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2013-2014 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Allied Health Sciences - Program Description

Director: Wambach. Associate Professors: Green, Halling, Macauley, Ritch, Wambach. Assistant Professors: Allen, Brew, Davis, Karasinski, Liras-Laubach, Silbar.

Degree Offered: Bachelor of Science in Allied Health Sciences

The B.S. in Allied Health Sciences degree serves two functions:

  1. Prepare students for entry into graduate programs in health professions with preparatory emphases (e.g., pre-health professional emphases preparing students to apply for graduate programs in physician assistant studies, physical therapy, dosimetry and speech-language/audiology). The preparatory emphases for dosimetry and speech-language pathology have a secondary admission requirement.
  2. Prepare students for a career in the health care field should the student decide not to pursue a graduate level program. Additional emphases are offered to prepare the student to advance into a health care career. These include health information and reimbursement and histotechnology. These aforementioned emphases each have a competitive secondary admission requirement for students to meet. Declaration of allied health sciences as a major does not assure acceptance into these emphases. There is also a general allied health sciences emphasis, which is not preparatory for any particular graduate or specific undergraduate career route. It is for those who are truly undecided about their health career path. It is strongly recommended that all students discuss their options with their assigned advisor to determine what emphasis to select or make application.

Allied Health Sciences Goals

  • Prepare students with an educational foundation to succeed in the allied health sciences professions.
  • Instill in students the general abilities required for professional conduct.
  • Instill in students the critical thinking and problem solving skills necessary to be effective in providing interventions and services.
  • Instill in students the understanding of the role of research and scientific inquiry as applied to the practice, education, and leadership of their chosen profession.

Grand Valley State University is ideally suited to educate a wide variety of health care professionals. The universitys geographic location, access to high quality clinical environments, strong relationships with the regional medical education community, excellent faculty, supportive administration, experience in the education of health care professionals, and a growing student population all combine to form an ideal environment for allied health care professional education programs.

Career Opportunities

The demand for many health care professionals exceeds the supply. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that ten of the 20 fastest growing occupations are healthcare related. The BLS also predicts 3.2 million new wage and salary healthcare jobs between 2008 and 2018.

The following program is available:

Bachelor of Science in Allied Health Science


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