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.

Administrators are critical in all settings that address mental and physical health. Administrative work centers on meeting patient needs, evaluating key services, budgeting, improvement and daily oversight of operations. Health care policy involves collaborating with leaders to establish industry standards, develop standard operating procedures, advocate for key issues and work with the government to create or amend regulations.

In this program, you’ll gain the competencies to achieve management or administrative roles within the health care system. You’ll also be equipped to work at the local or federal government level to shape laws and policies or advocate for meaningful health policy changes through nongovernmental organizations. Additionally, if you’re a practitioner, this program can help you develop the skills to effectively manage your practice.

The knowledge and skills you’ll develop

The curriculum covers the history and current implementation of policies, as well as the organization of various parts of the U.S. health care delivery system. This program offers you more flexibility if you're unsure whether you want to pursue a career path in the administration, operations or policy side of health care. You’ll also gain specialized skills related to:

• Budget and finance processes using Excel.
• Cultural humility.
• Data analysis and visualization with Excel.
• Economic analysis.
• Ethical decision-making.
• Leadership and professionalism.
• Knowledge of U.S. health care system organization.
• Policy analysis.
• Population health management.
• Process engineering/quality improvement.

Health care administration roles are in demand and well paid

The need for a nonclinical professional workforce continues to grow due to a rise in chronic conditions, changes in technology and increasingly complex regulations. This demand creates various opportunities for those passionate about working to ensure providers can deliver top-quality patient care. In this program, you’ll learn through a multidisciplinary approach taught by a diverse group of experienced faculty members. You’ll graduate prepared to become an administrative leader or team member in health care facilities, private practices, hospitals and more.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in health care occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2023 to 2033. Medical and health services managers are especially in demand, with projected job growth of 29% in the same time frame. Additionally, the median annual pay for the role was more than $110,000 as of 2023.

Coursework in this health sciences degree equips you with advanced knowledge in scientific research and the study of health, including how to improve health outcomes. Throughout your studies, you’ll also gain knowledge of basic data statistics, the U.S. health care system, current health challenges and more. Due to the broad nature of this discipline, you’ll be prepared to pursue a range of careers in health, health administration and public health fields upon graduation.

Focus your studies with one of five focus areas

While this program doesn’t lead to licensure, it allows you to specialize in an emerging and important aspect of the health sciences field with one of five focus areas, including:

• Community-based health outcomes: Assess disparities in health care, their causes and the impact of health education and promotion on population health.
• Health and media focus: Learn how to utilize media to improve health literacy through science-based communication, while learning to identify and avoid misinformation.
• Health legislation and regulation: Evaluate how health care is impacted by government policy, law, economics, and management.
• Integrative care: Examine the areas of complementary health care, wellness, and the prevention of chronic disease.
• Mental and behavioral health: Explore how mental and behavioral health impact overall well-being, as well as how mental illness and substance abuse are treated in the U.S. health care system.

You’ll have the opportunity to explore each focus area before choosing one to help you prepare for a career that meets your interests. This program culminates in an internship, allowing you to gain hands-on experience.

Choose the right health-focused program for your career goals

This bachelor’s in health sciences prepares you for a variety of career paths, such as medical and health service management, social services, patient advocacy and more. An additional health science program offering includes:

• Bachelor of Science in health sciences with a concentration in healthy lifestyles and fitness science: This program better prepares you for careers in health and wellness coaching and fitness science fields. Throughout this concentration, you’ll focus on motivating healthy change, understanding health behaviors and guiding others to achieve their goals.

Have you earned, or are you planning to earn, an Associate of Applied Science? If so, ask your ASU Online enrollment coach about transferring into the Bachelor of Applied Science in health sciences.