Health and nursing - Public health or global health

In this online bachelor’s in kinesiology degree, you’ll explore the biological, psychological and physical aspects of human movement. Guided by expert faculty, you’ll engage in practical applications through mentorship and project-based learning. The curriculum combines biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, psychology and evidence-based practice to ensure a well-rounded foundation for your future education and career.

Courses delve into the scientific principles of human movement, from cellular processes to the body’s complex systems. Upon completing the program, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of:

• Biomechanics: The mechanics of movement and how the body generates force
• Exercise physiology: How the body responds and adapts to physical activity
• Human anatomy and physiology: The structure and function of the body
• Motor behavior and control: How the nervous system coordinates movement
• Psychosocial aspects of physical activity: The mental and social impacts of exercise

The skills you’ll develop

This program equips you with skills for careers focused on applying science to improve lives, promoting well-being and helping people stay active and injury-free. You’ll learn to assess human movement patterns, analyze the mechanics of motion and perform gain analysis and posture assessments. These skills will empower you to develop movement-based interventions and design safe, effective physical activity and rehabilitation programs tailored to individual needs and physiological factors.  

Additionally, you’ll refine your ability to interpret scientific research and apply evidence-based practices. These competencies will equip you to lead studies, conduct assessments and implement findings to solve complex problems, such as developing treatment protocols or optimizing performance outcomes. You’ll also strengthen your communication skills, ensuring you can effectively share scientific information with clients, patients and colleagues.

This online pre-med degree can set you on the path toward your future career in health care. Your courses will provide you with the prerequisite knowledge needed to apply to a variety of professional programs and prepare you for entrance exams. Health-related graduate programs you may pursue include:

• Dentistry
• Medicine (MD/DO)
• Naturopathy
• Occupational therapy
• Optometry
• Pharmacy
• Physician assistant
• Podiatry
• Veterinary

Please note, you must research the admission requirements for any professional schools you plan to apply to.

What you’ll learn in this pre-med bachelor’s degree

This program focuses on building your competencies as a future member of a health care team. While you’ll gain core knowledge in the sciences, you’ll also learn about evidence-based decision-making, health communication and cultural competence. You’ll graduate with a refined toolkit in leadership, critical thinking and professionalism in health care settings.

Customizable to your future goals, you’ll also have the opportunity to take courses that support your career path. You’ll complete an experiential learning course in your area of interest to culminate the program. In an internship, research or clinical health care course, you’ll apply what you learn to a supervised practical experience in a health-related setting.

Gain hands-on experience with in-person lab sessions

This pre-med program has an in-person, organic chemistry lab requirement at ASU’s Tempe campus. During a one-week summer session, you’ll conduct hands-on experiments, connect with fellow students and engage with faculty. The skills you’ll build in this lab experience are designed to support your post-graduation goals.

Global health studies encompasses the sociocultural and evolutionary roots of disease and its effects on the world’s population. Beyond medical treatment, global health studies focuses on creating effective, sustainable and culturally appropriate approaches to prevent, assess and mitigate disease.

In this program, you’ll use analytical measures to formulate research questions and examine drivers of health inequities. You’ll also consider the contexts that influence morbidity and disease trends, including ecological, political, cultural, institutional, historical, evolutionary, social and technological factors.

What’s the difference between a BA and BS in global health?

In our Bachelor of Arts in global health and Bachelor of Science programs, you’ll gain an understanding of the global burden of disease and the social and environmental determinants of health. When you choose the BA program, you also learn about building community partnerships to tackle health challenges.

This BS in global health is unique because you’ll focus on developing quantitative abilities, preparing you for research and scientific contribution to preventing disease. Upon graduation, your quantitative toolkit will consist of a variety of skills, such as:

• Applying public health sciences, such as biostatistics, epidemiology and environmental public health in a global context.
• Calculating and interpreting measures of disease frequency, effect and public health impact.
• Differentiating between causation and association.
• Explaining the advantages and limitations of observational research in epidemiology.
• Identifying observational and experimental study designs in scientific literature.
• Managing, evaluating and interpreting large amounts of data.

Who’s a good candidate for this program?

You’re an ideal candidate for this program if you’re motivated to address health inequities and engage in international collaboration. You should also be interested in health beyond the physical aspects of disease. In this program, you’ll focus on a scientific approach to solving global health issues, while keeping sight of social, cultural and evolutionary perspectives.

This program is suitable if you want to pursue health-related roles in settings such as departments of health, federal government agencies, international agencies, nonprofits or private organizations. Upon graduation, you’ll also be prepared to pursue graduate studies, which can lead to health careers in education and research.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. Applicable master's degrees with this opportunity include the Master of Science in global health.

This program encompasses key topics for future entrepreneurs and food service professionals. You’ll learn how nutrition impacts health through factors such as lifelong health, culture and community. You’ll also gain the expertise to manage food service enterprises through skills in management and strategy, communication, purchasing and leadership. This program’s curriculum explores routes for innovation within the food industry and covers a range of topics, including:

• Agriculture.
• Blogging.
• Business.
• Food marketing.
• Food purchasing.
• Food science.
• Leadership.  
• Management.
• Podcasting.
• Research and development.
• Social media.
• Sustainability.

Additionally, this program blends experiential learning into the curriculum. You’ll complete a 60-hour practicum with specialists in the field and have the opportunity to test to become ServeSafe® certified.

Who’s a good fit for this program?

This BAS in applied nutrition and health is ideal for those interested in nutrition and finding new ways to communicate with the public about nutrition and health, without the heavy science-focus present in similar degrees. You’ll study nutrition principles and develop business skills to advance your culinary career. You’ll also work with specialists in food and nutrition to gain hands-on leadership and management experience.

This program can prepare you for higher-level careers, such as a head cook, first-line supervisor or food service manager. You may also develop capabilities to launch a food- or nutrition-related startup or offer professional consulting services on your own.

Please note, the BAS in applied nutrition and health doesn’t provide a direct pathway to become a registered dietitian (RD) or dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and doesn’t result in a DPD verification. If you’re interested in becoming a registered dietitian, please ensure that you meet the advanced degree requirements, including specific courses and internship hours, needed to pursue a graduate program in dietetics. Students can review the ACEND website to review advanced degree programs to consider.

How is a Bachelor of Applied Science degree different from a BA or BS degree?

Bachelor of Applied Science degrees are designed specifically for students who’ve earned an Associate of Applied Science.

• Students who’ve earned an AAS from a regionally accredited institution may transfer 60 credit hours toward their BAS.
• Students who’ve earned an AAS from a regionally accredited Arizona community college may be eligible to transfer up to 75 credits toward their BAS.

Please plan to meet with an academic advisor to ensure your courses will meet degree requirements.

If you don’t have an AAS and aren’t planning to earn one, you may be interested in ASU Online’s Bachelor of Science in applied nutrition and health.

This bachelor’s program provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to move into a range of employment opportunities in community nutrition or food service industries or continue your education in a dietetics-focused graduate program.

Throughout this program, you’ll explore the fundamentals of nutrition, including macro and micronutrients and developing nutrition care plans. Additionally, you’ll delve into food sustainability, cultural aspects of food and health, food safety, and food and health policy, all of which prepare you to apply nutrition expertise to a variety of careers. You’ll also engage in experiential learning with community partners specializing in food and nutrition to gain real-world experience, develop professional relationships and establish a foundation for your future goals.

Focus your studies to fit your career path with one of three focus areas

This applied nutrition and health degree provides you with the opportunity to hone your passions, interests and career goals with your choice of one of three specialized focus areas. Each focus area includes 18 credits, or six classes, that emphasize each topic respectively. Available focus areas include:

• Community nutrition: Graduates are equipped with strategies for promoting health and wellness within communities and evidence-based social media tactics to address critical public health issues.
• Food service operations: Graduates develop the knowledge and skills needed to stay ahead of changing consumer demands, technological advancements and innovative dining concepts in the dynamic field of food service operations. Featured topics include management, strategy, supply chain management and entrepreneurship in food and nutrition.
• Pre-dietetics: For those interested in becoming registered dietitians, this focus offers the additional science and leadership courses required for dietetics-focused graduate programs.
  • In-person lab experiences are required for this track. Learn what to expect and how to prepare for the on-campus sessions.

Who’s a good fit for an applied nutrition and health degree?

If you’re interested in pursuing a career path in the nutrition and health industry, with a particular focus on community work, food service operations or working as a registered dietitian, this degree may be a great fit for you. Upon graduation, you’ll be prepared for a variety of career paths, including:

• Community nutrition and public health.
• Management of food service and sustainable food systems.
• Marketing and development of food products.
• Nutrition consulting.
• Nutrition and health communication and promotion.

Please note, the BS in applied nutrition and health doesn’t provide a direct pathway to become a registered dietitian (RD) or dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and doesn’t result in a DPD verification. If you’re interested in becoming a registered dietitian, please ensure that you meet the advanced degree requirements, including specific courses and internship hours, needed to pursue a graduate program in dietetics. Students can review the ACEND website to review advanced degree programs to consider.