Can You Specialize a Health Science Degree?

Health Science JobsAre you interested in learning how to specialize a health science degree? If you would love to pursue opportunities and the vast and in-demand health industry, a health science degree can help you make that happen. Instead of just focusing on a general degree in health science, it can be beneficial for you to choose a specialty that will offer you a more focused curriculum in a sub-section of the field. With the right degree, you can work in any position in research, healthcare policy, or even program development. Here are the steps that you can take to get a specialized degree.

Earn Your Bachelor’s Degree

The very first step to becoming a health science degree holder is to enroll in a reputable health science degree program. As you are choosing a Bachelor’s of Science degree program, you need to look through all of the options and only select a program that is accredited by a body like the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program. This commission has accredited more than 2100 programs and is dedicated to setting high standard in the profession. It is also recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation so you will be able to apply for financial aide. Find an online or on-campus program by reviewing the list of CAAHEP-accredited programs.

Decide on a Specialization

You may not know exactly what you would like to do in the healthcare industry when you are studying for an entry-level bachelor’s degree. This is why most of the Bachelor’s of Science programs you can enroll in will be general in nature. You may have the option to choose a concentration during your program once you have decided which profession interests you the most. It is best to focus on general studies first and then select the concentration when you have truly found what you want to do when you are out of college. For most students, this does not happen until you have been in school for one to two years.

There are many coursework concentrations that you can choose as you are enrolling in classes during your junior or senior year. Some of the non-clinical concentrations include: public health, community health education, disability studies, human development, emergency and critical care, environmental health, informatics, healthcare management, coding, and more.

Enroll in a Master’s Degree Program

With your bachelor’s you will be qualified to enroll in an advanced degree program where you will be able to choose a specialization. The general degree will focus on technical knowledge so that you are prepared to investigate how financial systems, administrative work and organizational structures work and how they can affect peoples’ access to care. The core curriculum will centered around social, biological and physical sciences subjects. Then, you can choose a specialization in different disciplines like Healthcare Management, Health Technology Assessments, Occupational Therapy and more.

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After you have chosen a specialization, you can pursue a career in any field from Dietetics and Audiology to Speech Pathology or Occupational Therapy. The demand for health sciences majors is on the rise and only projected to grow as more and more people gain access to healthcare, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you would like to work in healthcare but do not want to be a medical doctor, you can specialize a health science degree and earn a great income while you enjoy what you do.