BA in Allied Health

The B.A. and B.S. in Allied Health programs prepares students for careers or graduate work in nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, chiropractic care, physician assistant positions, and more.

67 units

Allied health encompasses professions that provide technical, therapeutic, and support services within the healthcare field. The Bachelor of Arts 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 career 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 BA 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 cytotechnology, entry-level master’s in nursing, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, orthotics and prosthetics, physical therapy, physical therapy assistance, and radiation technology. Students interested in these careers may consider APU’s Pre-Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy Track.

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, biology, 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.
Biology
BIOL 151General Biology I 14
BIOL 220General Microbiology 24
or BIOL 226 Intro to Neurobiology
BIOL 250Human Anatomy4
BIOL 251Human Physiology4
BIOL 396Topics in Biology and Christian Thought 31
BIOL 465Practicum and Topics in Allied Health 44
BIOL 496Writing 3: Ethics and the Sciences 53
Chemistry
CHEM 151General Chemistry I 1, 64
CHEM 152General Chemistry II 64
Math
MATH 130Introduction to Statistics 7, 83
Physics
PHYC 151Physics for Life Sciences I 1, 64
PHYC 152Physics for Life Sciences II 64
Psychology
PSYC 110General Psychology 93
PSYC 290Human Growth and Development 93
BA Electives, Group 1
Select 8 units of the following:8
BIOL 346
Regional Human Anatomy
CHEM 240
Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry 10, 11
KIN 363
Physiology of Exercise 12
KIN 364
Kinesiology 12
BA Electives, Group 2
Select 9 units of the following (at least 3 units must be in PSYC):9
BIOL 311
Teaching and Learning in STEM 13
BIOL 312
STEM Education Research Seminar 13
BIOL 313
STEM Teaching Practicum 13
BIOL 394
Directed Research Internship 13
BIOL 390
Pre-health Seminar 13
BIOL 395
Biological Science Internship 13
PSYC 345
Psychology of Child and Adolescent Development 9
PSYC 355
Psychology of Adult Development
PSYC 360
Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 362
Research Methods in Psychology
PSYC 380
Psychology of Personality
PSYC 385
Health Psychology
PSYC 400
Multicultural Psychology 14
PSYC 410
Psychology of Exceptional Children
PSYC 432
Psychosocial Interventions in Pediatric Health Care
PSYC 485
Stress and Coping
Total Units66
1

Meets the General Education Natural Sciences requirement.

2

BIOL 220 is recommended for students interested in nursing careers. BIOL 226 is recommended for students interested in physical therapy careers.

3

BIOL 152 meets this requirement if taken at APU.

4

Meets the General Education Integrative and Applied Learning requirement.

5

Meets the General Education Writing 3 requirement.

6

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

7

Meets the General Education Quantitative Literacy requirement.  

8

MATH 130 does not meet the math prerequisite for BIOL 151 or CHEM 151. MATH 95, an ALEKS score of 45, or equivalent is the math prerequisite for BIOL 151; MATH 110 (with a B-), an ALEKS score of 65, or equivalent is the math prerequisite for CHEM 151.

9

Meets the General Education Social Sciences requirement.

10

Recommended for students interested in nursing careers.

11

CHEM 251, CHEM 261, CHEM 252, CHEM 262, and BIOC 360 taken together meet the requirements of BA elective CHEM 240 and an additional BA elective from either elective group.

12

Recommended for students interested in physical therapy careers.

13

Up to 3 units combined of BIOL 311, BIOL 312, BIOL 313, BIOL 390, BIOL 394, or BIOL 395 may count toward major elective units.

14

Meets the General Education Intercultural Competence requirement.

Program Learning Outcomes

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