Health Science, A.S.

The Associates of Health Science offers a flexible curriculum to prepare students for a career in healthcare. The wide variety of courses available to students allows them to complete general education core requirements before entering any number of professional healthcare programs. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss academic programs with a faculty advisor. See transfer options for dental hygiene, mortuary science, pre-licensure nursing, and radiologic technology

Degree Requirements

First Semester

BIOL 1010 - General Biology Credits: 4
ENGL 1010 - English Composition I Credits: 3
MATH 1400 - College Algebra Credits: 3
PSYC 1000 - General Psychology Credits: 3
Choose one course from the following:
HLTK 1200 - Medical Terminology Credits: 2
NRST 1510 - Nurse Assistant Credits: 4
PHLB 1800 - Phlebotomy Principles and Practice Credits: 4

Subtotal: 15-19

Second Semester

BIOL 2010 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I Credits: 4
General Education - Human Societies and the Individual 3-4 Credits: 3-4
General Education - Western Experience 1-2 Credits: 1-2
Choose one course from the following:
CMAP 1200 - Computer Information Systems Credits: 3
IMGT 1600 - Intro to Health Information Management Credits: 3
Choose one course from the following:
ENGL 1020 - English Composition II Credits: 3
ENGL 2005 - Writing in Technology and the Sciences Credits: 3

Subtotal: 14-16

Third Semester

HLED 1141 - Nutrition Credits: 3
BIOL 2015 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II Credits: 4
Choose one course from the following:
CHEM 1000 - Introductory Chemistry Credits: 4
CHEM 1020 - General Chemistry I Credits: 4
Choose one course from the following:
STAT 2050 - Fundamentals of Statistics Credits: 4
STAT 2070 - Statistics for Social Science Credits: 4

Subtotal:15

Fourth Semester

MOLB 2210 - General Microbiology Credits: 4
General Education - Creative Expression 3 Credits: 3
General Education - Oral Communication 3 Credits: 3
Elective 1000 - General 6 Credits: 6

Subtotal: 16

Total Credit Hours: 60-66

In addition to ENGL 1010 students may be required to take ENGL 1011 due to placement, adding 2 additional credits to their graduation total.
The Health Science program plan is designed to include courses that are foundational to numerous mid-level healthcare professions. Please work with your advisor and the institution of transfer to select courses for the area of emphasis to best facilitate the transfer of credits.

Applying to the Nursing Program

Students interested in applying to Western’s Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program are advised to focus on completing the program’s four prerequisite courses: BIOL 1010 , BIOL 2010 , ENGL 1010 , and MATH 1400 to be eligible for Nursing program admission.
The student is encouraged to take BIOL 2015 prior to entry. BIOL 2010 and BIOL 2015 are offered in 8-week blocks in the spring semester. BIOL 2015 is often offered in the summer semester but is not guaranteed.
The nursing program application period for fall admission is January to March 31. Contact a nursing advisor for assistance.

For Transfer Programs

Students wishing to transfer to 4-year institutions should work with their advisor and institution of transfer when selecting courses.

Dental Hygiene Transfer

Recommended electives are SOC 1000 and ANTH 1200 .

Mortuary Science Transfer

COMM 1030 is the preferred communications course.
Recommended electives are BADM 2010 and ACCT 2010 .

Pre-Licensure Nursing Transfer

This path is intended for transfer to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing pre-licensure nursing program. The student is advised to consult the institution of transfer for required course work and application deadline. The student may need additional science courses such as pathophysiology and pharmacology. Look into reverse credit transfer options.

Radiology Technician Transfer

Consider taking PHLB 1800 as it leads to certification, the skills learned are helpful with intravensous skills needed in the radiology program. Some programs offer an extra admission point for a certification. HLTK 1200 is recommended.

Veterinary Technology Transfer

BIOL 2022 is recommended.