Bachelor of Arts Completion Program in Health Sciences

The mission of Bachelor of Arts completion program in Health Sciences is to teach students to apply the contents of scientific inquiry within an ethical, cultural, historical, and philosophical framework. This BA completion program strives to provide students with the opportunity to examine the philosophical foundation, principles, methods, and assumptions of scientific disciplines and to explore the nature of individuals and their interactions with the environment.

Through an engaging and cutting edge curriculum which includes lecture, discussion, debate, problem-solving and experiential learning, our students explore and examine the relationships and interactions of the biological, social, behavioral and environmental factors that influence health and health outcome in diverse populations. We foster an appreciation of the whole person - mind, body and spirit - and explore the meaning of illness and healing within diverse cultural contexts.

And unlike traditional science degree programs, the focus is on encouraging discovery, rather than memorization of facts.

Nurses with an ADN degree have a unique opportunity to complete their bachelor's degree in Health Sciences and receive priority consideration in applying for the Master of Nursing program offered by the University of California, San Francisco. Please see the 'ADN to MSN Pathway Program" link on the right side for details.

In addition, the program has launched a new initiative to facilitate students’ transition from the BA Health Sciences degree to the Master of Public Health (MPH) or Master of Science - Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) at Touro University California. Pathway participants learn ways to enhance their academic credentials and the likelihood of admissions to Touro University. Pathway students complete their undergraduate degree in 18-24 months at JFK University and are then eligible to apply as Pathway students for admissions to the MPH program at Touro University California.

Qualified students in the BA Health Sciences program can apply graduate-level units toward both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree either in Sport Psychology, Holistic Health Education, or Business Administration (MBA).

Program Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate proficiency in critical thinking and writing, and the application of these skills in critical writing and research.
• Draw on multiple disciplines and research traditions to identify and explain the social, behavioral, and biological determinants of health, wellness, and disease in human communities and populations.
• Understand that health is an outcome of factors that occur on many levels ranging from the social and cultural context to cellular and intracellular processes.
• Articulate the basic elements of the health policy processes and identify and describe the major institutional players in health policy, both domestically and internationally.
• Understand how health needs, and perceptions of health needs, as well as the organizational and social structures through which health sciences are delivered and received, vary cross-culturally.
• Understand the basic structure, organization, and financing principles of contemporary healthcare systems.
• Demonstrate capacity in quantitative reasoning and ability to analyze statistical and graphical data.
• Demonstrate capacity to use research skills for problem-solving and critical thinking in the areas of epidemiology, health care planning, and community health needs assessment.
• Demonstrate effective team-building traits and ability to articulate the essential characteristics of collaborative problem solving and systematic approaches to decision making.
• Apply the core principles of health promotion and disease prevention to specific problems in diverse populations.

Requirements

Students must complete 180 quarter units to receive the Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Sciences. The 180 units includes the Lower-Division General Education units required prior to admission. Students lacking these courses may take approved upper-division courses at JFK University, earn credit through CLEP or DANTES tests, or take approved courses from local community colleges.

Lower Division General Education Breadth Requirements (45 units)
COMPOSITION / Critical Thinking and Writing (9 units)
HUMANITIES Must have completed at least one 3-unit course in two areas (12 units)
NATURAL SCIENCE must have at least one 3-unit course in Biology (with a lab) (9 units)
MATHEMATICS (3)
SOCIAL SCIENCE Must have at least one 3-unit course in two areas (12)

Core Requirements (14 units)
COR 3001 - Introduction to the College of Undergraduate Studies (0 units)
COR 3146 - Information Literacy (2 units)
COR 3100 - Critical Thinking and Writing (4 units)
COR 3303 - Statistics for the Social Sciences (4 units)
COR 3300 - Research Methods (4 units)

Major (67  Upper Division Units)
Foundation Courses
HSC 4105 - Introduction to Public Health Sciences (4 units)
HSC 3145 - Critical Review and Writing in the Health Sciences (4 units)
HSC 4100 - Introduction to Epidemiology (4 units)
HSC 4220 - Bioethics: Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine (4 units)

Social, Environmental, Behavioral & Biological Determinants of Health
HSC 3110 - Anatomy and Physiology - Dynamic Living Systems Perspective (4 units)
HSC 4117 - Race, Class, Gender and Health Disparities (4 units)
HSC 4227 - Health Behavior Theory and Health Education (4 units)
HSC 4230 - U.S. Health Care System and Health Policy (4 units)
HSC 4300 - Nutrition in Living Systems (4 units)
HSC 4332 - Culture, Illness and Healing (4 units)

Community Health Promotion in Diverse Populations
HSC 4200 - Social-Ecology of Human Health in Global and Community Populations (4 units)
HSC 4225 - Introduction to Media Studies in Health Promotion (4 units)
HSC 4315 - Vulnerable Populations: Health and Social Justic (4 units)

Capstone
HSC 4998 - Senior Seminar in Health Sciences (2 units)
HSC 4999 - Senior Capstone in Health Sciences (5 units)

Program Information

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Program Locations

• Pleasant Hill - Main Campus

Related Downloads

• BA Health Sciences Application Requirements and Form

Useful Links

• Attend an Upcoming Open House
• ADN to MSN Pathways Program