Health Services

The Bachelor of Sciences in Health Services (BSHS) includes a mix of academic and technical training that meets the needs of regional health care employers. The degree is designed to provide an efficient, flexible, and technically relevant path to a four-year degree, which allows students to pursue entry-level employment in a health care setting and/or prepare for graduate/advanced professional-level training programs. Individuals who hold an associate degree, technical degree, or professional certification, and who currently work in a health care setting will also find the program to be a flexible degree completion program that facilitates career advancement.

The Program

The BSHS program has broad requirements, and allows students tremendous flexibility to tailor their plan of study to meet their unique career interests.

Students are required to meet with their academic advisor to create a plan of study that addresses all program requirements. The plan must be approved by the student’s advisor and the College of Health Professions’ Dean’s Office at least one semester prior to graduating with the BSHS degree.

Experiential Training

A core element of the BSHS degree is that students gain hands on learning experiences that prepare them for their own, unique health care career.  Students must complete at least 15 credits of approved experiential training, although students are highly encouraged to complete additional experiential credits. As previously noted, those experiences may be based in research, clinical work, or general internship experiences.

Students may complete experiential credits offered by the College of Health Professions, other departments at NDSU, other colleges and universities in the Tri-College system (i.e., NDSU, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Concordia College, North Dakota State College of Science, and Minnesota State Community and Technical College), and other North Dakota University System campuses. Experiential credits offered through the College of Health Professions will include both research opportunities, as well as opportunities to complete clinical experience credits at hospitals and health systems within the region.

While students have tremendous flexibility in selecting their experiential training, each college/university, academic department, and clinical site may have additional requirements (or assess tuition that differs from NDSU) to complete those experiences. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to ensure that all academic prerequisites and professional requirements necessary to enroll in their intended experiential education courses are met.

Students who hold an associate degree, technical degree, or professional certification in a health-related field may, upon approval from the student’s advisor and the College of Health Professions’ Dean’s Office, use those previously earned credits to satisfy BSHS experiential training requirements.

Career Opportunities

Regional and national workforce estimates indicate an increased need for qualified physicians, physician assistants, medical records and health information management personnel, as well as a variety of technically oriented health care workers between now and 2026.  North Dakota job growth percentages for different areas (2014-2024) compared to national (2016-2026) suggest similar workforce needs (U.S. Department of Labors projections and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Healthcare Occupation Outlook):

• Physician Assistants: North Dakota 31%; National 37%
• Cardiovascular Technologists/Technicians: North Dakota 34%; National 10%
• Surgical Technologists: North Dakota 24%; National 12%
• Medical Laboratory Technologists: North Dakota 25%, National 12%
• Medical Records and Health Information Technologists: North Dakota 23%, National 13%

Many entry-level health care careers require a unique mix of traditional academic and professional/technical education, which are not included in any current degree offerings at NDSU. Students may obtain this training in graduate and/or professional programs (pharmaceutical sciences, public health, etc.) or at community and technical colleges (surgical technology, health information technology, etc.). The BSHS degree provides students flexibility in planning to meet the unique academic requirements of their professional/graduate/technical program of interest while completing a well-rounded bachelor degree.

Transferring Credits

View NDSU equivalencies of transfer courses at: www.ndsu.edu/transfer/equivalencies

Sample Program Guide

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: A Sample Program Guide provides an unofficial guide of program requirements and should be used by prospective students who are considering attending NDSU in the future. It is NOT an official curriculum and should NOT be used by current NDSU students for official degree planning purposes. Note that the official curriculum used by current NDSU students can vary from the Sample Program Guide due to a variety of factors such as, but not limited to, start year, education goals, transfer credit, and course availability.

To ensure proper program completion, enrolled students should utilize Degree Map and Schedule Planner in Campus Connection and consult regularly with their academic advisor to ensure requirements are being met.