Health Sciences
A degree in health science serves two purposes: As an undergraduate, it will
prepare you for medical or dental school, as well as a career in medical or biological research. And as someone already working in the
medical field as, say, a dental hygienist or a physician assistant, it will not only afford you the opportunity to do your job better, but
also to possibly parlay your current work experience into a career as a doctor or dentist with assistants of your own.
For additional information on online college courses please visit eLearners.com for details.
Niche AreasGoing for your degree in the health sciences will prepare you for a number of careers. As such, there are many different areas on which you may concentrate while you're pursuing your degree. They include:
- Public Health
- Peer Health Counselor Training
- Community Health Sciences
- Nutrition and Health
- Health, Disease, and Health Services
- Cancer Control
- Health Promotion
- Interventions for At-Risk Populations
- Global Health Problems
- Program Planning
Types Of Associate, Undergraduate & Graduate Programs Available
Many people begin their education in the health sciences at the Associate's Degree level. This affords them the opportunity to not only
learn a great deal about the field itself, but also to gain enough academic experience in it to decide whether they wish to pursue it
further, as either practitioners in the field or at a more advanced academic level. Undergraduates begin the process of specializing in a
particular area of health sciences, and a B.S. often leads to an excellent job. Of course, while some people pursue an academic graduate
degree in the field itself, the more popular route is to apply to medical or dental school, as earning an undergraduate degree in health
sciences will prepare you for that level of study quite well.
Typical Admissions Requirements
Getting into a health sciences program is just as much a matter of having a strong academic background as it is of having a real interest in
the field. And because so many people begin academic programs in the health sciences after having worked in the field professionally, the
emphasis on past academic records may be slightly less in this field than it is in some others.
Careers In This Field
While an undergraduate degree in health sciences often leads to a stint in a professional school for an eventual career in medicine or
dentistry, many people find rewarding work in the health sciences field itself. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Administrative/Service
- Health Professional/Assistants
- Information Technology
- Management
- Nursing
- Research
- Technologists/Technicians
- Finance
- Purchasing
- Public Relations
- Medical Sciences
- HR/Payroll
Salary Ranges In This Field
Health science professionals tend to make rather comfortable livings. Of course, it all depends upon which specific aspect of the field you
choose to focus on, and the level of education you achieve. Because of the wide variety of careers in the field, generalizations tend to be
quite inaccurate. However, it is possible to consider the issue in terms of the occupation you ultimately pursue. As has been noted here
already, a degree in health science is not necessarily an end in itself, but, rather, an excellent stepping-stone to a career in the health
and medical fields. For a more complete idea of what you stand to make depending upon which aspect of the field you choose to pursue, visit
Loyola University's
comparison chart
.
Future Outlook
Because of the wide variety of fields in the health sciences, the outlooks for all the various jobs are unique unto themselves. For the most
accurate outlook for the future of the field on which you choose to focus, visit
www.bls.gov
.
- www.aahsl.org (The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries)
- www.healthscience.org (The National Health Association)
- www.bls.gov (The Bureau of Labor Statistics)
