Universities design a Bachelor of Science in health science degree program for students who seek a career in health care and plan to attend a graduate school. Some students earn a degree in health science to meet the admission requirements of a medical school, school of dentistry or occupational therapy program. Others complete the program so they can go on to earn a master’s degree in health sciences. Graduates with this type of degree tend to work as physicians, researchers, lab technicians, pharmacologists or public health professionals. It generally takes four years to earn a B.S. in health science.
A university that offers a Bachelor of Science in registered nursing may refer to the program as an RN B.S., as in Registered Nursing Bachelor of Science. Academic institutions generally design this undergraduate program for those who have already earned an associate degree in nursing through a college or a hospital-based nursing program, and hold a license from the state’s respective board of nursing. The undergraduate RN program builds upon and supplements the knowledge and skills that a student learned before earning a professional license. Depending on the academic program, a student can complete an RN B.S. program in one or two years.
A student who pursues a B.S. in health science must complete the university’s general education requirements and the respective department’s major requirements and electives. Major courses may include those that teach about technology in the delivery of health care, human anatomy, health-care literacy, physics, calculus, health-care law and natural sciences like chemistry and biology. A student in an RN program generally takes courses that teach about illnesses in adults and children, nutrition, health care delivery trends, professional development, working with families and nursing research.
A student who wishes to enter a health science program has to fulfill the prerequisite courses needed to take the courses that her major requires. These courses usually include lower-level science classes like biology, organic chemistry and microbiology. To enter a B.S. program for registered nurses, a student usually must already have an associate degree in nursing and a valid nursing license. Prerequisite courses include general education classes such as history, composition, biology, organic chemistry and humanities. Nursing-specific prerequisite courses vary by institution and may include nutrition, anatomy, psychology and physiology. A nursing student generally completes the prerequisite courses for a B.S. program while working to obtain an associate degree.