Health Sciences, A.S.

Degree Offered

• Associate of Science

Nature of the Program

An associate in applied science degree in health science prepares students to either enter the workforce in an entry-level position in a hospital, a doctor’s office or other health care facility or to enter a bachelor degree program in health science. Three tracks are available: one in healthcare administration, one in science and one in social science. The tracks allow students to specialize in a more specific healthcare field. All the tracks require general science, ethics, communication and social science courses that provide a foundation for any career in health science. The healthcare administration track primarily focuses on business elective courses in subjects like business technology, accounting, and computer information systems.  The science track primarily focuses on additional science course electives in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and microbiology. The social science track requires electives in subjects like sociology, social work, and psychology

Career Opportunities

The healthcare administration track prepares students for entry-level administrative jobs, in areas such as billing, coding, and scheduling. The science track can be used to transfer into a bachelors degree and/or begin to complete requirements for professional health science careers, like medicine, physicians assistant, and dentistry. The social science track allows students to work in social service departments to assist social workers and other positions. 

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Faculty

Chair

• Erin Cunningham - M.S. Biology
  Year @ PSC 2007

General Education Foundations

Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.

NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
General Education Foundations
F1 - Composition & Rhetoric		3-6
ENGL 101 & ENGL 102	Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research
or ENGL 103	Accelerated Academic Writing
F2A/F2B - Science & Technology		4-6
F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning		3-4
F4 - Society & Connections		3
F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past		3
F6 - The Arts & Creativity		3
F7 - Global Studies & Diversity		3
F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree)		9
Total Hours		31-37

Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.

Curriculum Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
A minimum grade of C- is required in all coursework; students must also meet the overall GPA requirements for change of major into their intended program.
Core Coursework
WVUE 191	First Year Seminar	1
Select one of the following (GEF 2): 1		4
BIOL 101 & 101L	General Biology 1 and General Biology 1 Laboratory
CHEM 112 & 112L	Survey of General Organic Biological Chemistry 2 and Survey of Chemistry 2 Laboratory
BIOL 102 & 102L	General Biology 2 and General Biology 2 Laboratory (GEF 8)	4
ENGL 101	Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric (GEF 1)	3
ENGL 102	Composition, Rhetoric, and Research (GEF 1)	3
MATH 124	Algebra with Applications (GEF 3)	3
PALM 200	Medical Terminology	3
PSYC 101	Introduction to Psychology (GEF 4)	3
Select one of the following: 2		4
PSIO 241	Elementary Physiology
BIOL 230 & 230L	Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 Laboratory
Select one of the following (GEF 8): 3		3
STAT 211	Elementary Statistical Inference
HN&F 171	Introduction to Human Nutrition
GEF 5 4		3
GEF 6		3
GEF 7		3
GEF 8 5
AOE 6		0-19
General Electives 7		1-17
Total Hours		60

¹

Students in the Dental Hygiene (DH) AOE take CHEM 112 and CHEM 112L. Students in all other AOE's and General Studies take BIOL 101 and 101L.

²

Students in the Dental Hygiene (DH), Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM), and Respiratory Therapy (RT) AOE's take BIOL 230 and BIOL 230L. Students in all other AOE's and General Studies take PSIO 241.

³

Students in the Dental Hygiene (DH) AOE take HN&F 171. Students in all other AOE's and General Studies take STAT 211.

⁴

Students in the Dental Hygiene (DH) and Respiratory Therapy (RT) AOE's must take COMM 104 to satisfy their GEF 5 requirement.

⁵

The final GEF 8 course is accounted for in all AOE's. However, students in the General Studies major not choosing an AOE, will need to take an additional GEF 8 for their curriculum.

⁶

If an AOE is not chosen, students will receive the Health Sciences General Studies Curriculum which will include 43 credits in the Core and 17 credits of General Electives.

⁷

General Electives will vary based on which AOE students choose or if they are in the General Studies Curriculum.

Suggested Plans of Study
Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Emphasis

First Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2B)	4	BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 8)	4
MATH 124 (GEF 3)	3	PALM 200	3
CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 8)	4	CHEM 116 & 116L (GEF 8)	4
PSYC 101 (GEF 4)	3	ENGL 101 (GEF 1)	3
WVUE 191	1	General Elective	1
	15		15
Second Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
CHEM 233 & 233L	4	PSIO 241	4
MICB 200	3	GEF 5	3
STAT 211	3	GEF 7	3
ENGL 102 (GEF 1)	3	General Electives	4
GEF 6	3
	16		14
Total credit hours: 60

Communication Science and Disorders Emphasis

First Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2B)	4	BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 8)	4
PSYC 101 (GEF 4)	3	PALM 200	3
ENGL 101 (GEF 1)	3	MATH 124 (GEF 3)	3
HN&F 191	1	ENGL 102 (GEF 1)	3
General Elective	4	General Elective	3
	15		16
Second Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
CS 101 (GEF 8)	4	PSIO 241	4
PHYS 101 & 101L	4	PSYC 281 (GEF 7)	3
PSYC 241	3	GEF 5	3
STAT 211 (GEF 8)	3	GEF 6	3
General Elective	1	General Elective	1
	15		14
Total credit hours: 60

Dental Hygiene Emphasis

First Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 2B)	4	BIOL 230 & 230L	4
CHEM 111 & 111L (GEF 8)	4	CHEM 112 & 112L (GEF 8)	4
COMM 104 (GEF 5)	3	DTHY 101	2
MATH 124 (GEF 3)	3	ENGL 101 (GEF 1)	3
PSYC 101 (GEF 4)	3	HN&F 171 (GEF 8)	3
WVUE 191	1
	18		16
Second Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 231 & 231L	4	PALM 200	3
ENGL 102 (GEF 1)	3	SOC 101	3
MICB 200	3	GEF 6	3
PSYC 241	3	GEF 7	3
		General Elective	1
	13		13
Total credit hours: 60

Exercise Physiology Emphasis

First Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2B)	4	BIOL 102 & BIOL 101L	4
ENGL 101 (GEF 1)	3	PALM 200	3
PSYC 101 (GEF 4)	3	MATH 124 (GEF 3)	3
GEF 6	3	ENGL 102 (GEF 1)	3
WVUE 191	1	GEF 7	3
	14		16
Second Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 8)	4	CHEM 116 & 116L (GEF 8)	4
PHYS 101 & 101L	4	PHYS 102 & 102L	4
STAT 211 (GEF 8)	3	PSIO 241	4
GEF 5	3	General Elective	3
General Elective	1
	15		15
Total credit hours: 60

Health Informatics and Information Management Emphasis

First Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2B)	4	BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 8)	4
ENGL 101 (GEF 1)	3	ENGL 102 (GEF 1)	3
HIIM 110*	3	HIIM 112*	3
PSYC 101 (GEF 4)	3	MATH 124 (GEF 3)	3
WVUE 191	1	PALM 200	3
	14		16
Second Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 230 & 230L	4	BIOL 231 & 231L	4
CS 101 (GEF 8)	4	HIIM 246*	3
HIIM 247*	2	GEF 5	3
STAT 211 (GEF 8)	3	GEF 7	3
GEF 6	3	General Elective	1
	16		14
Total credit hours: 60

*

Courses will be taken online through Morgantown campus.

Occupational Therapy Emphasis

First Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2B)	4	BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 8)	4
ENGL 101 (GEF 1)	3	ENGL 102 (GEF 1)	3
PSYC 101 (GEF 4)	3	MATH 124 (GEF 3)	3
General Elective	3	PALM 200	3
WVUE 191	1	PSYC 241	3
	14		16
Second Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
PSYC 281 (GEF 7)	3	PSIO 241	4
STAT 211 (GEF 8)	3	SOC 101 (GEF 8)	3
GEF 6	3	GEF 5	3
General Elective	6	General Elective	5
	15		15
Total credit hours: 60

Respiratory Therapy Emphasis

First Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2B)	4	BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 8)	4
ENGL 101 (GEF 1)	3	COMM 104 (GEF 5)	3
HIIM 110*	3	ENGL 102 (GEF 1)	3
PSYC 101 (GEF 4)	3	MATH 124 (GEF 3)	3
WVUE 191	1	PALM 200	3
	14		16
Second Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 230 & 230L	4	BIOL 231 & 231L	4
CHEM 111 & 111L (GEF 8)	4	HIIM 351*	3
PHYS 101 & 101L	4	GEF 6	3
STAT 211 (GEF 8)	3	GEF 7	3
		General Elective	2
	15		15
Total credit hours: 60

*

Courses will be taken online through Morgantown.

General Studies Emphasis

First Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2B)	4	BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 8)	4
MATH 124 (GEF 3)	3	ENGL 101 (GEF 1)	3
WVUE 191	1	PALM 200	3
General Electives	6	General Electives	6
	14		16
Second Year
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
ENGL 102 (GEF 1)	3	PSYC 101 (GEF 4)	3
STAT 211 (GEF 8)	3	GEF 7	3
GEF 5	3	GEF 8	3
GEF 6	3	General Electives	6
General Elective	3
	15		15
Total credit hours: 60

Areas of Emphasis

• Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Dental Hygiene
• Exercise Physiology
• Health Informatics and Information Management
• Occupational Therapy
• Respiratory Therapy

Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Area of Emphasis Requirements

A 2.5 minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) is recommended for admission to Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics (BLD). Students with no more than two regular semesters left at PSC who meet the GPA and other program requirements may request direct admit status and reserve their seat in the following year's cohort, space permitting. Otherwise, students may apply via the Professional Program Admissions Process.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
CHEM 115 & 115L	Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (GEF 8)	4
CHEM 116 & 116L	Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory	4
CHEM 233 & 233L	Organic Chemistry 1 and Organic Chemistry 1 Laboratory	4
MICB 200	Medical Microbiology	3
General Electives *
Total Hours		15

*

General Electives required for the BLD AOE will be 5 credits.

Communication Sciences and Disorders Area of Emphasis Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
A 2.8 cumulative grade point average (GPA) is requireed for admission to Communicaiton Science and Disorders (CSAD)
CS 101	Intro to Computer Applications (GEF 8)	4
PHYS 101 & 101L	Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 1 Laboratory	4
PSYC 241	Introduction to Human Development	3
PSYC 281	Introduction to Psychological Disorders (GEF 7)	3
General Electives *
Total Hours		14

*

General Electives required for the CSAD AOE will be 9 credits.

Dental Hygiene Area of Emphasis Requirements

Admission to the Dental Hygiene (DH) program is competitive and students must have a minimum overall and prerequisite grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 to apply and be eligible for an interview, in addition to completing all other requirements as published in the WVU Catalog at the time of program application.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
DTHY 101	Introduction to Dental Hygiene	2
BIOL 231 & 231L	Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 Laboratory *	4
CHEM 111 & 111L	Survey of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 1 and Survey of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (GEF 8)	4
MICB 200	Medical Microbiology	3
PSYC 241	Introduction to Human Development	3
General Electives **
Total Hours		16

*

*BIOL 231 and BIOL 231L are substitutions for PALM 107 and PALM 207.

**

**General Electives required for the DH AOE will be 4 credits.

¹

Note: For the core curriculum, students in the DH AOE take BIOL 230 and BIOL 230L in place of PSIO 241; take CHEM 112 and 112L in place of BIOL 101 and 101L; and take HN&F 171 in place of STAT 211.

²

Note: Students who are enrolled in Health Science DH and complete the second year at PSC understand they will need to complete the DTHY courses in the sophomore year plan of study once accepted into the Dental Hygiene program. When admitted, they will be admitted as advanced standing fall semester sophomores. Often students choosing this pathway also declare a second major or minor.

Exercise Physiology Area of Emphasis Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
A 2.75 cumulative grade point average (GPA) is required for admission to Exercise Physiology (EXPH).
CHEM 115 & 115L	Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (GEF 8)	4
CHEM 116 & 116L	Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory	4
PHYS 101 & 101L	Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 1 Laboratory	4
PHYS 102 & 102L	Introductory Physics 2 and Introductory Physics 2 Laboratory	4
PSYC 241	Introduction to Human Development	3
General Electives *
Total Hours		19

*

General Electives required for the EXPH AOE will be 1 credit.

Health Informatics and Information Management Area of Emphasis Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
A 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) is required for admission to Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM).
BIOL 231 & 231L	Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 Laboratory *	4
CS 101	Intro to Computer Applications (GEF 8)	4
HIIM 110	Introduction to U.S. Healthcare Delivery System	3
HIIM 112	Fundamentals of Health Information Management	3
HIIM 246	Fundamentals of Clinical Documentation Improvement	3
HIIM 247	Registries in Healthcare	2
General Electives **
Total Hours		19

*

BIOL 231 and BIOL 231L are substitutions for PALM 205 and PALM 206.

**

General Electives required for the HIIM AOE will be 1 credit.

¹

Note: For the core curriculum, students in the HIIM AOE take BIOL 230 and BIOL 230L in place of PSIO 241.

Occupational Therapy Area of Emphasis Requirements

Admission to the MOT program is competitive and students must have a minimum overall and prerequisite grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 to apply and be eligible for an interview, in addition to completing all other requirements as published in the WVU Catalog at the time of program application.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PSYC 241	Introduction to Human Development (GEF 8)	3
PSYC 281	Introduction to Psychological Disorders (GEF 7)	3
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology	3
or ANTH 105	Introduction to Anthropology
General Electives *
Total Hours		9

*

General Electives required for the OT AOE will be 14 credits.

Respiratory Therapy Area of Emphasis Requirements

Admission to the BSRT program is competitive and students must have a minimum overall and prerequisite grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 to apply and be eligible for an interview, in addition to completing all other requirements as published in the WVU Catalog at the time of program application.  

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
BIOL 231 & 231L	Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 Laboratory *	4
CHEM 111 & 111L	Survey of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 1 and Survey of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (GEF 8)	4
PHYS 101 & 101L	Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 1 Laboratory	4
HIIM 110	Introduction to U.S. Healthcare Delivery System	3
HIIM 351	Healthcare Data Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security	3
General Electives **
Total Hours		18

*

BIOL 231 and BIOL 231L are substitutions for PALM 205 and PALM 206.

**

General Electives required for the RT AOE will be 2 credits.

¹

Note: For the core curriculum, students in the RT AOE take BIOL 230 and BIOL 230L in place of PSIO 241.

Major Learning Outcomes

Health Sciences

Graduates of the associate degree program will be able to:

1. Apply appropriate communication skills.
2. Effectively use scientific terminology.
3. Explain the connections among major, society, and the environment.
4. Describe the relationship between scientific structure and function.