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Health Science Degree Online Bachelor's Program Designed to Stack with Associate in Allied Health

Kristina Libby, a 2017 online graduate, holding a chart while speaking to a nurse behind a desk in a healthcare facility.

Cost per credit $330

Total courses 40

Term length 8 weeks

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Program Overview Why get a health science degree?

If you're a clinical practitioner in a field like dental hygiene, sonography, medical assistance or respiratory therapy, you may be looking for ways to level up your career.

The online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Sciences from Southern New Hampshire University is a flexible, affordable way to leverage credits from your allied health-related associate degree while building skills needed to move into management positions.

Don't have an associate degree in allied health? We offer over 100 online bachelor's programs to choose from, such as healthcare administration and public health that don't require associate degrees to enroll.

Skills you'll learn:

  • Collaboration with diverse healthcare stakeholders
  • Financial and strategic planning in healthcare
  • Management strategies for operational efficiency
  • Healthcare policy and ethical decision-making
  • Interpreting data for continuous quality improvement
  • Healthcare management principles to improve patient care
Dana Aulds, an online degree graduate from SNHU, sitting in scrubs at a desk in a healthcare office.

Courses & Curriculum Online health science courses for aspiring managers

As a practitioner, you already have the clinical knowledge needed to succeed in your field. That's why our health science degree program was built specifically for associate degree holders — helping you maximize your transfer credits so that you can focus on developing the managerial skills needed to move into supervisory roles.

Degree Courses

Online health science degree courses

Designed to help current allied health professionals advance in their discipline, the online bachelor’s in health sciences focuses on written and oral communication, computational skills, critical thinking and societal and cultural context in 7 core classes.

Courses may include:

Course ID: HCM 320
Learn about the standard economic principles and tools that healthcare administrators need to utilize for effective decision making within the healthcare industry. Explores a framework for understanding government policies, legislation, pricing, profitability, market supply and demand, and risk issues within the healthcare economic system.
Course ID: HCM 340
This course provides an overview of the nature, organization, and function of the continuum of health services found in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the interrelation of cultural, economic, political and social aspects of health care delivery at the federal, state and local level. Topics include health care costs, accessibility of services, governmental influence on health care delivery, private industry role in health care, services for the medically indigent and elderly, ethical issues regarding transplants, reproductive technology, end of life decisions and funding.
Course ID: HCM 345
This course explores some of the major issues facing the healthcare industry and the effect that public policy and business environment has on a healthcare organization. Emphasis is on supply and demand theory, reimbursement systems, managed care, charge-master management, Case-mix management, DRG prospective payment, insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, governmental regulations, accessibility, eligibility, budgeting, and planning. Students learn to use informational and research tools to make effective management decisions.
Course ID: HCM 400
This course provides an overview of the two main areas of Healthcare Finance, accounting and financial management. Topics explore include the healthcare financial environment, financial accounting principles, managerial accounting principles, financial management, long-term financing and capital investments.
Course ID: HCM 491
The capstone course is the culminating experience for the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences. The capstone course provides students with the opportunity to integrate and synthesize the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired throughout their course work and apply them in a comprehensive project within their clinical specialty, and to assess their level of mastery of the stated program outcomes of their degree program in Health Sciences. Students must have completed 111 credits prior to registration.
Course ID: IHP 420
Students in this course examine the role of health care policy and legal, regulatory, and quality control in ethical decision making in healthcare. Students explore concepts and principles of health care policy, legal control, ethical conduct, and regulatory environments and their application to the health care environment. The impact of health care policy and multicultural, socioeconomic, political, legal, and regulatory factors on health care systems is explored.
Course ID: IHP 430
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the management of operations and explore how healthcare organizations can use advance methods to improve healthcare processes, delivery, and outcomes. Specific focus will be on analyzing cycle times (e.g., patient wait times), measuring productivity, streamlining process flows, tracking outcomes and performance metrics, and generally improving health management processes and health outcomes. The process improvement will be measured by how it can improve quality of care and safety of healthcare delivery, reduce waste, and reduce costs. The role of technology and innovative approaches in improving continuing quality improvement in healthcare delivery will be presented.

Visit the course catalog to view the full BS in Health Sciences curriculum.

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Upcoming term starts: October 28, 2024 | January 06, 2025

Next term starts:
Sept. 02, 2024

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Online Student Experience What’s it like going to SNHU?

Attending college online at SNHU can be a life-changing experience. In fact, 93.2% of online students would recommend SNHU according to a 2023 survey with 21,000+ respondents.

What to expect:

8-week terms

Learn around your schedule

24/7 online support

Online Classroom

What does an online course look like?

You’ll take your courses within SNHU’s Brightspace platform. This is where you’ll find your:

  • Schedule of weekly assignments
  • Discussion boards
  • Grades
  • Instructor announcements
How to Take an Online Class at SNHU
5 ways SNHU makes the admission process "easy-peasy" #shorts

Admission Applying to SNHU is fast and free

No application fee. No test scores. And no college essay. Just a simple form with basic information. It’s another way SNHU helps you reach your goals sooner.

This program requires an associate degree in allied health for admission. An associate degree in allied health can include dental hygiene, medical assistance, respiratory therapy, sonography and more. Ask an admission counselor to confirm that your associate degree applies.

No associate degree in allied health? Don't worry – you still have options:

  1. Start or finish your associate degree in allied health at an accredited college. SNHU also partners with many community colleges throughout the country to maximize transfer credits and offer tuition discounts.
  2. We offer over 100 online bachelor's programs to choose from, such as healthcare administration and public health, which do not require associate degrees to enroll.

All it takes is 3 simple steps

It's easy, fast and free.

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You’ll fill out one form to verify your high school completion or GED. Then, if you’ve attended college before, you’ll submit a form for each school so we can request your transcripts for you. (Also for free!)

After reviewing your official evaluation, you can decide if SNHU is right for you! If you choose to enroll, just pick your start date and get ready for classes to begin.

Talk to an admission counselor: 888.327.SNHU | enroll@snhu.edu

Accreditations

SNHU is accredited by the regional accreditor the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), which means we meet certain standards of academic quality, and have the tools and resources necessary for students to be successful. The university also carries specialized accreditations for some programs.

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Tuition Cost & Savings College can be more affordable than you think

As a nonprofit university, SNHU offers some of the lowest online tuition rates in the country. And when you work with our Financial Services team, we'll explore ways to help you save even more on your education – and customize a payment plan that works for you.

Online undergraduate programs

Student
Cost per credit
Cost per course
Cost for 120-credit degree*
Full- and part-time students
$330
$990
$39,600
Active-duty military and spouses | Full- and part-time students**
$231
$693
$27,720

*before previously earned credits are applied

Tuition rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually.

**Note: Students receiving this rate are not eligible for additional discounts.

Additional costs: Course materials vary by course.

Transfer credits and lower your cost by:

$9,900 $14,850 $19,800 $24,750 $29,700
Transfer credits and lower your cost by:

If 30 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $29,700

If 45 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $24,750

If 60 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $19,800

If 75 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $14,850

If 90 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $9,900

How we estimate your tuition cost:

We look at the cost per credit multiplied by the number of credits you need to earn for a bachelor's degree. Most bachelor's degrees require 120 credits. SNHU allows you to transfer in up to 90 credits, requiring a minimum of 30 credits to be taken at SNHU. This is only a tuition estimator, and doesn't account for other fees that may be associated with your program of choice.

Career Outlook What can I do with an online health science degree?

For many clinical practitioners, moving into a management role is the ultimate career goal. Your technical knowledge and firsthand experience as a lab technician, dental hygienist, sonographer, medical assistant, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapy assistant, radiographer or similar role will be invaluable as you become a leader. But you'll need to build solid foundational management skills as well.

Through courses on economics and finances, delivery systems, law and ethics, and healthcare quality management, you can learn a new side of healthcare and what it takes to become a medical and health service manager.

Occupations

Earning your bachelor's in health science online could help prepare you for leadership roles like:

Ensure labs operate efficiently and effectively by scheduling staff, reordering supplies and maintaining all necessary security protocols and standard of quality.

Develop and implement programs and services in hospitals or other healthcare settings, including personnel administration, training and coordination of medical staff and other related functions.

Design, maintain and ensure effectiveness of departmental programs or teams — focusing on organization, administration, evaluation, development and maintaining high standards of patient quality.

Direct work activities of medical, nursing, technical, clerical, service, maintenance and other personnel, and provide evaluations and recommendations for optimum performance.

Establish work schedules and assignments for staff according to workload, space and equipment availability to optimize operational efficiency.

Ensure effective use of resources, staff, equipment and services by monitoring the use of diagnostic services, inpatient beds, facilities and general departmental needs.

28%

Increase in medical and health service management positions through 2032, projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.1

$110,680

Median annual pay for medical and health service managers as of May 2023, according to the BLS.1

Understanding the numbers
When reviewing job growth and salary information, it’s important to remember that actual numbers can vary due to many different factors—like years of experience in the role, industry of employment, geographic location, worker skill and economic conditions. Cited projections do not guarantee actual salary or job growth.

What SNHU students are saying

Erin Deleski '21, online program graduate.
Erin Deleski '21, online program graduate.
In order to advance in my career as a medical lab technician, I needed to obtain a bachelor’s degree. A degree in health sciences has now given me the opportunity to seek a more administrative role within the clinical laboratory setting.
Erin Deleski '21

Frequently Asked Questions

No. But don't worry – if you're looking to start or continue your education without a degree in an allied health field, SNHU also offers:

  1. The option to start or finish your associate degree in allied health at an accredited college. SNHU partners with many community colleges throughout the country to maximize transfer credits and provide tuition discounts.
  2. Over 100 online bachelor's programs to choose from, such as an online healthcare administration degree and online public health degree, which do not require associate degrees to enroll.

SNHU's online BS in Health Science is specifically designed for students with an associate degree in the allied health field.

Our goal is twofold:

  1. First, by offering a BS in Health Science, we want to give working professionals the tools they need to take their careers to the next level. For many, that means assuming a leadership role where their voice is valued, and finding ways to "steer the ship" within their healthcare organization.
  2. Second, we want to offer a seamless pathway between degrees, so our learners won't have to put their lives on hold. This has been one of our university's top priorities since we first opened our doors in 1932 – and now, more than ever, we're able to make good on that initiative for an even larger and more diverse student population.

According to the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions – or ASAHP – allied health can be defined as all "health professions that are distinct from medicine and nursing,"2 including, but not limited to:

  • Cardiovascular technology
  • Clinical laboratories
  • Dental hygiene
  • Diagnostic medical technology
  • Medical assisting & office management
  • Neurodiagnostic technology
  • Nuclear medicine technology
  • Occupational therapy assistant
  • Physical therapy assistant
  • Radiography
  • Radiation therapy technology
  • Respiratory therapy
  • Sonography
  • Surgical technology

The allied health classification encompasses a wide range of roles under the broad umbrella of healthcare – and accounts for as much as 60% of the entire U.S. healthcare workforce.2 Right alongside nurses and physicians, these professionals are making a major impact on the present and future state of healthcare.

Every day, medical personnel affect patients' lives on an immediate and personal level. By earning a health sciences degree, you can gain the skills and experience you need to help transform the healthcare system from within. The BS in Health Science may open doors for a lab technician to take on a leadership role, where they use data to improve process at their employer's healthcare institution.

If you're still unsure whether or not your prior education or credits will qualify you for the BS in Health Science degree program, reach out to us. One of SNHU's admission counselors would be happy to help.

A health science degree does not lead to nursing licensure. This program is specifically designed for students who have earned an associate degree in an allied health field and are looking to advance their careers.

If you're interested in becoming a nurse, you'll need to start by earning an associate or bachelor's degree in nursing. SNHU partners with many community colleges that offer associate degrees in nursing. From there, you can opt to seamlessly transfer credits to one of our online RN to BSN or online MSN degree programs.

A Bachelor of Science in Health Science from SNHU can help open doors to leadership roles in a variety of healthcare settings.

A graduate of the program will have the ability to think strategically about the many facets of business – from delivery systems and reimbursement to ethical and legal considerations and finance – then apply them to healthcare organizations.

In an industry where team-based care and accountability is the standard, graduates of the BS in Health Science program are uniquely qualified to demonstrate interdisciplinary leadership in the healthcare setting of their choice. 

You can gain the knowledge and skills you need to keep up in a fast-moving, complex industry where reform, legislative changes and interdisciplinary, highly educated teams are commonplace. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for medical and health services managers was $110,680 in 2023 – well above the median annual salary for all occupations in that same time period.1

With that said, there is a wide range of salary expectations for medical and health service managers, as pay expectations vary greatly depending on the setting. Some of the top industries and their annual median salaries in 2023 include state, local and private hospitals ($128,740), government ($125,590), outpatient care centers ($104,710), physician's offices ($102,360) and nursing and residential care facilities ($97,490).1

While many allied health employees can find entry-level work with an associate degree, leadership or management-level roles often require a bachelor's.

The BS in Health Science offers a transfer-friendly next step from an allied health associate program – saving you time and tuition along the way.

While not required, you also have the option to continue on to a master's program. Graduates of the online BS in Health Science would be well-suited candidates for an MBA in Healthcare Management or our online master's in healthcare administration.

Related Articles

Sources & Citations

1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm (viewed April 19, 2024)

Cited projections may not reflect local or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

2 What is Allied Health – ASAHP, on the internet, at http://www.asahp.org/what-is (viewed April 19, 2024)