Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Sciences
Pursue a Bachelor of Health Science Degree
This Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Science degree from Grand Canyon University is designed for working professionals in healthcare fields who are seeking to advance in their clinical discipline. Healthcare professionals including respiratory therapists, radiology technicians, phlebotomists, surgical personnel, physical therapy assistants and EMTs, who have associate degrees or certificates in allied health can enhance their knowledge with this health science degree.
Why Earn Your Health Science Degree Online at GCU?
Earning a bachelor of health science online allows healthcare workers to improve knowledge and skills related to advanced patient care. GCU students enrolled in this health science degree program can take classes and complete assignments online so that their professional development and advanced education work can happen when it is convenient.
Graduates from the BS in Health Science program may opt to stay in their current careers or move up in responsibility after earning their degree. Healthcare is an ever-evolving field and a bachelor’s degree in patient care will enrich students’ skill set when it comes to the delivery of care. At GCU, students in the health science program benefit from the emphasis on the Christian worldview in their studies. Patient care comes with the responsibility of understanding people’s spirituality and diverse cultural experiences. Graduates from the BS in Health Science program recognize the necessity of understanding the patient experience and individualizing care according to the unique needs of each individual.
Gain Skills You Can Apply in Patient Care
The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences program from GCU is focused on four domains of content and study. These four domains ensure that graduates will have the skills they need to stay current in their field and progress toward more advanced careers or degrees in healthcare.
Domain 1: Patient Care
Students learn to communicate with patients, family members and healthcare providers. They demonstrate an understand of cultural awareness and are able to write formal and informal communications.
Domain 2: Leadership and Management
Graduates apply their understanding of organizational behavior to work efficiently in healthcare organizations. They set and achieve goals related to patient care and their own learning.
Domain 3: Risk Management and Ethics
The understanding of ethical and legal issues are important skills for GCU health science program students to learn. They examine their roles and responsibilities when it comes to professional behaviors and risk management.
Domain 4: Trends and Issues
Because healthcare is always changing, students learn to be aware of trends and healthcare issues. They read scientific communications and studies and critically examine research and their own professional practices to implement new skills with patients.
The GCU BS in Health Sciences degree culminates in a capstone project. Students research a topic that is immediately applicable to their professional growth and development. The research leads to action items that may be applied to the job right away.
What Can I Do With a Health Science Degree in Advanced Patient Care?
Graduates from the BS in Health Science program at GCU are ready to advance their professional careers. A bachelor’s degree is often required in healthcare fields due to the complexity of care needed in certain fields.
Students who graduate with a health science degree may stay in their current position or advance into middle management or supervisory positions. A bachelor’s degree can also be a stepping stone to a master’s program in healthcare administration or public health.
If you have a passion for working with patients, a bachelor of health science degree can help you advance your skills and improve patient outcomes. Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Health Science degree at GCU today.
General Education Requirements
General Education coursework prepares Grand Canyon University graduates to think critically, communicate clearly, live responsibly in a diverse world, and thoughtfully integrate their faith and ethical convictions into all dimensions of life. These competencies, essential to an effective and satisfying life, are outlined in the General Education Learner Outcomes. General Education courses embody the breadth of human understanding and creativity contained in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Students take an array of foundational knowledge courses that promote expanded knowledge, insight, and the outcomes identified in the University's General Education Competencies. The knowledge and skills students acquire through these courses serve as a foundation for successful careers and lifelong journeys of growing understanding and wisdom.
Requirements
Upon completion of the Grand Canyon University's University Foundation experience, students will be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of academic skills and self-leadership. They will be able to articulate the range of resources available to assist them, explore career options related to their area of study, and have knowledge of Grand Canyon's community. Students will be able to demonstrate foundational academic success skills, explore GCU resources (CLA, Library, Career Center, ADA office, etc), articulate strategies of self-leadership and management and recognize opportunities to engage in the GCU community.
Course Options
- UNV-112, Success in Science, Engineering and Technology & Lab: 4
- UNV-103, University Success: 4
- UNV-303, University Success: 4
- UNV-108, University Success in the College of Education: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to construct rhetorically effective communications appropriate to diverse audiences, purposes, and occasions (English composition, communication, critical reading, foreign language, sign language, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of English grammar or composition.
Course Options
- UNV-104, 21st Century Skills: Communication and Information Literacy: 4
- ENG-105, English Composition I: 4
- ENG-106, English Composition II: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to express aspects of Christian heritage and worldview. Students are required to take CWV-101/CWV-301.
Course Options
- CWV-101, Christian Worldview: 4
- CWV-301, Christian Worldview: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to use various analytic and problem-solving skills to examine, evaluate, and/or challenge ideas and arguments (mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, physical geography, ecology, economics, theology, logic, philosophy, technology, statistics, accounting, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of intermediate algebra or higher.
Course Options
- MAT-154, Applications of College Algebra: 4
- MAT-144, College Mathematics: 4
- PHI-105, 21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: 4
- BIO-220, Environmental Science: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to demonstrate awareness and appreciation of and empathy for differences in arts and culture, values, experiences, historical perspectives, and other aspects of life (psychology, sociology, government, Christian studies, Bible, geography, anthropology, economics, political science, child and family studies, law, ethics, cross-cultural studies, history, art, music, dance, theater, applied arts, literature, health, etc.). If the predefined course is a part of the major, students need to take an additional course.
Course Options
- HIS-144, U.S. History Themes: 4
- PSY-102, General Psychology: 4
- SOC-100, Everyday Sociology: 4
Core Courses
Course Description
This course identifies allied health professionals and their involvement with all aspects of health care delivery and the collaborative health care team. This course also considers the role and scope of allied health as well as the interdisciplinary approach to care intended to meet the needs of a complex and changing health care system.
Course Description
This course introduces students to local, state, and federal statutes that regulate the administration of safe health care. Students explore the legal responsibilities of the health care facility in providing workplace safety and protection from injury for patients, families, and staff. The course examines the roles and responsibilities of the risk management department within an organization. At the end of this course, students should be able to explain the ethical and legal responsibilities of health care professionals related to risk management assessment and policies.
Course Description
This course examines the relationship between health care quality and organizational performance from an interdisciplinary approach to care. The student is introduced to the rationale for performance management and the role of the health care organization in ensuring compliance with the standards of accreditation. The methods for assuring quality in process and outcome through management are addressed along with trends in the provision and reimbursement of health care services. Students are introduced to changing trends in reimbursement of health care services as related to risk management.
Course Description
This is an introductory course on concepts of statistics, emphasizing applications to health care professions. The course is designed to prepare learners to understand concepts of statistics and the appropriateness of statistical methods used in published research papers and a variety of settings. Areas of emphasis include an introduction to the statistical analysis concepts of variable/reliability factors; P values; experimental design; descriptive statistics, including mean, median, and mode; sampling methods; and power analysis.
Course Description
This course explores meanings and expressions of health, illness, caring, and healing transculturally. Focus is on understanding and developing professional competence in caring for individuals, families, groups, and communities with diverse cultural backgrounds. Culture is examined as a pervasive, determining “blueprint” for thought and action throughout the human health experience. Patterns of human interaction that foster health and quality of life are analyzed, and health destroying patterns of interaction (e.g., stereotyping, discrimination, and marginalization) are examined and submitted to moral and ethical reflection.
Course Description
This course introduces a Christian foundation for spiritual assessment and care with specific emphasis on biomedical ethical principles and ethical decision-making within nursing practice. Students practice assessment and propose holistic interventions that take into account the dignity of the human person. These assessments and interventions contribute to the physical and spiritual well-being of individuals across the life span and the health-illness continuum.
Course Description
The course explores the impact of numerous professional and societal forces on health care policy and practice. Content includes an analysis of current studies; health care policy and position statements; political, environmental, and cultural issues; and changing health care roles. The study of these issues examines the impact on health care delivery systems in society.
Course Description
This course provides an understanding of the factors shaping the present and future health care delivery system. Students learn about the aging population in the United States and ways in which the health care system is planning and forecasting for the upcoming needs of aging consumers. Additionally, shifting costs, health care environments, and technological advancements are examined for trends and potential areas of opportunity. Innovative organizational models are explored and analyzed as they continue to develop and shape the future of health care delivery.
Course Description
This course introduces students to major ethical theory, principles, and models for the recognition, analysis, and resolution of ethical dilemmas in health care practice. Students learn how to approach ethical dilemmas using theoretical frameworks and decision-making processes. Through the use of case studies, students are introduced to health topics such as patients’ rights, dilemmas of life and death, allocation of health care resources, and special dilemmas of health care professionals. This course also includes a review of classic cases in health care ethics and how they have shaped health policy. An overview of patient education and ethics and a discussion on the professional codes of ethics and standards are also part of this course.
Course Description
This writing intensive course introduces students to the purpose of research as applied in health care. Students examine the role of various research methods, including evidence-based practice, in communicating with patients and providers to improve health care. Students identify and develop the skills necessary to communicate effectively in the areas of interpersonal communication, group dynamics, diversity, motivation, team building, and conflict resolution.
Course Description
This course emphasizes major leadership approaches and models used within health care today. Topics include regulatory leadership, servant leadership, and formal and informal leadership roles. Students have an opportunity to analyze leadership approaches to decision making and the impact of professional mentorship. The significance and use of collaborative leadership, communication, and decision making, in health care are explored. Students examine leadership behaviors that leverage diversity and foster inclusion to ensure professionalism and the professional responsibility of leaders today.
Course Description
This writing-intensive course facilitates a professional capstone project that is the culmination of the learning experience of students in the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Sciences program. In this course, students identify a current issue in health care and provide a written proposal to address that issue. Additionally, students use evidence-based research and apply theory to practice. Students create an evidence-based project plan and prepare to propose a full implementation plan to current or future employers.
Pursue a next-generation education with an online degree from Grand Canyon University. Earn your degree with convenience and flexibility with online courses that let you study anytime, anywhere.
Grand Canyon University’s evening programs cater to the demands of working professionals who prefer an in-person learning environment. Our night classes meet just once per week and offer the interaction and discussion of a typical college classroom.
* Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change.