Allied Health Sciences - Health Profession Degree Completion

The Allied Health Sciences (AHS) degree at Grand Valley State University offers an exciting and flexible pathway for students in Northern Michigan who want to pursue a wide range of health-related careers — from clinical roles to non-clinical positions, and even advanced graduate programs.

Why Choose Allied Health Sciences?

The B.S. in Allied Health Sciences degree is designed to give you the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience needed to thrive in a variety of health care roles. The program provides two primary pathways:

1. Prepare for Clinical Roles in Health Care
   If you're interested in direct patient care, the AHS degree provides a pathway to clinical settings. You'll gain foundational skills that can lead to clinical role training through internships, advanced programs, or one of GVSU's professional graduate options.

Recommended courses to take at Northwestern Michigan College as part of your Associate of Arts and Science program. 

 

Health Profession Degree Completion

Eligibility Criteria-Track 1 (Clinical):

• Possess an earned Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science from a school accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
• The Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science must be in a health profession program requiring external accreditation by the professional body regulating of that profession.
• The health profession offers national voluntary credentialing or requires state licensing and the student either possesses or is eligible for earning that credential or license.

Eligibility Criteria-Track 2 (Non-Clinical):

• Possess an earned Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science from a school accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
• The Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science or technical certification must be an approved non-clinical health profession program. Approval is issued by the Allied Health Sciences program director.

 

Northwestern Michigan College Courses

BIO 116 with Lab - Biology
MTH 131 - Probability and Statistics

 

Additional Details

• GV Required Courses:
  • AHS 301 - Introduction to Health Care Research
  • AHS 321 - Ethical and Legal Responsibilities in Health Care
  • AHS 340 - Health Care Management
  • AHS 495 - Issues in Health Professions
• No minor is required for this emphasis
• Secondary admission is required
• A capstone course will occur Winter Semester, Year Four

Careers with an AHS Degree

What can you do with an Allied Health Sciences, B.S.?

The term Allied Health is used to identify a cluster of health professions, encompassing as many as 200 health careers. There are 5 million allied health care providers in the U.S., who work in more than 40 different professions and represent approximately 60% of all health care providers. Even so, this is just a drop in the bucket in terms of how many allied health care workers are needed to meet current and future healthcare needs in America.

When you work in allied health, you are involved—directly or indirectly—with patient health, and you are regarded as an expert in your field. Some allied health professionals practice independently; others work as part of a health care team, providing continual evaluation and assessment of patient needs. They also play a major role in informing the attending clinician of the patient's progress and response to treatment.

You can read more about allied health careers and find detailed information regarding all health-related careers by visiting the website www.explorehealthcareers.org. 

Visit GVSU's AHS Career Guide

 

Learn more about Allied Health Sciences internship experiences!

AHS Internship Experiences