Health Sciences Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Health Sciences major is a broad science-based major that prepares you for clinical programs and health careers. Health sciences programs cover biology, anatomy, health care delivery and research, and many students use the major to prepare for graduate programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, pharmacy or medicine.

A Health Sciences major includes coursework in anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, chemistry and biology, health care systems, and research methods and more. You build skills such as scientific reasoning, medical terminology, research and data interpretation, and patient communication. Typical degrees: associate and bachelor's degrees, often followed by a graduate clinical program.

Typical courses include anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, chemistry and biology, health care systems, research methods, and ethics in healthcare. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Health Sciences is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s, and a doctoral or professional degree takes several more years beyond that. Part-time study takes longer.

Associate and bachelor's degrees, often followed by a graduate clinical program. In the latest federal data, 203 colleges reported certificate awards, 366 colleges reported associate awards, 497 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, 91 colleges reported master’s awards, and 25 colleges reported doctoral awards.

Career paths connected to health sciences include medical assistant, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapy assistant, phlebotomist, pharmacy technician, physician assistant, and medical laboratory technician. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include medical assistant (typical training: 9–12 months), physical therapist assistant (typical training: 2 years), occupational therapy assistant (typical training: 2 years), phlebotomist (typical training: 1–4 months), pharmacy technician (typical training: 3–12 months), and physician assistant (typical training: About 6–7 years after high school).

Health Sciences majors build skills such as scientific reasoning, medical terminology, research and data interpretation, patient communication, and professionalism.

Good pairings include Psychology (useful for nearly every patient-facing role and many graduate programs), Chemistry (covers prerequisites many clinical graduate programs require), Public Health (adds a prevention and population perspective), and Exercise Science (fits physical therapy, athletic training and wellness careers).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as medical assistant, physical therapist assistant, and occupational therapy assistant, and enjoy subjects like anatomy and physiology and medical terminology. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, and chemistry and biology; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

991 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

California (115), Texas (61), New York (57), Pennsylvania (51), and Massachusetts (36), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

897 of the colleges that offer health sciences also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Health Sciences is a broad science-based major that prepares you for clinical programs and health careers. Nursing prepares you to assess, treat and educate patients as part of a healthcare team. Health Sciences leads to careers such as medical assistant and physical therapist assistant, while Nursing leads to careers such as registered nurse and licensed practical nurse.

Health Sciences is a broad science-based major that prepares you for clinical programs and health careers. Healthcare Administration teaches you to manage the business side of hospitals, clinics and health systems. Health Sciences leads to careers such as medical assistant and physical therapist assistant, while Healthcare Administration leads to careers such as medical and health services manager and medical administrative assistant.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to health sciences, such as Medical Assistant Training.