- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Veterinary medicine
- Public health
- Physician assistant studies
- Nurse practitioner
- Pharmacy
- Physical therapy
- Social work
- Speech-language pathology
The health science major offers students a solid academic and experiential foundation that positions them well to pursue graduate and professional school training in the following programs:
The health science major is also designed for students who are seeking a strong foundation for a career in health administration and in community-based health promotion and public health.
Please visit Bouvé College Learning Outcomes for the specific student learning outcomes for this program.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
University-Wide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Public Health Core
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| YEAR 1 | ||
| PHTH 1260 | The American Healthcare System | 4 |
| or PHTH 1261 | Comparative Healthcare Systems | |
| YEARS 2 and 3 | ||
| PHTH 2210 | Foundations of Biostatistics | 4 |
| PHTH 2300 | Communication Skills for the Health Professions | 4 |
| or PHTH 2301 | Communication Skills for the Health Professions—Global | |
| PHTH 2350 | Community and Public Health | 4 |
| or PHTH 2351 | Community and Public Health - Global | |
| PHTH 2515 | Healthcare Policy and Administration | 4 |
| PHTH 4202 | Principles of Epidemiology in Medicine and Public Health | 4 |
| PHTH 4540 | Health Education and Program Planning | 4 |
| FINAL YEAR | ||
| PHTH 4120 | Global Perspectives on Discrimination and Health | 4 |
Health Science Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| YEAR 1 | ||
| HSCI 1000 | College: An Introduction | 1 |
| YEAR 2 OR 3 | ||
| HSCI 2000 | Professional Development for Bouvé Co-op | 1 |
| FINAL YEAR | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4-8 | |
| Health Science Capstone—Service (Prerequisite course HSCI 4700) | ||
| Health Science Capstone—Research (Prerequisite course HSCI 4700) | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 (Prerequisite course HSCI 4970, for a total of 8 cr) | ||
| Health Science Capstone Seminar (Prerequisite course HSCI 4700) | ||
Selectives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete at least three courses from the groups listed below with at least two in one category. At least one of the courses must be at 2000 level or higher. Students may complete additional courses to fulfill a minor, such as global health, nutrition, exercise science, and health research methods. | 9-13 | |
| Society and Health | ||
| Sport, Culture, and Society | ||
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Psychology of Crime | ||
| The (in)Visibility of (dis)Ability in Society | ||
| Global Human Rights: A Social and Economic Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Global Health | ||
or AFRS 1270 | Introduction to Global Health | |
| Environmental Health | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Health Advocacy | ||
| Global Health | ||
| Economic Perspectives on Health Policy | ||
| Environment and Society | ||
| Drugs and Society | ||
| Gender and Reproductive Justice | ||
| Environment, Technology, and Society | ||
| Sociology of Health and Illness | ||
| Policy and Administration | ||
| Global Social Enterprise | ||
| Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression | ||
| Healthcare Management, Innovation, and Design | ||
| Organizational Behavior | ||
| Healthcare Management | ||
| Critical Issues in Health and Public-Health Policy | ||
| Evaluating Healthcare Quality | ||
| Economic Perspectives on Health Policy | ||
| Violence and Society | ||
| Nutrition and Wellness | ||
| Introduction to Mindfulness | ||
| Personal Behavior Change | ||
| Health Psychology: An Introduction to Concepts, Theories, and Research | ||
| Behavioral Assessment and Treatment of Health Problems in the 21st Century | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Introduction to Exercise, Fitness, and Health | ||
| Exercise Physiology 1 and Lab for EXSC 4500 | ||
| Cardiopulmonary Physiology | ||
| Advanced Exercise Physiology | ||
| Human Nutrition | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Nutrition | ||
| Advanced Nutrition in Health and Disease | ||
| Public Health Nutrition in the Community | ||
| Digital Health | ||
| Fundamentals of Computer Science 1 and Lab for CS 2500 | ||
| Programming with Data and Data Science Programming Practicum | ||
| Introduction to Health Informatics and Health Information Systems | ||
| Theoretical Foundations in Personal Health Informatics | ||
| Personal Health Interface Design and Development | ||
| Principles of Information Science | ||
| Research | ||
| Fundamentals of Qualitative Research | ||
| Introduction to Epidemiology | ||
Supporting Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| YEAR 1 | ||
| BIOL 1111 and BIOL 1112 | General Biology 1 and Lab for BIOL 1111 | 5 |
| BIOL 1113 and BIOL 1114 | General Biology 2 and Lab for BIOL 1113 | 5 |
| CHEM 1161 and CHEM 1162 and CHEM 1163 | General Chemistry for Science Majors and Lab for CHEM 1161 and Recitation for CHEM 1161 | 5 |
| MATH 1241 | Calculus 1 | 4 |
| PSYC 1101 | Foundations of Psychology | 4 |
| YEAR 2 OR 3 | ||
| PHIL 1165 | Moral and Social Problems in Healthcare | 4 |
| or HLTH 2100 | Interprofessional Ethics for Individual and Population Health | |
Writing Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| YEAR 1 | ||
| ENGW 1111 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| YEAR 2 OR 3 | ||
| ENGW 3306 | Advanced Writing in the Health Professions | 4 |
Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete a minimum of 41 credits of general electives. Total elective semester hours required to meet degree completion requirement will depend on student's choice of selectives above. | 41 | |
Health Sciences Major Requirement
A grade of C or higher is required for all BIOL, CHEM, HLTH, HSCI, MATH, and PHTH courses.
Academic Policies and Procedures
Please visit Bouvé College of Health Sciences Undergraduate page for academic policies and procedures, including Academic Appeals.
Program Requirement
132 total semester hours required
In addition to the required courses for the Bachelor of Science in Health Science, students who are interested in clinical graduate school programs are encouraged to enroll in the following courses, utilizing available elective slots:
Premed Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SOCL 1101 | Introduction to Sociology | 4 |
| BIOL 2301 and BIOL 2302 | Genetics and Molecular Biology and Lab for BIOL 2301 | 5 |
| PHYS 1145 and PHYS 1146 | Physics for Life Sciences 1 and Lab for PHYS 1145 | 5 |
| PHYS 1147 and PHYS 1148 | Physics for Life Sciences 2 and Lab for PHYS 1147 | 5 |
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | Organic Chemistry 1 and Lab for CHEM 2311 | 5 |
| CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | Organic Chemistry 2 and Lab for CHEM 2313 | 5 |
| BIOL 3611 and BIOL 3612 | Biochemistry and Lab for BIOL 3611 | 5 |
Pre-PA Track
Each Physician assistant (PA) program is unique, and students must research prerequisite courses for the programs to which they plan to apply. Common courses students preparing for PA school take as their electives often include:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 3421 and BIOL 3422 | Microbiology and Lab for BIOL 3421 | 5 |
| BIOL 2217 and BIOL 2218 | Integrated Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Lab for BIOL 2217 | 5 |
| BIOL 2219 and BIOL 2220 | Integrated Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Lab for BIOL 2219 | 5 |
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | Organic Chemistry 1 and Lab for CHEM 2311 | 5 |
| CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | Organic Chemistry 2 and Lab for CHEM 2313 | 5 |
| PSYC 3404 | Developmental Psychology | 4 |
Pre-Pharmacy Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 2217 and BIOL 2218 | Integrated Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Lab for BIOL 2217 | 5 |
| BIOL 2219 and BIOL 2220 | Integrated Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Lab for BIOL 2219 | 5 |
| BIOL 3611 and BIOL 3612 | Biochemistry and Lab for BIOL 3611 | 5 |
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | Organic Chemistry 1 and Lab for CHEM 2311 | 5 |
| CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | Organic Chemistry 2 and Lab for CHEM 2313 | 5 |
| PHYS 1145 and PHYS 1146 | Physics for Life Sciences 1 and Lab for PHYS 1145 | 5 |
Pre-Physical Therapy Track*
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 2217 and BIOL 2218 | Integrated Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Lab for BIOL 2217 | 5 |
| BIOL 2219 and BIOL 2220 | Integrated Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Lab for BIOL 2219 | 5 |
| CHEM—take one additional chemistry course with lab | 5 | |
| EXSC 4500 | Exercise Physiology 1 | 4 |
| PHYS 1145 and PHYS 1146 | Physics for Life Sciences 1 and Lab for PHYS 1145 | 5 |
| PHYS 1147 and PHYS 1148 | Physics for Life Sciences 2 and Lab for PHYS 1147 | 5 |
| PSYC 3404 | Developmental Psychology | 4 |
*There is a priority application process for current Northeastern students who meet the required criteria. Visit the Doctor of Physical Therapy page for more information.
Five Years, Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
This is a sample plan of study.
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| HSCI 1000 | 1 | BIOL 1113 | 4 | Vacation | 0 | Vacation | 0 |
| PHTH 1260 | 4 | BIOL 1114 | 1 | ||||
| PSYC 1101 | 4 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | ||||
| BIOL 1111 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| BIOL 1112 | 1 | CHEM 1161 | 4 | ||||
| MATH 1241 | 4 | CHEM 1162 | 1 | ||||
| CHEM 1163 | 0 | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| PHTH 2350 | 4 | PHTH 2515 | 4 | Vacation | 0 | Co-op | 0 |
| PHTH 2210 | 4 | HSCI 2000 | 1 | ||||
| Electives | 8 | HLTH 1200 and HLTH 1201 | 3 | ||||
| Electives | 8 | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | PHIL 1165 | 4 | Vacation | 0 | Vacation | 0 |
| Selective | 4-5 | ||||||
| ENGW 3306 | 4 | ||||||
| PHTH 2300 | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| HLTH 5450 or PHTH 4202 | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Vacation | 0 |
| PHTH 4540 | 4 | ||||||
| Elective1 | 4-5 | ||||||
| Selective1 | 3-5 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 5 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| PHTH 4120 | 4 | HSCI 4720 or 4730 | 4 | ||||
| HSCI 4700 | 0 | Electives | 12 | ||||
| Selective | 3-5 | ||||||
| Electives | 8-9 | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 132 | |||||||
| 1 | Credit count of selective/elective is dependent on credit count of selective/elective in same term, to avoid unintended credit overload. |