Health Sciences

Health science is a general term including all the applied disciplines involved in the delivery and improvement of healthcare. Bachelors and Masters in Health Sciences include knowledge from other fields, such as natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which can be applied in clinical healthcare research and practice, and in public health education. There are more than 50 different specializations within the field, which can be grouped into three major disciplines: physiological sciences, clinical engineering, and medical physics, and life sciences.

Universities and colleges generally offer degrees in health science at the undergraduate level, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Professional Studies, but also provide graduate degrees. Specializations in health sciences include anatomy, physiology, pharmacy, radiography, neurophysiology, microbiology, epidemiology, immunology, others. Areas of focus can also refer to more managerial-oriented studies, as for example health information management, health services, and management, health planning, or international health.

Some healthcare professionals work in laboratories, investigating diseases, or discovering new treatments, while others work in direct contact with patients in clinical care. Graduates can practice in public hospitals, private clinics, schools, community health services, and governmental agencies. Career prospects include work as nurses, physician assistants, physiotherapists, pharmacists, health educators, health inspectors, social workers, and freelancers in alternative therapies.