KU’s online Bachelor of Health Sciences is a degree completion program that provides students hoping to enter health science professions the opportunity to strengthen their background in content related to their anticipated healthcare profession. The program also lets students explore elective courses that help them concentrate their knowledge in areas including nutrition, public and population health, and health management and policy. Students should be sure to discuss their longterm plans with their academic success coach for help selecting the best courses for their desired educational pathway and career.
The field of health sciences covers a variety of in-demand professions, including public health, health care, nutrition and more. Someone with a bachelor’s degree in health sciences might apply their knowledge in the following ways:
- Continuing to graduate school in a variety of specialized areas in health care or medicine
- Entering healthcare administration or continuing to graduate school in healthcare administration
- Researching and implementing public health initiatives
- Advising local or state governments regarding elements of healthcare or public health policies
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Unless they are college transfer students with at least 24 hours of credit, prospective students must send ACT or SAT scores to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.
The Bachelor of Health Sciences has the following degree requirements in addition to the statewide general education requirements:
- 120 (minimum) total credit hours
- 45 (minimum) upper-division credit hours (these may include the following)
- 14-16 foundation science credit hours
- 29-33 health sciences core credit hours
- 24 health sciences elective credit hours
- 3 capstone credit hours
The following tables describe the specific courses to fulfill the above requirements.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 5 |
| MATH 101 | College Algebra: _____ (or MATH 104, 115, 125) | 3 |
| 3-5 |
| MATH 365 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| BIOL 240 | Fundamentals of Human Anatomy (5 hours if you take lab) | 3 |
| BIOL 246 | Principles of Human Physiology (5 hours if you take lab) | 3 |
| BTEC 310 | Scientific Communications | 3 |
| or HMGT 310 | Health Communication |
| HMGT 320 | Applied Healthcare Law and Ethics 1 | 3 |
| or BTEC 501 | Biotechnology Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research |
| HSES 371 | Medical Terminology for Health Professionals | 3 |
| or HEIM 230 | Medical Terminology |
| BSCI 400 | Microbiology | 3 |
| or BIOL 200 | Basic Microbiology |
| HSCI 340 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| HMGT 300 | Introduction to Healthcare Management | 3 |
| HMGT 305 | Health Policy and Healthcare Systems | 3 |
| HSCI 315 | Exploring Careers in Health Science | 1 |
| HSCI 415 | Career Readiness in Health Sciences | 1 |
| |
| BIOS 704 | Principles of Statistics in Public Health | 3 |
| EVRN 543 | Natural Hazards and Environmental Risks | 3 |
| EVRN 730 | Environmental Toxicology | 3 |
| HMGT 450 | Economics and Finance of Healthcare | 3 |
| HMGT 460 | Healthcare Law and Regulation | 3 |
| HMGT 500 | Introduction to Clinical Trials Management | 3 |
| HSCI 320 | Principles of Nutrition | 3 |
| or HSES 330 | Principles of Nutrition and Health |
| HSCI 420 | Nutrition Through the Life Cycle | 3 |
| HSCI 421 | Public Health Nutrition | 3 |
| HSCI 422 | Nutrition Assessment | 3 |
| HSCI 440 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| HSCI 441 | Population Health | 3 |
| HSCI 445 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| HSCI 450 | Epidemics, Pandemics, and Pestilence | 3 |
| HSCI 521 | Advanced Nutrition and Metabolism | 3 |
| HSCI 522 | Advanced Sports Nutrition | 3 |
| HSCI 545 | Advanced Environmental Health | 3 |
| HSES 308 | Drugs and Diseases in Society | 3 |
| HSES 310 | Research and Data Analysis in Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences | 3 |
| HSES 331 | Sport and Exercise Nutrition | 3 |
| HSES 489 | Health and Human Sexuality | 3 |
| HEIM 415 | Healthcare Delivery Systems | 3 |
| HEIM 420 | Legal Aspects of Healthcare | 3 |
| HEIM 575 | Applied Statistics and Research Methods in Healthcare | 3 |
| SOC 424 | Sociology of Health and Medicine | 3 |
| SOC 425 | Sociology of Global Health | 3 |
| HSCI 499 | Topics in Health Sciences: _____ | 1-3 |
| 3 |
1 BTEC 501 is only offered in the spring semester.
Below is a sample 4-year plan for students pursuing the Bachelor in Health Science.
| Freshman |
|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
|---|
| MATH 101 (Core 34: Math and Statistics (SGE))030 | 3 | Introductory Biology Course with Lab (Core 34: Natural and Physical Sciences (SGE))040 | 5 |
| One Chemistry Course | 3-5 | Core 34: English (SGE)010 | 3 |
| Core 34: English (SGE)010 | 3 | Core 34: Communications (SGE)020 | 3 |
| Core 34: Social and Behavioral Sciences (SGE)050 | 3 | Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 |
| Elective or Minor Course | 2 | |
| | 14-16 | | 14 |
| Sophomore |
|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
|---|
| BIOL 240 (5 hours if you take lab) | 3 | BIOL 246 (5 hours if you take lab) | 3 |
| Core 34: Social and Behavioral Sciences (SGE)050 | 3 | Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 |
| Core 34: US Culture (SGE)070 | 3 | Core 34: Global Culture (SGE)070 | 3 |
| Elective or Minor Course | 3 | Elective or Minor Course | 3 |
| Elective or Minor Course | 3 | Elective or Minor Course | 3 |
| | 15 | | 15 |
| Junior |
|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
|---|
| HMGT 300 | 3 | BSCI 400 | 3 |
| HSCI 315 | 1 | HMGT 305 | 3 |
| HSCI 340 | 3 | HSES 371 (or HEIM 230) | 3 |
| MATH 365 | 3 | Health Science Elective | 3 |
| Health Science Elective | 3 | Elective or Minor Course | 3 |
| Elective or Minor Course | 3 | |
| | 16 | | 15 |
| Senior |
|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
|---|
| HMGT 310 | 3 | HSCI 415 | 1 |
| HMGT 320 | 3 | HSCI 599 (Capstone) | 3 |
| Health Science Elective | 3 | Health Science Elective | 3 |
| Health Science Elective | 3 | Health Science Elective | 3 |
| Health Science Elective | 3 | Health Science Elective | 3 |
| | Elective or Minor Course | 3 |
| | 15 | | 16 |
| Total Hours 120-122 |
Notes:
* - This course is a Required major course and is also part of Core 34: Systemwide General Education. If this course is not taken to fulfill the Core 34:SGE requirement, it must be taken in place of elective hours.
** - This course is a Recommended Core 34: Systemwide General Education course. This specific course is not required but is recommended by the program’s faculty.
*** - This course is a Required Core 34: Systemwide General Education course. This program is approved by the Kansas Board of Regents to require this specific Core 34:Systemwide General Education course. If a student did not take this course it must be taken in addition to other degree requirements.
