64 units

Allied health encompasses professions that provide technical, therapeutic, and support services within the healthcare field. The Bachelor of Science in Allied Health program comprises a rigorous curriculum that combines foundational biological, chemical, and physical knowledge with a variety of applied topics including psychology, statistics, and electives tailored to the student’s postgraduate goals. This program also provides an environment where undergraduate students can develop a Christian worldview and learn to integrate their faith into their future careers as allied health professionals.

The BS in Allied Health program is excellent preparation for a variety of allied health professions and meets most of the prerequisites for careers or graduate work in chiropractic care, clinical laboratory science, and physician assistance.

Note: Entry requirements differ among graduate schools and jobs. Students are responsible for researching the requirements of graduate programs and professions in which they are interested.

Requirements

All of the following requirements must be met to continue as an allied health, biological sciences, biochemistry, or chemistry major. A student’s failure to maintain these requirements will result in him or her being dropped from the major. Reentry to the major is by petition only.

• Must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all biology, chemistry, biochemistry, math, and physics courses required for the major.
• Must complete each course required for the major with a C- or higher for the course to meet a degree requirement in the Department of Biology and Chemistry.
• Any single course within the major can be taken only two times at APU; students must change to a major outside the department after two unsuccessful (below C-) attempts in a single required course.
• Only two courses total within the major can be repeated; students must change to a major outside the department after unsuccessful (below C-) attempts in any three required courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Biology
BIOL 151	General Biology I 1	4
BIOL 240	Biology of Microorganisms	4
BIOL 250	Human Anatomy	4
BIOL 251	Human Physiology	4
BIOL 280	Cell Biology	4
BIOL 300	Genetics 2	4
BIOL 396	Topics in Biology and Christian Thought 3	1
BIOL 496	Writing 3: Ethics and the Sciences 4	3
Chemistry
CHEM 151	General Chemistry I 1, 5	4
CHEM 152	General Chemistry II 5	4
CHEM 240	Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry 6	4
Mathematics
MATH 130	Introduction to Statistics 7	3
Note: MATH 130 does not meet the math prerequisite for BIOL 151 or CHEM 151. MATH 95, ALEKS 45 or equivalent is the math prerequisite for BIOL151. MATH 110 (B-), ALEKS 65 or equivalent is the math prerequisite for CHEM 151.
Physics
PHYC 155	Physics for Life Sciences I 1, 5	3
PHYC 145	Physics Laboratory I 1, 5	1
PHYC 156	Physics for Life Sciences II	3
PHYC 146	Physics Laboratory II	1
Psychology		3
PSYC 110	General Psychology 8
or PSYC 290	Human Growth and Development
Sociology
SOC 120	Introduction to Sociology 8	3
Electives
Select one of the following:		4
BIOC 360	Principles of Biochemistry 9
BIOC 270	Biomolecular Chemistry 9
BIOC 370	Biomolecular Metabolism 9
BIOL 320	Ecology 10
BIOL 326	Neurobiology 2
BIOL 336	Vertebrate Biology
BIOL 346	Regional Human Anatomy
BIOL 350	Mammalian Physiology
BIOL 365	Plant Biology
BIOL 410	Molecular Biology
BIOL 465	Practicum and Topics in Allied Health 2
BIOL 494	Advanced Topics in Biology
Select at least 3 units from the following: 3		3
BIOL 311	Teaching and Learning in STEM 11
BIOL 312	STEM Education Research Seminar 11
BIOL 313	STEM Teaching Practicum 11
BIOL 342	Medical Microbiology
BIOL 390	Pre-health Seminar 11
BIOL 391	Medical Missions Practicum 11
BIOL 394	Directed Research Internship 11
BIOL 395	Biological Science Internship 11
BIOL 435	Stewardship Ecology
BIOL 440	Developmental Biology
BIOL 490	Biology Seminar 11
BIOL 495	Advanced Topics in Biology
BIOL 497	Readings 11
or an additional 4-unit course from the previous electives list above
Total Units		64

¹

Meets the General Education Natural Sciences requirement.

²

Meets the General Education Integrative and Applied Learning requirement.

³

BIOL 152 meets this requirement if taken at APU.

⁴

Meets the General Education Writing 3 requirement.

⁵

This course may be waived with an appropriate Advanced Placement test score. 

⁶

CHEM 251, CHEM 261, CHEM 252, CHEM 262, and BIOC 360 taken together meet the requirements for CHEM 240 and a 4-unit BIOL upper-division lab course.

⁷

Meets the General Education Quantitative Literacy requirement.

⁸

Meets the General Education Social Sciences requirement.

⁹

Students should take BIOC 360 if taking only one semester of biochemistry. For a two-semester sequence, BIOC 270 and BIOC 370 should be taken. Credit will not be given for both BIOC 360 and BIOC 270, nor for both BIOC 360 and BIOC 370. BIOC 360 is an elective option only for students who have completed CHEM 252 and CHEM 262.

¹⁰

Meets the General Education Civic Knowledge and Engagement requirement.

¹¹

Students may take a maximum of 3 units total from BIOL 311, BIOL 312, BIOL 313, BIOL 390, BIOL 391, BIOL 394, BIOL 395, BIOL 490, or BIOL 497 for elective credit. 

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program shall be able to:

1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge base in their chosen field.
2. Effectively communicate scientific ideas and research orally.
3. Effectively communicate scientific ideas and research in writing.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in problem solving and applying the scientific method to scientific questions.
5. Demonstrate laboratory skills and techniques.
6. Express a Christian worldview that integrates faith with their vocation.