Physician Assistant program will find that all of the prerequisite courses for those programs count toward this degree. 

The program features a core with 35-36 units (of which at least 21 units are upper-division health science courses).  Students may choose one of two concentrations. 

The General Health Science concentration requires 6 units of upper-division Health Science electives as well as 17 units of other elective courses chosen from Biology, Chemistry and Health Science.  This will serve students who are admitted to our Pre-Nursing program but who are declined admission to our impacted BS in Nursing program.  All 17 units of Biology and Chemistry courses that CSUSB’s Pre-Nursing majors take will count as electives within the General Health Science concentration.  This concentration will also serve Pre-Nursing students who switch to the projected BS in Health Science program before completing all of their Pre-Nursing courses and will serve students who did not start as Pre-Nursing majors but choose to enroll directly in the projected BS in Health Science.  The General Health Science concentration allows students to fulfill 17 units of electives using any combination of Pre-Nursing Biology and Chemistry courses with other health science courses.  

Students who choose the Pre-Physician Assistant concentration follow a more prescriptive program which includes 28 - 30 units of Biology and Chemistry courses that are required for entry into a typical Physician Assistant program (these 28 - 30 units include all 17 units that Pre-Nursing students take).

Degree Requirements (58-66 units)

Total units required for graduation: 120

Note: All Health Science concentrations require grades of "C" (2.0) or better in all upper-division coursework with an HSCI prefix or any course approved for upper-division Health Science substitutions required in the major. Certain required courses also apply in the university's general education program.

Lower-division requirement (14-15)
HSCI 2200Introduction to Public Health3
HSCI 2645Cooking for Fun and Health2
KINE 2200Medical Terminology3
Statistics Course (select one of the following)3
Introduction to Statistical Thinking
Statistics with Applications
Introduction to Statistics in Health Sciences
Statistics in Kinesiology
Math Course - (select one of the following) 3 - 4
Accelerated Preparation for Calculus
Preparation for Calculus B
Modeling with Calculus
Calculus I
Calculus II
Upper-division requirements (21)
HSCI 3040Introduction to Health Services Administration 3
HSCI 3052Principles of Environmental Health3
HSCI 3060Medical Care Organizations3
HSCI 3580Principles of Toxicology3
HSCI 3600Nutrition for Health 3
HSCI 3207Social Determinants of Health3
HSCI 4202Epidemiology3
Concentration (23-30)
One of the following concentrations is required for the major:23-30
Total Units58-66

Concentrations

General Health Science Concentration (23 units)

General Science Electives (Choose 17 units from below):17
Up to 7 units may be chosen from any HSCI courses not on this list
Introduction to Biology
Introduction to Biology Lab
Principles of Biology I
Principles of Biology II
Microbiology for Allied Health Majors
Human Anatomy and Physiology I for Allied Health Majors
Human Anatomy and Physiology II for Allied Health Majors
Introduction to Chemistry
Introduction to Chemistry Laboratory
Survey of General Chemistry
Survey of General Chemistry Laboratory
Survey of Organic and Biochemistry
Survey of Organic and Biochemistry Lab
Fundamentals of General, Organic, and Biochemistry
General Chemistry I
General Chemistry I Laboratory
General Chemistry II
General Chemistry II Laboratory
Health and Society: An Ecological and Societal Approach
Health and Society: An Ecological and Societal Approach Lab
Upper Division Electives (6 or more units from the following list):6
Health and Human Sexuality
Health Behavior
Topics in Environmental and Occupational Health
Cultural Practices and Cuisines
Cultural Practices and Cuisines Lab
Health and Wellness of Older Adults
Health Issues of Men
Infectious Disease Burden in U.S.
Chronic Disease Burden in U.S.
Drug and Alcohol Issues
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Cultural Competency
Mental Health Issues in Public Health
Topics about Special Populations
Latinx Health
Women's Health
Bioterrorism and Emergency Response
Total Units23

Pre-Physician Assistant Concentration (28-30 units)

BIOL 2200Microbiology for Allied Health Majors4
BIOL 2230Human Anatomy and Physiology I for Allied Health Majors4
BIOL 2240Human Anatomy and Physiology II for Allied Health Majors4
CHEM 2100General Chemistry I4
CHEM 2100LGeneral Chemistry I Laboratory1
CHEM 2200General Chemistry II4
CHEM 2200LGeneral Chemistry II Laboratory1
CHEM 2400Organic Chemistry I Lecture3
One additional Biology course chosen from the list below):3-5
Human Genetics and Genomics
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology
Genetics
Immunology
Total Units28-30