BS in Health Science

The Health Science major is a Bachelor of Science program. This program offers students an interdisciplinary approach to study health sciences and global public health. During the first two years of the program, the curriculum integrates core courses in the biological sciences, humanities, and social sciences, included in the BU Hub requirements, with a strong foundation in global health and the health sciences. The second two years feature specialized coursework applying health sciences to the challenges of global public health, including training in both qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as focused study of a chosen area in global health through the senior seminar. The program culminates in a practicum wherein students gain hands-on experience in public health or clinical healthcare at an affiliated site, either in the Boston area or while studying abroad. Students in this major are eligible to apply for the Sargent College Senior Thesis for Distinction.

The Health Science program collaborates with four different Study Abroad programs to offer specialized opportunities to fulfill at least two program requirements while abroad, and both students and faculty in the program are active in international service-learning through the Sargent Service Learning program.

The Health Science major is an excellent option for students who wish to pursue the accelerated BS/MPH (4+1) program or to complete prerequisite course requirements for graduate programs in medicine, nursing, physician assistant training, or physical therapy. Students who plan to apply to degree programs in medicine or dentistry, or in preparation for a career as a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, will take an alternate sequence of basic science courses to include graduate program prerequisite course requirements.

Students will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and, if selected, a minor in a specific health concentration or other discipline. Graduates from this program may pursue employment in the field of health and human services (e.g., public health, governmental and community agencies, insurance industry, hospitals, or the pharmaceutical industry) or may pursue graduate programs in public health or a clinical profession (e.g., medicine, physician assistance, nursing, physical therapy, or pharmacy), health administration, business, or law. Careful selection of available courses will optimize admission to desired graduate degree programs. Students registered in this program who meet GPA requirements are eligible to apply for the accelerated five-year Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health (BS/MPH), offered in conjunction with Boston University School of Public Health. See the Sargent website for GPA and application requirements.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• Demonstrate knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world at it relates to individual and population health.
• Develop intellectual and practical skills to prepare students for future graduate school plans and research.
• Develop personal and social responsibility to prepare students for future jobs in various workplaces and environments.

Curriculum

A minimum of 128 units is required for graduation. Each course in the specified curriculum must be successfully completed and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be achieved for graduation. The total of 128 units counted for graduation must represent a record that contains no more than 16 units of D grades. A student may repeat a course only once to meet this requirement. A course will not receive external transfer units at Boston University if the grade is lower than a C. (A grade of C– is not acceptable.) For further information about the Health Science program, please visit the Bachelor of Science in Health Science website.

Prerequisites

Students may seek an intra-University transfer into the Health Science program if they meet the following criteria:

• Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or greater on at least 12 units per term for at least one term at Boston University.
• Satisfactory completion of Gateway Criteria as certified by an advisor at Sargent (see specific criteria below). Students considering intra-University transfer to the Health Science program in Sargent must discuss their transfer in person with an advisor in the Receiving School.

Students pursuing intra-University transfer to the Health Science program must earn a minimum grade of “B–” in the following course:

• SAR HS 325 (4 units)

Current students enrolled in the Health Science program must also have earned a minimum grade of “B–” in the course listed above in order to apply this course toward the Health Science major and advance into other Health Science program courses.

BU Hub

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Health Science will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy BU Hub requirements in Philosophical Inquiry, Quantitative Reasoning, Communication, Scientific and Social Inquiry, Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship, and some elements of the Intellectual Toolkit. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

Requirements

Sargent College Courses (10 units)

• SAR HP 150 (0 units; waived for transfers)
• SAR HP 151 (2 units; note: waived for post–first year transfers)
• SAR HP 252 Health and Disability Across the Lifespan
• SAR HP 353 Organization & Delivery of US Healthcare

Science Foundations Courses (4 courses)

• CAS PS 101 General Psychology
• Choose 1 cellular biology course with a lab:
  • CAS BI 105 Introductory Biology for Health Sciences (does not fulfill premed or pre-PA requirements)
  • CAS BI 108 Biology 2
• Choose 1 general chemistry course with a lab:
  • CAS CH 101 General Chemistry I
  • CAS CH 171 Principles of General Chemistry (does not fulfill premed or pre-PA requirements)
• Choose 1 additional Biology course with a lab:
  • CAS BI ** (107, 114, 203, 206, 210, 211, 213, 230, 302, 306, 315)
• Choose 1 additional science course (lab optional):
  • Any additional CAS BI** or CH** course
  • Any CAS PY** course
  • CAS AN 102 Human Biology, Behavior, and Evolution
  • CAS AN 233 Evolutionary Biology of Human Variation
  • CAS NE 101 Introduction to Neuroscience
  • CAS NE 102 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
  • SAR HS 251 Human Nutrition Sciences
  • SAR HS 342 Exercise Physiology

Statistics and Computational Courses (6–8 units)

• Choose 1 of the following:
  • CAS MA 113 Elementary Statistics
  • CAS MA 115 Statistics I
  • CAS MA 116 Statistics II (prereq: CAS MA 115)
  • CAS MA 121 Calculus for Life & Social Sciences I
  • CAS MA 213 Basic Statistics and Probability
  • CAS MA 214 Applied Statistics (prereq: CAS MA 213 or CAS MA 115 or CAS MA 113 or CDS DS 120 or CAS CS 237)
  • SPH PH 517 Quantitative Methods for Public Health

• Choose 1 of the following:
  • CAS CS 105 Introduction to Databases and Data Mining
  • CAS CS 111 Intro to Computer Science 1
  • CDS DS 100 Data Speaks Louder than Words
  • CDS DS 110 Introduction to Data Science with Python
  • SAR HS 340 Geographical Information Systems (2 units)

Health Science Core Courses (25 units) (all required)

• SAR HS 210 Data, Society and AI Ethics for Health Sciences
• SAR HS 300 Epidemiology
• SAR HS 325 Introduction to Global Health or SPH PH 506 Global Health and the World Health Organization (Geneva only)
• SAR HS 345 Global Environmental Health
• SAR HS 354 Health Policy
• SAR HS 440 Qualitative Research Strategies in Global Health
• SAR XXX Designing Your Life Professional Development Course (1 unit)

Additional Health Science Requirements (14–16 units)

• Choose 1 course at the 300 level:
  • SAR HS 326 Social Determinants of Health
  • SAR HS 332 Analyzing Bias and Discrimination
  • SAR HS 333 Queering Health
  • SAR HS 346 Global Health Nutrition
  • SAR HS 348 Global Mental Health
• Choose 1 senior seminar at the 400 level:
  • SAR HS 400 Gender and Healthcare
  • SAR HS 430 Global Maternal and Child Health
  • SAR HS 433 Global Health in Humanitarian Emergencies
  • SAR HS 434 Global Health Policy and Governance
  • SAR HS 437 Climate Change and Health: Science and Solutions
  • SAR HS 444 Child Health Programs in Low-Resource Settings
  • SAR HS 450 Non-Infectious Diseases
  • SAR HS 462 Public Health Policy and Advocacy
  • SAR HS 464 Immigrant Health and Well-being
  • SAR HS 480 Comparative Health Systems
  • SPH PH 507 Controversies in International Health (Geneva only)
• Choose 1 of the following courses:
  • CAS PO 308 The Politics of Race and Ethnicity
  • CAS PO 309 The Politics of Gender and Identity in the US
  • CAS PO 313 The Politics and Policy of HBO’s The Wire
  • CAS PO 516 Gender and Politics
  • CAS WS 213 Resistance, Protest, and Empowerment: Global Women’s Movements
  • CDS DS 291 Spark! Exploring DEI in Tech
  • SAR HS 425 Healthcare Policy and Practice in Ireland (Dublin only)
  • SPH PH 719 Health, Systems, Law and Policy
  • SPH PM 760 Health Law
  • SPH PM 795 Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Policy and Politics
  • WED SE 250 Disability Education and Public Policy
• Choose 1 of the following:
  • CAS PS 495 Internship in Health and Human Services
  • SAR HS 405 Health Science Practicum

Honors Requirements

Health Science students are eligible to participate in the Sargent College Senior Thesis for Distinction. This experience offers a thorough understanding of the research enterprise. The thesis will develop your technical writing and oral presentation skills through interactions in the laboratory, writing a final report on your project, and summarizing your research in a final presentation to students and faculty. It will help prepare students for graduate school where the dedication, creativity, and independence honed during your thesis experience will be invaluable. Successful completion of the thesis will result in the designation of “graduation with distinction” appearing on the student’s diploma and transcript.

Further information is available on the Sargent College website.