Bachelor of Science in Health Science

The Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BSHS) offers students who are interested in careers in health care the opportunity to begin their career path.

The curriculum is based on the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPEC). Working closely with a faculty preceptor, students have the ability to design an education program, within the structure of the major, which will help them prepare for a variety of positions in health care or for future Professional/Graduate education. For those who already have an associate’s degree, and are working in their chosen health related field, the BSHS degree may allow for increased opportunities for advancement.


About the Program

The BSHS Program prepares students for a range of career options, from entry-level positions in the health services arena, to admission into graduate or professional educational programs in disciplines such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students are provided with the underpinnings of interprofessional collaborative practice in health care and acquire foundational understanding of the interrelationships among health professionals.

Stockton University’s Bachelor of Science in Health Science typically takes four years of full time study to complete, however part-time study is available.


The concentrations within the Bachelor of Science in Health Science are the following:

  • General
  • Pre-Communication Disorders (CD) Concentration
  • Pre-Occupational Therapy (OT) Concentration
  • Pre-Physical Therapy (PT) Concentration

Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all BSHS program and cognate courses in order to receive the BSHS degree.

Program Information


Program Chair

Kerri Sowers
Professor of Health Science
F211b
kerri.sowers@stockton.edu
609-652-4418


BSHS Core Courses

  • HLTH 1101 Introduction to the Health Sciences
  • HLTH 1241 Medical Terminology
  • HLTH 2305 Statistics for Health Professionals
  • HLTH 2411 Informatics for Health Sciences
  • HLTH 2501 Ethic and Teamwork in Health Care*
  • HLTH 3411 Writing and Editing for the Health Sciences
  • HLTH 4200 Research for the Health Sciences

*A designated Service-Learning course


Concentrations

The General concentration is designed for students who are interested in pursuing careers or areas of study outside of the Pre-CD, Pre-OT, and Pre-PT concentrations. This concentration is designed to prepare students for a range of career options, from entry level positions in the health care system to admission into graduate or professional education programs. This concentration allows students to tailor the curriculum of the program to meet a wide range of career interests. It is recommended for those students interested in pursuing the Interest in Nursing or Interest in Pre-Physician Assistant studies. Students work closely with their preceptor to discuss requirements for specific graduate programs of study or career options.

In addition to the BSHS core courses, all general concentration students must also complete:

  • CHEM 2110 & CHEM 2115 Chemistry I General Principles & Chemistry I Lab
  • One of the following Anatomy & Physiology Course Sequences
    • BIOL 1260 Anatomy & Physiology I w/ Lab AND BIOL 2260 Anatomy & Physiology II w/ Lab

OR

    • BIOL 2180 Human Anatomy w/ Lab AND BIOL 2150 Principles of Physiology w/
      Lab 
As of Fall 2024, the Pre-Communication Disorders Concentration is no longer being offered. The Communication Disorders (CD) Minor is designed for students interested in the study of typical and disordered human communication.

The Pre-CD concentration is designed for students interested in the study of typical and disordered human communication. The concentration provides prerequisite course work for graduate study in communication sciences and disorders, including study in speech-language pathology and audiology. Additional course work must be completed in the following areas: biological science, physical science, social science, and mathematics. Students should meet with their preceptor to discuss requirements for specific graduate programs of study. Completion of the recommended course sequence does not guarantee acceptance into the Master of Science in Communication Disorders (MCSD) program at Stockton University. The Stockton University MCSD program operates the Speech and Hearing Clinic. In addition to providing services to the local community, it serves as a location for undergraduate students to complete required observation hours before applying to graduate programs. Students in the BSHS pre-CD concentration have the opportunity to engage in supervised observation of speech- language pathology and audiology sessions in the Speech and Hearing Clinic, located at 10 West Jimmie Leeds Road, Galloway, NJ. 


Required pre-Communication Disorders specific courses for the pre-CD concentration taken in addition
to the BSHS core courses.

  • HLTH 1103 Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism
  • HLTH 2104 Phonetics
  • HLTH 2106 Speech and Hearing Science
  • HLTH 2119 Introduction to Communication Disorders
  • HLTH 3115 Speech and Language Development
  • HLTH 3121 Aural Rehabilitation
  • HLTH 3122 Introduction to Audiology
  • HLTH 4103 Guided Clinical Observations
  • HLTH 4104 Clinical Methods in Speech, Language, and Hearing Therapy

Additional program cognates required for pre-CD concentration:

  • BIOL 1200 & BIOL 1205 Cells and Molecules & Lab
  • CHEM 2110 & CHEM 2115 General Chemistry I & Lab
  • PSYC 3323 Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence or PSYC 3322 Lifespan Development

The Pre-OT Concentration is designed for students interested in completing the pre-requisite courses necessary for admission to many or most graduate programs in Occupational Therapy. Students work closely with their preceptor to discuss requirements for specific graduate programs of study, as some graduate programs may have additional pre-requisite course requirements. Completion of the recommended course sequence does not guarantee acceptance into the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program at Stockton University.

Required pre-Occupational Therapy concentration, taken in addition to BSHS core courses:

  • CHEM 2110 & CHEM 2115 Chemistry I General Principles & Chemistry I Lab
  • PSYC 1100 Introduction to Psychology
  • PSYC 2211 Abnormal Psychology
  • PSYC 3322 Lifespan Development or SOWK 1103 Human Behavior/Social Environment
  • ANTH 1100 Introduction to Anthropology or SOCY 1100 Introduction to Sociology
  • BIOL 1260 Anatomy & Physiology I w/ Lab
  • BIOL 2260 Anatomy & Physiology II w/ Lab

The Pre-PT Concentration is designed for students interested in completing the prerequisite courses necessary for admission to graduate programs in Physical Therapy. Students work closely with their preceptor to discuss requirements for specific graduate programs of study. Completion of the recommended course sequence does not guarantee acceptance into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Stockton University. 

Required pre-Physical Therapy concentration courses, taken in addition to BSHS core courses:

  • BIOL 1200 & BIOL 1205 Cells & Molecules & Lab
  • BIOL 1400 & BIOL 1405 Biodiversity & Evolution & Lab
  • CHEM 2110 & CHEM 2115 General Chemistry I & Lab
  • CHEM 2120 & CHEM 2125 Organic Chemistry & Lab
  • PHYS 2110 & 2115 Physics for Life Sciences I & Lab
  • PHYS 2120 & 2125 Physics for Life Sciences II & Lab
  • BIOL 2180 Human Anatomy w/ Lab
  • BIOL 2150 Principles of Physiology w/ Lab
  • PSYC 1100 Introduction to Psychology

Admissions

For admission to the Bachelor of Science in Health Science program, incoming first year students, current students, and transfer students must meet one of the following mathematics requirements:

  • An SAT Math score of at least 570.
  • An ACT Math score of at least 24.
  • An Accuplacer Math score equivalent to College Level Math:
    • Elementary Algebra Accuplacer Score of 76 or higher.
    • Next-Gen Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QAS) Accuplacer score of 256 or higher AND Advanced Algebra and Functions (AAF) Accuplacer score of 260 or higher.

 

CONDITIONAL ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAM

Students who do not meet the mathematics requirement may request to the Admissions Office a Conditional Admission to the BSHS program General Concentration.

The Conditional Admission will grant students one academic year to complete the necessary sequence of math courses in order to meet the mathematics requirement. Students admitted under a conditional admission will be eligible to register in HLTH1101 (Introduction to Health Sciences) and/or in HLTH 1241 (Medical Terminology for Health Science).

Health Science Faculty


Anthony Austin

Anthony Austin

Teaching Specialist of Health Science, Ph.D., Ohio University
609-626-6411 | C-106
Areas of expertise: stress and health, psychophysiology, health psychology, social determinants of health, statistics. 
Anthony Dissen

Anthony Dissen

Assistant Professor of Health Science, Ed.D. Stockton University
609-626-3847 | B-110
Areas of expertise: evidence-based nutrition, intersections between the Queer/Gender Non-Binary communities and healthcare, mindfulness and integrative health, health humanities & narrative-based medicine, and critical thinking.
Stacy Gallese Cassel

Stacy Gallese Cassel

Associate Professor of Communication Disorders; Associate Chair of the Pre-Communication Disorders; Ph.D., MPhil, Columbia University
609-626-6092 | G-129
Areas of expertise: Medical Speech-Language Pathology, Dysphagia, Neonatal Intervention, Neurogenic Communication and Voice Disorders.
Luis Garcia

Luis Garcia

Assistant Professor of Health Science, Ph.D., The George Washington University
609-626-3812 | C-111
Areas of expertise: health psychology, HIV prevention, Latino acculturation, LGBT identity development, cross-cultural psychology, interprofessional education, interprofessional collaborative practice.
Trina Gipson-Jones

Trina Gipson-Jones

Assistant Professor of Health Science, Ph.D., Hampton University
609-626-3113 | H-202L
Areas of expertise: family nursing, community health, health disparities research.
Heather Green

Heather Green

Assistant Professor of Health Science, Ed.D., University of West Florida
609-626-3117 | C-126
Areas of expertise: public health, health education, health behavior, mental health, nutrition, integrative health.
Yulong Gu

Yulong Gu

Associate Professor of Health Science, Ph.D., University of Auckland
609-761-1284 | AC-224R
Areas of expertise: electronic referral systems, shared care, personal health records, mobile health, medication adherence, informatics competency, digital health literacy.
Diane Laverty

Diane Laverty

Assistant Professor of Health Science, Ed.D., Rowan University
609-626-3183 | K-135
Areas of expertise: school based speech-language pathology, pediatric language disorders, speech sound disorders, and student learning in higher education. 
Nicole Milan-Tyner

Nicole Milan-Tyner

Associate Professor of Health Science, Ed.D., Rowan University
609-626-3458 | C-145
Areas of expertise: health assessment, public health, non-profit management, health disparities
Sreelekha Prakash

Sreelekha Prakash

Associate Professor of Health Science, M.D, M.P.H., Mt. Sinai Medical School
609-626-3810 | F-136
Areas of expertise: epidemiology
Michele Previti

Michele Previti

Associate Professor of Health Science, J.D., St. Louis University School of Law
609-652-4465 | H-241
Areas of expertise: health law, healthcare ethics, health disparities, and health and social justice
Amee Shah

Amee Shah

Professor of Health Science, Ph.D., City University of New York
609-652-4929 | G-246
Areas of expertise: speech science, cross-language speech perception, evidence-based accent management, neurolinguistics, bilingualism/bidialectism, cultural competence in hospitals/healthcare/universities/corporations, diversity management, second language learning, ESL pedagogy
Kerri Sowers

Kerri Sowers

 Professor of Health Science, BSHS Program Chair,BSHS-MSPA Program Coordinator and Disability Studies Minor Coordinator Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University
609-652-4418 | F211b
Areas of expertise: neurological physical therapy, acute care physical therapy, para/disabled sports, health and wellness, writing for healthcare professions
Margaret Slusser

Margaret Slusser

Professor Emerita in Health Sciences Ph.D., RN, University of Pennsylvania
Areas of expertise: psychiatric mental health, interprofessional education, interprofessional collaborative practice