Valdosta State University will begin offering a Bachelor of Science in health sciences in Fall 2018.
 
The Bachelor of Science in health sciences degree program prepares students for a wide range of careers in the healthcare industry, which is currently one of the strongest job markets nationally. The program helps students to identify talents and interests in the field that can be developed within the program, leading to careers in fields such as medical assistance, healthcare informatics, healthcare marketing and public relations, public health, health education, environmental health, medical equipment sales, and pharmaceutical sales.
 
“Health sciences covers pretty much any healthcare-related career,” said Chuck Conner, director of the health sciences degree program. “Our program is great for students who know they want to be in a healthcare-related setting but aren’t exactly sure where that is yet. Through our curriculum, they’ll have the opportunity to see what’s available.
 
The degree program also lays a strong foundation for graduate level study in healthcare fields such as athletic training, chiropractic medicine, dentistry, exercise physiology, medicine, nursing (as a second degree), occupational therapy, optometry, physician assistant, and physical therapy.
 
“It’s a very diverse undergraduate program that we designed to be accommodating and flexible to a student’s needs, and it’s something that VSU has needed for quite some time,” Conner said.
 
“We’ve done a good job as a faculty to look at the skills and knowledge that are needed right now and in the future,” Conner said. “Healthcare is constantly evolving, and we don’t want to talk about healthcare from five years ago. We want to talk about healthcare of the present and future. We’ll modify courses based on the current trends in healthcare to ensure the education stays current. We’ll be preparing students for the current and future healthcare job market.”