Healthcare Services and Sciences

Bachelor's in Healthcare Services and Sciences

To join the ranks of today’s health professionals is an act of service, compassion and courage. As we enter a defining era that is reshaping our health systems in a profound way, we need driven students like you to help meet the moment. Our healthcare services and sciences bachelor's degree at Western provides the educational experience to prepare you for a number of impactful careers in this growing field or to continue building your knowledge with a graduate degree. Our program will help you build a strong foundation on what it means to be a health professional with the option of choosing among five industry relevant preparation concentrations, complementary minors, a capstone project or internship opportunity.

Healthcare Services and Sciences
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5378 USA
(269) 387-3800

What can I do with a bachelor's degree in healthcare services and sciences from Western?

Learn basics like anatomy, medical terminology and ethics as well as specifics like health literacy, patient communication and service delivery with a bachelor's in healthcare services and sciences from Western. You'll be prepared to work with patients from all backgrounds and have deep understanding about the business, legal and budget issues specific to health care. You'll also have a strong foundation to continue your studies in medicine, dentistry and physical therapy.

Recent WMU graduates with degrees in healthcare services and sciences are working as:

  • Behavioral health directors
  • Social services directors
  • Clinical research specialists
  • Healthcare managers
  • Business intelligence analysts
  • Lab technicians
  • Patient care assistants

The organizations they work for include:

  • American Foundation for the Blind
  • MillerKnoll
  • Corewell Health
  • Henry Ford Health System
  • Perrigo
  • Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
  • Geisinger
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What's the curriculum?

With a healthcare services and sciences degree, you'll get critical skills to work in health care and and find in-depth study of the delivery and organization of health services, safety practices, health disparities, health informatics and more. You can also prepare for graduate school by focusing your bachelor's degree on any of our three concentrations: blindness and low vision studies, occupational therapy and physician assistant.

WMU also offers a long-term care administration minor, which prepares you to take the Michigan Nursing Home Administrator licensing exam.

WMU speech therapist and professor Heidi Douglas-Vogley works with news anchor for WWMT-TV Channel 3 Andy Dominianni in the Unified Clinics at WMU. Andy’s diagnosis of Spasmodic Dysphonia is one of many disorders that receive treatment through the Voice, Swallowing, Respiration and Resonance Clinical Laboratory.

Specialized knowledge

In addition to the bachelor’s degree, we also offer five concentrations to prepare you for graduate programs: physician assistant, audiology, blindness and low vision studies, occupational therapy and clinical practice in health. A complementary minor also adds to your career-readiness.
Learn about concentrations
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Capstone experience

Test your skills while you're still learning through a capstone experience. You'll complete an internship, professional project or research project that you can add to your resume.
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Healthcare services and sciences resources and experiences

Students listening to a professor in a health lab.
Because of the growing demand for health professionals, our Bachelor of Science in healthcare services and sciences degree prepares you for a career directly after graduation. Learn more about the resources we have available to help you succeed.
Discover health careers
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Are there health care scholarships available?

Yes, a number of department-specific and collegewide scholarships are awarded annually.
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