Health Sciences major

Health Sciences: courses, careers, and where to study

Health Sciences is a broad pre-professional major for students preparing for medical, dental, PA, PT, or pharmacy school, combining biology, chemistry, and patient-care exposure.

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Health Sciences earn a median $61,296 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $42,849 to $82,291 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college

Health Sciences is an umbrella undergraduate major covering the foundational sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology, microbiology) plus health-system context (epidemiology, public health, healthcare administration). It is a common pathway for students aiming at medical school, PA programs, dental school, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or pharmacy. Many programs include a clinical-shadowing or internship requirement.

Unlike a strict pre-med Biology track, Health Sciences leaves more room for healthcare-specific electives like medical ethics, healthcare policy, and global health. It also better positions graduates for direct-entry healthcare roles if they decide not to pursue further professional school.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Health Sciences maps to CIP 51.0000, Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General, within the HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS family. The official definition:

A general, introductory, undifferentiated, or joint program in health services occupations that prepares individuals for either entry into specialized training programs or for a variety of concentrations in the allied health area. Includes instruction in the basic sciences, research and clinical procedures, and aspects of the subject matter related to various health occupations.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Health Sciences is awarded as

Of the 45,005 Health Sciences credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:

  • Certificate: 14%, 6,323 credentials.
  • Associate: 35%, 15,813 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 47%, 20,997 credentials.
  • Graduate: 4%, 1,872 credentials.

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 49 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 37 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • General biology, chemistry, organic chemistry
  • Anatomy, physiology, microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Statistics and research methods
  • Public health and epidemiology fundamentals
  • Healthcare systems and policy
  • Medical ethics
  • Clinical or research internship

Typical careers

Typical salary range: $48,000–$75,000 early-career (varies widely by sub-pathway)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

How much do Health Sciences graduates earn?

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Health Sciences earn a median $61,296 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $42,849 to $82,291 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

National median earnings four years after graduating for Health Sciences, by credential
CredentialNational medianMiddle half of programs
Bachelor's$61,296$42,849 to $82,291
Associate's$51,180$35,101 to $72,128
Undergraduate certificate$43,833$27,360 to $64,755
Master's$78,149$55,861 to $109,866
Doctoral$101,669$66,981 to $148,779
Graduate certificate$63,888$50,976 to $81,106

Compare Health Sciences programs in your state

Highest-earning bachelor's Health Sciences programs

Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Health Sciences, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Health Sciences by the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
NO MATCHNot reportedNot reportedNot reportedNot reported

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections).

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Health Sciences does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

The federal crosswalk associates only one occupation with Health Sciences. That is a statement about the field, not about its graduates: a breadth degree is not tied to a particular job, so the crosswalk has little to map. Graduates of this field work across many occupations, and what follows the degree depends far more on the skills and experience built alongside it.

Before you commit to a Health Sciences major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Health Sciences program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Health Sciences department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Many health programs require specialized programmatic accreditation, and graduates often need state licensure or national certification to practice. Confirm a Health Sciences program's accreditation and your state's licensure requirements before you enroll.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Health Sciences careers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Health Sciences program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Health Sciences credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Health Sciences schools

Where Health Sciences credentials were awarded

37 states have a distinct enough set of Health Sciences colleges to be worth its own page.

Health Sciences by state

Every Health Sciences program with its own CampusPin page

79 programs in 25 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.

Health Sciences programs in Arizona, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in Arkansas, 4 programs
Health Sciences programs in California, 8 programs
Health Sciences programs in Colorado, 2 programs
Health Sciences programs in Connecticut, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in Florida, 9 programs
Health Sciences programs in Georgia, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in Idaho, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in Illinois, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in Indiana, 2 programs
Health Sciences programs in Kentucky, 2 programs
Health Sciences programs in Maine, 2 programs
Health Sciences programs in Maryland, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in Massachusetts, 2 programs
Health Sciences programs in Minnesota, 2 programs
Health Sciences programs in Missouri, 3 programs
Health Sciences programs in Nevada, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in New Hampshire, 3 programs
Health Sciences programs in New Jersey, 6 programs
Health Sciences programs in New York, 8 programs
Health Sciences programs in Ohio, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in Pennsylvania, 6 programs
Health Sciences programs in South Dakota, 1 program
Health Sciences programs in Texas, 9 programs
Health Sciences programs in Washington, 2 programs

Related majors

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Health Sciences degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Health Sciences degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Health Sciences path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.