2024-2025

Health Sciences - Allied Health, Bachelor of Science

Department of Health Sciences

College of Health and Human Services

Flexibility is a hallmark of this online bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences—Allied Health from Northern Arizona University (NAU) which offers all coursework online and accepts a significant amount of transfer credit.  To pursue this degree, students must have an associate degree from a regionally accredited college or university in an allied health discipline. Students may transfer up to 90 credits towards the Allied Health bachelor’s degree at NAU and must also complete a minimum of 30 credits of upper division courses at NAU. In order to graduate with the Allied Health bachelor’s degree, students must also have a current state or national license that matches their allied health associate degree.  While students may begin coursework at NAU while their associate degree and license are still in progress, these must both be obtained prior to their enrollment in the final capstone course at NAU.

You can complete your bachelor’s degree in health sciences while working toward or after having finished an associate degree in an allied health discipline. With this online program, you can complete your coursework when it fits your schedule. You must have or be pursuing an associate’s degree in Allied Health in order to qualify.

  • Available Emphasis Areas:
  • Diagnostic Medical Imaging and Therapy - Emphasis
  • General Allied Health - Emphasis
  • Medical Assisting - Emphasis
  • Paramedic Care - Emphasis
  • Physical Therapist Assisting - Emphasis
  • Respiratory Care - Emphasis
  • Surgical Technology - Emphasis
  • Occupational Therapy Associate - Emphasis

  • To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.

    • All of Northern Arizona University's diversity, liberal studies, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements.
    • All requirements for your specific academic plan(s).
    • At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work.
    • At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc.
    • A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.

    The full policy can be viewed here.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Students may transfer up to 90 units of community college and/or university credit from regionally accredited institutions of higher education.

  • At least 30 units of major requirements from NAU.

  • Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.

  • Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion 120
Major GPA C
Highest Mathematics Required MAT 114
Additional Admission Requirements Required
Some online/blended coursework Required
AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A Recommended
Progression Plan Link View Progression Plan
Community College Emphasis Required

An emphasis is transferred to NAU from a Community College.

Purpose Statement

The online BS Health Sciences Allied Health program provides an innovative "3+1" curriculum that prepares students to advance their careers in health-related fields. These programs are specifically designed for students who have completed their associate’s degree in an allied health discipline from a regionally-accredited program and who have successfully obtained the related professional license.  Our programs provide students with foundational knowledge of health promotion, disease promotion concepts, and understanding of the interconnectedness of personal, family, organizational, community, and societal health.  Our students will use this knowledge to work collaboratively to provide comprehensive patient-centered care. While completing this degree, students will expand their critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making skills and enhance their ability to communicate effectively with others in order to provide excellent care for their patients.  We specialize in preparing students in enhancing their careers with an understanding of the importance of leadership and inter-professional teamwork among health professionals, as well as skills to sustain personal health and well-being.

Student Learning Outcomes

Program Outcome 1: Graduates will demonstrate foundational knowledge of health promotion and disease prevention concepts.

  • Identify and explain the determinates of optimal health and wellness in each of the six interrelated dimensions.
  • Identify risk factors, signs and symptoms, and treatment associated with specific diseases
  • Demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of human diseases.
  • Locate information concerning the identification and recognition of disease.
  • Explain key concepts of epidemiology.
  • Explain key concepts of epidemiologic data.
  • Define stress and major types of stress.
Program Outcome 2: Graduates will demonstrate understanding of the interconnectedness of personal, family, organizational, community, and societal health.
  • Describe the roles and responsibilities of individuals in maintaining personal, family and community health.
  • Recognize evidence of informational knowledge of the effects of attitudes, emotions, and relationships in the mind-body-spirit aspect of health.
  • Explain how social and behavioral factors influence diseases and conditions.
Program Outcome 3: Graduates will demonstrate writing and communication skills required for effective health professionals.
  • Identify credible, evidence-based sources of health-related information
  • Critically analyze sources of health information related to disease topics.
  • Describe the current status of health service delivery, with a primary focus on the US system of health services delivery.
  • Compare the health care system of another country with the USA’s health care system.
  • Critically assess the USA’s current and future trends in health service organization and administration.
  • Demonstrate writing skills using professional language appropriate for the topic, purpose and audience using APA format.
  • Communicate health-related information effectively.
  • Demonstrate effective writing and communication skills essential to the health professions workplace.
Program Outcome 4: Graduates will demonstrate awareness of the importance of leadership and interprofessional teamwork among health professionals.
  • Apply principles of ethical and/or professional health practice appropriate to the discipline.
  • Analyze issues related to course topics in leadership skills and inter-professional teamwork identified during the observational experiences.
Program Outcome 5: Graduates will demonstrate awareness and skills to sustain personal health and well-being.
  • Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
  • Complete a behavior change project utilizing effective and appropriate strategies.
  • Identify the stress-related consequences of personality and temperament.
  • Implement various stress management techniques and interventions.

Additional Admission Requirements

  • Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

  • To be eligible for this academic plan, students must be admitted to, enrolled in, or be graduates from an associate degree program at a regionally accredited community college or university in an allied health discipline corresponding with their state or national licensure. 

    • Diagnostic Medical Imaging and Therapy
    • Medical Assisting
    • Occupational Therapy Associate
    • Paramedic Care
    • Physical Therapist Assisting
    • Respiratory Care
    • Surgical Technology
    • Another allied health field.
Transfer Block
    • Students may transfer up to 90 units of community college and/or university credit from regionally accredited institutions of higher education.
Liberal Studies Requirement
    • Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.
    • Students who have completed the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) from an Arizona public or tribal community college, the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), or California State University General Education (CSUGE) from a California public community college are considered to have satisfied NAU’s Liberal Studies Distribution Blocks and Foundation requirements as well as the US Ethnic and Global Diversity requirements.
Major Requirements

  • This degree completion plan requires the completion of an associate degree at a regionally accredited community college or university in a health science discipline, and requires 30 units from NAU, distributed as follows:

    • Associate degree at a regionally accredited community college or university in a health science discipline: 90 units
    • Health Sciences Common Courses: 30 units
    • Selection of an Emphasis associated with the state or national license attained from the associate degree received from the community college.

    Take the following 120 units:

  • Health Sciences Core (30 units)
    Coursework must be completed with a Grade of "C" or better in each course.

    • HS 300, HS 320, HS 404, HS 410 (12 units)
    • FW 321 (3 units)
    • HS 390W which meets the junior-level writing requirement (3 units)
    • HS 460C which meets the senior capstone requirement (3 units)
    • Any other Health Sciences (HS) or Fitness Wellness (FW) courses at the 300-level or higher (9 units)

  •  HS 205 and PSY 101 are requisites for other courses that are required for this degree. You may transfer in an equivalent or be able to count it toward your general elective credit if taken at Northern Arizona University.

    Prior to beginning the HS 460C capstone course, students must have completed their Associate degree and hold a current state or national license in Allied Health. The Associate degree and certificate or licensure must be in the same field of study. The student is also required to have a current cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher to be eligible to enroll in HS 460C.

  • Emphasis Requirements

    Northern Arizona University will accept up to 90 units of transfer credit toward the completion of this degree, including all coursework related to the following emphases.

    • Diagnostic Medical Imaging and Therapy Emphasis
    • Medical Assisting Emphasis
    • Occupational Therapy Associate Emphasis
    • Paramedic Care Emphasis
    • Physical Therapist Assisting Emphasis
    • Respiratory Care Emphasis
    • Surgical Technology Emphasis
    • General Allied Health Emphasis

  • Allied Health majors with an Occupational Therapy Associate Emphasis will be given priority admission to the Occupational Therapy, OTD.

General Electives

  • Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.

    You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.

    We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.

Additional Information

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.