Online Health Science Degree Guide: Accredited Programs

Health science is a broad field. Accordingly, an online health science degree can be a springboard to many jobs. It can help you start the path toward a career in nursing, healthcare management, medical technology, health education, epidemiology, and more.

It’s an evolving field, but health science gives you a foundation of knowledge. This foundation can build into a rewarding and interesting career in healthcare.

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ARTICLE NAVIGATION:

• Online Health Science Degree Levels: Diploma | Certificate | Associate | Bachelor | Bachelor Completion | Graduate Certificate | Master’s | Post-Graduate Certificate | Doctorate
• Accreditation for Online Health Science Degrees
• Can an Online Health Science Degree Meet Licensing Requirements?
• Licensing for Online Health Science Degree Graduates
• Careers for Online Health Science Degree Graduates
• Expected Salary with an Online Health Science Degree

Diploma

If you didn’t finish high school and want a quick path to a career, a diploma in health sciences may be an option. These online health science degrees are fairly short, requiring eight to ten courses. With a fast track schedule, you can finish in as little as four months.

These diplomas, accredited by the Distance Learning Accrediting Commission, qualify graduates for careers such as:

• Medical assistant
• Ophthalmic medical assistant
• Phlebotomist
• ECG technician

Diplomas provide job options while helping you learn more about the healthcare field. At the same time, they do not require the large time commitment of a larger degree program.

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Certificate

Certificates can help people start a health science career in a short time. They are also good for current health science pros to expand their skills and job options.

Full online health science degrees, such as an associate or bachelor’s, are broad and teach a variety of skills. Certificates, on the other hand, are focused and technical. They guide students towards a specific career and can be completed quickly. Could not look up school using "1"! Anatomy and Physiology Certificate, for instance, can be finished in just one month, although the average time is still a very reasonable two months.

Some certificates are for current workers. For example, the online Certificate in Histotechnology from Could not look up school using "22944"! is for people who work in histology labs. They can also be used to start a career in medical assisting, surgical assisting, and other entry-level positions.

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Associate

An associate’s degree can lead to a wide range of jobs in health science. This type of online health science degree typically takes two to three years of study. People interested in healthcare who aren’t sure what path they want to take can benefit from these broad educations. As a matter of fact, the degrees are often designed to prepare you to go on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in a specific healthcare field.

Some online health science degrees can transition into higher education. For example, the AS in Health Science from Could not look up school using "23775"! is a pre-nursing degree. Accordingly, it includes the foundational courses needed to advance into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

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Bachelor

A bachelor’s degree is for healthcare workers who want to advance their careers. It can qualify you for leadership and management positions. As a result, healthcare employees commonly use these online health science degrees to become health services managers.

Bachelor’s degrees require four years of study and at least 120 credit hours. These degrees are available 100% online. They can lead to careers such as health services manager, nutritionist, recreational therapist, and exercise physiologist. All of these require at least a bachelor’s, although further training may be required for some careers.

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Bachelor Completion

These programs are for current healthcare and medical industry employees. They are available 100% online and require students to have an associate’s degree. For the most part, they can be completed in about two years. It may take more or less time, however, depending on how many of your credits transfer to the bachelor completion program.

Many of these programs are bachelor of science degrees. The BS in Health Sciences Degree Completion Program from Could not look up school using "859"! covers many topics. In fact, students study subjects including disabilities, healthcare resources, human science, and legal issues. This online health science degree prepares you for leadership roles such as a health services manager.

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Graduate Certificate

A graduate certificate is ideal for current healthcare workers to build their skills in a specific area. Graduate certificates, which require a bachelor’s degree, can help advance your career, especially in leadership areas.

They can cover topics such as:

• Clinical research
• Healthcare management
• Medical neuroscience
• Bioethics
• Patient safety
• Healthcare education (teaching future healthcare workers)
• Pain management
• Integrative health
• Surgical assisting

These programs vary in size. For instance, the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Operations & Healthcare Management from Could not look up school using "3181"! requires six courses. In detail, this program is a total of 18 credit hours and can be completed in just one year.

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Master’s

A master’s degree is, in fact, the required education for many health careers. Athletic trainers, genetic counselors, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists require this type of online health science degree. While these careers require specific education, an online master’s degree can make you an expert in the field. Master’s degrees also serve as a building block for future education, such as a doctorate in health science.

A master’s in health science requires a bachelor’s degree for admission. They can be completed online and lead to careers in management, teaching, integrative medicine, and more.

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Post-Graduate Certificate

Health science workers with a master’s degree can enroll in a post-graduate certificate. These certificates chiefly build your expertise in a specific subject. For example, some options include health science librarianship and the education of future healthcare workers.

These programs can be completed in roughly a year. The Post-Master’s Certificate in Evidence-Based Health Science Librarianship from Could not look up school using "1563"!, for example, requires seven classes and 21 credits. Others may require as few as nine credits.

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Doctorate

Students who want to become medical scientists will need advanced online health science degrees in a related field. While there are many options (biology, chemistry, etc.), a Ph.D. in health science will provide the skills and knowledge you need for this challenging career.

These Ph.D. programs are available fully online. With this format, medical experts can study while working in medical science or healthcare. Typically, they require three years to complete, although the total can be more or less depending on your study load. They prepare students for careers as medical scientists, as well as teaching roles in higher education. They do not, however, qualify students to become medical doctors or physicians. For that, an M.D. program is required.

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Online health science degrees come in all shapes and sizes, from diplomas to doctorates, in a number of fields. Similarly, accreditation for these wide-ranging programs is just as varied.

Regional accreditation covers the whole school. It comes from groups such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Some online schools instead have accreditation from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). Regardless of the program or subject, always check for institutional accreditation of the school itself.

Many groups provide programmatic accreditation for online health science degrees. The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) is one of the largest. You can also find programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is another trusted group.

Resources:

• NAACLS
• CAAHEP
• ABHES

Online health science degrees generally do not prepare you for licensing in a specific career. This is because health science is a broad education that covers a myriad of topics. It does not focus on a specific discipline. Also, many of the careers that come after a health-science degree do not require licensing. Experts such as epidemiologists and health educators don’t need licenses.

Professions that do need licensing require additional education beyond an online health science degree. For instance, nurses may hold a bachelor’s degree in health science, but they need a nursing degree to qualify for nursing licenses.

Because there are so many potential careers, it’s nearly impossible to discuss licensing requirements fully. However, many careers that stem from a health science career do not require licensing.

Medical scientists do not need licensing unless they administer drugs or therapy. In that case, the scientist needs a license to practice as a physician, which is not achieved with a Ph.D. in health science. Other careers in health science that do not need licensing include epidemiologist, health educator, and environmental scientist.

Many online health science degrees lead to an administrative role, such as a health services manager. In this profession, the only people who need licensing are managers who oversee nursing homes. This licensing is completed by states with support from the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards.

In Missouri, for example, the process follows these steps:

1. Firstly, graduate with an associate’s degree or higher.
2. Applicants may need experience depending on their degree. For example, you may need an associate’s and two years of experience in a care setting.
3. Afterwards, complete and sign the application for licensing.
4. Provide documents including birth certificate, diploma, and college transcripts.
5. Submit to a criminal background screening.
6. Pay $150 for testing.
7. Lastly, take the test and await results from the state board.

Resource:

• Missouri - Nursing Home Administrator Qualification & Checklist

Numerous health science occupations will see strong growth. Epidemiologists, for example, are expected to grow by 26% between 2021 and 2031. By comparison, health education specialists will see a growth rate of 12%. This will result in nearly 142,000 jobs by the end of the ten-year period.

The expected growth for other careers rooted in health science include:

• Genetics counselors: 18%
• Medical scientists: 17%
• Phlebotomists: 10%
• Microbiologists: 9%
• Dietitians: 7%
• Recreational therapists: 4%

Many factors will contribute to the growth. Epidemiologists, for example, will see growth because of a demand for the identification and mitigation of diseases. Genetics counselors, on the other hand, are a small group in a growing profession. Growth will be driven by the fact that there are so few right now. There were only 2,900 across the U.S. in 2021.

Resource:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics - Occupational Outlook Handbook

With these careers, you can likely expect a high pay rate. Of course, there are many variables. Your career, location, experience, and talents can greatly affect rates. However, many careers bring pay well above the median for all careers.

Here are median salaries and minimum education for a handful of health science careers. You’ll notice that as you progress in education, the potential salaries accordingly trend upward:

Career	Median Salary	Required Education
Biochemist	$102,270	Doctorate
Medical Scientist	$95,310	Doctorate
Genetics Counselor	$80,150	Master’s
Microbiologist	$79,260	Bachelor
Epidemiologist	$78,830	Master’s
Dietitian	$61,650	Bachelor
Health Educator	$48,860	Bachelor
Recreational Therapist	$47,940	Bachelor
Phlebotomist	$37,380	Certificate

Whether you want to complete high school with a healthcare pathway or you need to fit a doctorate into your busy life, you’ll find online programs to fit your goals at GetEducated.com. Submit your information today so that you can find the perfect online health science degree for your future.