Health Services
The Bachelor of Sciences in Health Services (BSHS) is a degree offered by the College of Health Professions that includes a mix of academic and technical training to meet the needs of regional health care employers. The degree is designed to provide an efficient, flexible, and technically relevant path to a four-year degree, which allows students to pursue entry-level employment in a health care setting and/or prepare for graduate/advanced professional-level training programs. Individuals who hold an associate degree, technical degree, or professional certification, and who currently work in a health care setting will also find the program to be a flexible degree completion program that facilitates career advancement.
The Program
The BSHS degree has broad requirements and allows students tremendous flexibility to tailor their plan of study to meet their unique career interests.
To earn the degree, students must complete:
- 120 or more credits (125-130 credits is strongly encouraged)
- 37 or more credits at the 300 level and higher
- All NDSU General Education Requirements
- All NDSU Residency Requirements (Applicable to Transfer Students)
Additionally, students must complete the following courses:
- CHP 190 – Critical Thinking and Academic Success (2 credits)
- PH 101 – Introduction to Public Health (3 credits)
- 13 credits of core 300-400 level, CHP-prefix courses
- 15 or more credits of coursework emphasizing clinical, research, or internship experiences (completing at least 6 of the 15 clinical, research, or internship credits at the 200 level or lower)
Students are required to meet with their academic advisor to create a plan of study that addresses all program requirements. The plan must be approved by the student’s advisor and the College of Health Professions’ Dean’s Office at least one semester prior to graduating with the BSHS degree.
Experiential Training
A core element of the Health Services major is that students gain hands-on learning experiences that prepare them for their own, unique health care career. Students must complete at least 15 credits of approved experiential training, although students are highly encouraged to complete additional experiential credits. As previously noted, those experiences may be based in research, clinical work, or general internship experiences. Students may complete experiential credits offered by the College of Health Professions, other departments at NDSU, other colleges and universities in the Tri-College system (i.e., NDSU, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Concordia College, North Dakota State College of Science, and Minnesota State Community and Technical College), and other North Dakota University System campuses.
Experiential credits offered through the College of Health Professions will include both research opportunities, as well as opportunities to complete clinical experience credits at hospitals and health systems within the region. While students have tremendous flexibility in selecting their experiential training, each college/university, academic department, and clinical site may have additional requirements (or assess tuition that differs from NDSU) to complete those experiences. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to ensure that all academic prerequisites and professional requirements necessary to enroll in their intended experiential education courses are met.
Students who hold an associate degree, technical degree, or professional certification in a health-related field may, upon approval from the student’s advisor and the College of Health Professions’ Dean’s Office, use those previously earned credits to satisfy BSHS experiential training requirements.
Career Opportunities
Regional and national workforce estimates indicate an increased need for qualified physicians, physician assistants, medical records and health information management personnel, as well as a variety of technically oriented health care workers between now and 2026. North Dakota job growth percentages for different areas (2014-2024) compared to national (2016-2026) suggest similar workforce needs (http://www.projectionscentral.com/Projections/Download and www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm):
- Physicians: North Dakota 8%; National 15%
- Physician Assistants North Dakota 31%; National 37%
- Cardiovascular Technologists/Technicians: North Dakota 34%; National 10%
- Surgical Technologists: North Dakota 24%; National 12%
- Medical Laboratory Technologists: North Dakota 25%, National 12%
- Medical Records and Health Information Technologists: North Dakota 23%, National 13%
Many entry-level health care careers require a unique mix of traditional academic and professional/technical education, which are not included in any current degree offerings at NDSU. Students may obtain this training in graduate and/or professional programs (pharmaceutical sciences, public health, etc.) or at community and technical colleges (surgical technology, health information technology, etc.). The Health Services major provides students flexibility in planning to meet the unique academic requirements of their professional/graduate/technical program of interest while completing a well-rounded bachelor degree.
Health Services Plan of Study
Please note this is a sample plan of study and not an official curriculum. Actual student schedules for each semester will vary depending on start year, education goals, applicable transfer credit, and course availability. Students are encouraged to work with their academic advisor on a regular basis to review degree progress and customize an individual plan of study.
First Year | |||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHP 190 Critical Thinking and Academic Success | 2 | PH 101 Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| ENGL 110 College Composition I | 4 | ENGL 120 College Composition II | 3 |
| Gen Ed Humanities & Fine Arts | 3 | Gen Ed Science & Technology w/Lab | 4 |
| Gen Ed Science & Technology | 3 | Gen Ed Social & Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| Gen Ed Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | Health Services Major-Specific Electives | 2 |
| 15 |
| 15 |
Second Year | |||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
COMM 110 Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 4 | Clinical, Research or Internship Requirements (100-200 level) | 3 |
Gen Ed Humanities & Fine Arts | 4 | Health Services Major-Specific Electives | 12 |
| Gen Ed Science & Technology | 4 |
|
|
| Gen Ed Social & Behavioral Sciences/Gen Ed Global Perspectives | 3 |
|
|
| Clinical, Research or Internship Requirements (100-200 level) | 3 | ||
| 15 |
| 15 |
Third Year | |||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
CHP 300 (or Approved Equivalent Course) | 3 | CHP 301 (or Approved Equivalent Course) | 3 |
Gen Ed Upper Division Writing | 3 | Clinical, Research or Internship Requirements (300-400 level) | 3 |
| Clinical, Research or Internship Requirements (300-400 level) | 3 | Health Services Major-Specific Electives (300-400 level) | 9 |
Health Services Major-Specific Electives | 6 |
|
|
| 15 |
| 15 |
Fourth Year | |||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Clinical, Research or Internship Requirements (300-400 level) | 3 | CHP 401 (or Approved Equivalent Course) | 3 |
CHP 400 (or Approved Equivalent Course) | 3 | CHP 489 (or Approved Equivalent Course) | 1 |
| Health Services Major-Specific Electives (300-400 level) | 9 | Health Services Major-Specific Electives | 11 |
| 15 |
| 15 |
Total Credits: 120 | |||
View NDSU equivalencies of transfer courses at: www.ndsu.edu/transfer/equivalencies
Contact Information
College of Health Professions
Dr. Daniel Friesner, Associate Dean
NDSU Dept 2650
PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
DEPT PHONE: (701) 231-7601
DEPT EMAIL: daniel.friesner@ndsu.edu
DEPT WEBSITE: www.ndsu.edu/healthprofessions
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