Health Sciences Degree – Wayne State College Nebraska

Explore the Health Sciences degree program

The Health Sciences degree program at Wayne State College is a great path to choose if you are interested in a career in the medical field – medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, physical or occupational therapy, medical laboratory science, and other allied health science fields.

Your education will be heavily based in biology and chemistry with emphasis on how it relates to health sciences. The Health Sciences degree program is often chosen as part of a pre-professional program in the medical field.

With a Health Sciences degree, you will be prepared to move on to career possibilities such as a physician, nurse, or similar health profession, or graduate work in medicine.

View program courses Download program fact sheet (PDF)

Fast facts

Degree options: B.A. or B.S. in Chemistry/Health Sciences

Delivery format: On campus (Wayne)

Program credit hours: 55

Chemistry core (12 credit hours)
Health sciences concentration (43 credit hours)

Note: Students must also take 30 credit hours of General Studies courses. A total of 120 credit hours are needed to graduate from WSC. Additional majors or minors can be added to help meet graduation requirements.

School: Science, Health, and Criminal Justice

Department: Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Prepare for your future

Opportunities and outcomes

Chemistry and health sciences topics covered

Analysis of chemical compounds and properties
Behavior and properties of matter at the molecular and atomic level
Biochemistry with emphasis on structure, function, and metabolism
Chemical processes and reactions
Fundamental aspects of organic chemistry
Principles and theories of inorganic chemistry
Use of modern lab equipment and instruments in chemistry
Human anatomy and organ systems
Molecular genetics and the use of molecular technology
Physiological process of the human body
Applied probability and statistics

Student learning outcomes

Demonstrate mastery of the theoretical aspects of chemistry
Demonstrate mastery in the technical aspects of chemistry
Communicate effectively in a chemical manner, both verbally and in writing
Apply mathematical and mechanistic problem-solving skills to chemistry processes
Operate standard laboratory equipment and instruments and be able to interpret the data or spectra obtained

Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP)

RHOP is a special partnership between Wayne State College and the University of Nebraska-Medical Center (UNMC) that recruits and educates students from rural Nebraska to become health care professionals who will provide services in rural Nebraska communities. The program offers a full-tuition scholarship at WSC, guaranteed admission to UNMC, job shadowing and internship experiences, one-on-one advising, and early registration privileges. Participating fields include dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, medical lab science, radiography, occupational therapy, and physician assistant.

Rural Health Opportunities Program

Health sciences internships

Our outstanding Career Services Office is available to help you find health sciences internships and career opportunities. Students recently completed internships at the following locations:

Faith Regional Health Services
Franciscan Healthcare
Michael Foods
Providence Medical Center
Sidney Regional Medical Center

Career services and internships

Graduates of the Health Sciences degree program continue their education in medical or professional schools. They also work in their chosen field using the skills they learned while at Wayne State College. Each year, eager employers welcome WSC graduates into their organizations.

Jobs of recent graduates:

(without advanced degree, or while pursuing advanced degree)

Biochemist – Premier Psychiatric Group (Lincoln, Neb.)
Certified Pharmacy Technician – Providence Community Pharmacy (Wayne, Neb.)
Certified Nurse Aid – Faith Regional Health Services (Norfolk, Neb.)
Patient Care Technician – Nebraska Medicine (Omaha, Neb.)
Quality Control Chemist – MacDermid (Ferndale, Michigan)

job or grad school placement rate
within six months of graduation
Data based on most recent
employment outcomes survey

After graduating from Wayne State College, recent grads pursued advanced degrees at the following schools:

Chiropractic Medicine (D.C.) - Palmer College of Chiropractic (Davenport, Iowa)
Medicine (M.D.) - University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kan.)
Neuroscience (Ph.D.) – University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, Neb.)
Optometry (O.D.) – University of Missouri (St. Louis, Miss.)
Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) – A.T. Still University (Kirksville, Mo.)
Pediatric Medicine (M.D.) – American University of the Caribbean (Cupecoy, island of St. Maarten)
Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) - Chapman University (Irvine, Calif.)
Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) - University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, Neb.)

Cost of attendance

Most Affordable College in Nebraska

- College Affordability Guide, 2024

Wayne State is considered the most affordable four-year college or university in Nebraska. With same rates for in- and out-of-state students, our tuition guarantee, and our generous scholarship packages, it is clear to see how WSC earned the title. In fact, the average remaining annual cost of attendance for 2024-25 is $2,268 for undergraduate students after financial aid and scholarships.

Health Sciences degree program courses

Students must complete the chemistry core and the health sciences concentration courses. A B.S. in Health Sciences can also be awarded when following a prescribed pre-professional program and completing your junior and/or senior year(s) at an approved professional school. A total of 120 credit hours are needed to graduate from WSC. Additional majors or minors can be added to help meet graduation requirements.

Note: BIO 110 Biology Concepts must be taken as the CAT 7 General Studies requirement, and MAT 140 Calculus I (5) must be taken as the CAT 3 General Studies requirement.

Chemistry
core
credits

Health sciences
concentration
credits

Total
program
credits

Chemistry core courses (12 credits)

Credits: 4
Description: Emphasis on nomenclature, atomic structure, bonding, gaseous and liquid states, equilibrium, and stoichiometry. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: High school chemistry or CHE 102 Chemistry for General Studies
Credits: 4
Description: A continuation of CHE 106 General Chemistry I with emphasis on kinetics, redox reactions, molecular geometry, hydrolysis, electrochemistry, and solubility products. Qualitative analysis included. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 106 or by consent of instructor
Credits: 4
Description: Emphasis on theories and application of quantitative analysis including gravimetric and volumetric procedures. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 107 General Chemistry II

Health sciences concentration courses (43 credit hours)

Credits: 4
Description: Study of the anatomic structure of the human organism. The 11 organ systems of the human and representative quadrupeds will be examined in detail with lecture, dissection, and other laboratory exercises. Dissection is required of all students taking this course. An understanding of human anatomy is beneficial for students that will ultimately enroll in advanced courses of cell biology, histology, comparative vertebrate embryology and anatomy, and parasitology. Having training in human anatomy is also beneficial for students interested in health-related and biomedical careers. (3 hours lecture and one 3 hour lab) $20 class fee required.
Prerequisite: BIO 110 Biology Concepts
Credits: 4
Description: A study of the mechanisms of inheritance, the molecular basis of gene action and the use of molecular techniques and molecular technology in biomedical, agricultural, and industrial research. The lab component of this course focuses on hands-on use of molecular equipment and technologies used in graduate and industrial molecular based research. (3 hours lecture, 3 hours lab) $20 class fee required.
Prerequisites: C- or better in BIO 110 Biology Concepts and CHE 106 General Chemistry I
Credits: 4
Description: A study of the fundamental physiological processes of the human body. Functions of the 11 organ systems will be studied. (3 hours lecture and one 3-hour lab) $20 class fee required.
Prerequisite: BIO 220 Human Anatomy and CHE 106 General Chemistry I
Credits: 4
Description: This course is designed to allow students to learn the fundamental aspects of organic chemistry. Among the topics covered will be structure determination, bonding, stereochemistry, and spectroscopy. Also included are the structure and reactivity of alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides, and alcohols. The laboratory work will introduce the equipment and techniques of chemistry, which relate to the material discussed in the lecture. The experiments will develop organic laboratory techniques for product formation, isolation, purification, and identification. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 107 General Chemistry II
Credits: 4
Description: This is a continuation of CHE 314. Among the topics covered will be electrophilic substitution, alcohols, aromatic chemistry, ethers, epoxides, and carbonyl chemistry-including nucleophilic substitution, carboxylic acids, alpha-substitution, and condensation reactions. The laboratory work introduces the equipment and techniques of organic chemistry, which relate to the material discussed in the lecture. The experiments will develop synthetic methods for product formation, isolation, purification, and identification. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 314 Organic Chemistry II
Credits: 4
Description: Study of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates with emphasis on their structure, function, and metabolism. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 208 Introductory Organic Chemistry or CHE 315 Organic Chemistry II
Credits: 3
Description: An introduction to the practice of statistics including sampling, experimental design, data displays, descriptive statistics, binomial and normal probability distributions, sampling distributions, one and two sample confidence intervals, hypothesis tests for means and proportions, and linear regression with analysis. Traditional and resampling/bootstrapping methods are employed. (4 hours of lecture-lab combined)
Prerequisite: C- or better in MAT 121 College Algebra, MAT 130 Precalculus, or MAT 140 Calculus I
Credits: 4
Description: A calculus- based general physics course intended primarily for scientists, pre-engineers, computer and math majors and advanced health professional students. Topics include vectors, kinematics and dynamics, equilibrium, rotational motion, energy, momentum, oscillations, fluids, and thermodynamics. Concurrent enrollment in PHY 321 Physical Lab I required.
Prerequisites: High school physics, and MAT 140 Calculus I or equivalent calculus class
Credits: 1
Description: This laboratory is a required course for both PHY 201 General Physics I and PHY 301 University Physics I. Concurrent enrollment in PHY 201 General Physics I or PHY 301 University Physics I is recommended. Experiments, appropriate to the level of lecture, include topics in mechanics, momentum, work and energy, and fluids. 3 hours lab. Lab fee of $20 required.
Credits: 1
Description: A second semester calculus-based general physics course intended primarily for scientists, pre-engineers, computer and math majors, and advanced health professional students. Topics include electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics. Concurrent enrollment in PHY 322 Physics Lab II by advisement.
Prerequisite: PHY 301 University Physics I
Credits: 1
Description: This laboratory is a required course for PHY 202 General Physics II but may be taken in a subsequent semester. It is optional for PHY 302 University Physics II, depending on the student’s program. Experiments, appropriate to the level of the lecture, include topics in electricity, magnetism, and basic optics. 3 hours lab. Lab fee of $20 required.
Choose at least 6 hours from the following courses:
- CHE 380 Instrumental Analysis (4 credits) – Instrumental analysis in qualitative and quantitative procedures employing IR, UV, visible and atomic absorption spectrometers as well as other modern instruments such as gas chromatographs and electroanalytical system. (3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory) $20 class fee required. Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 305 Analytical Chemistry
- CHE 390 Inorganic Chemistry (3 credits) – Principles and theories of inorganic chemistry. Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 107 General Chemistry II
- CHE 426 Biochemistry II (3 credits) – Bioenergetics, membrane transport, enzymes, mechanisms, and special topics in intermediary metabolism. Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 326 Biochemistry I
- CHE 456 Physical Chemistry I (3 credits) - Investigations into the properties of ideal and real gases, the first, second, and third laws of thermodynamics, the thermodynamics of pure substances, simple mixtures, chemical equilibrium, and equilibrium electrochemistry with special applications for the life sciences. Prerequisite: PHY 301 University Physics I

Popular pairings

Many students at Wayne State will add a second major or a minor to complement their program of study or to focus their studies on a specific topic. Students who recently majored in Health Sciences at Wayne State also paired this major with one or more of the following programs:

Biology (major or minor)
Criminal Justice (major or minor)
Foods and Nutrition (major or minor)
Psychology (major or minor)
Public and Global Health (minor)

View all majors and minors

Related programs

Students interested in the Health Sciences program may also be interested in:

Biology (B.A. or B.S.)
Chemical Sciences (B.A. or B.S.)
Pre-Professional Health

Alumni Spotlight: Bryant Carlson

Bryant Carlson graduated in 2018 with a Chemistry/Health Sciences degree (Pre-Medicine track) and attended medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Bryant says medicine was the perfect match for him because he loves science and he loves working with people, and he has a strong desire to help improve the lives of people of all ages by caring for their health needs. He encourages anyone considering a medical career to take available opportunities to develop people skills in addition to gaining scientific knowledge.

Bryant Carlson '18

Major at WSC: Health Sciences