Health Sciences, B.S.

Saint Louis University's undergraduate degree in health sciences is a path for students interested in entering clinically related health fields or for students interested in health informatics and health data management fields. It also provides a solid scientific and health-oriented curriculum for professional or graduate education. The goal of many students in the health sciences program is to become prepared for professional and research careers in the rapidly changing world of health, with particular emphasis on the holistic context in which health care is delivered. Students in the health information management concentration are prepared for diverse career opportunities in health information fields and to take the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) nationally recognized credentialing exam offered by the American Health Information Management Association.

• The program provides a holistic view of health care that serves as a great pre-professional option for students going on to graduate education.
• In addition to learning about health sciences and anatomy and physiology, students will also learn about research methods, health care management, process improvement, health care technology, health care policy and law and more.
• Faculty members provide tremendous mentorship to help the students in every phase of their education.
• Information technology is integrated throughout the curriculum, providing students with hands-on exposure and experience with typical health care industry systems.

The health care industry is growing and changing rapidly. A new generation of health professionals will be needed to examine old problems from a fresh perspective and arrive at innovative theories, policies and technologies that address emerging health concerns.

Students prepare for these challenges by offering curricular tracks in pre-medicine, medical scholar, pre-dentistry, pre-physician assistant, pre-pharmacy, pre-physical therapy, pre-occupational therapy, health information management concentration and a general health science curriculum. Each curricular track is optimized to prepare students for graduate studies and the workforce.

Advantages to earning your B.S. in Health Sciences at Saint Louis University include:

• An education based on Jesuit principles with a mission to prepare professionals who possess the competence, compassion and conduct essential to a health professional
• A flexible curriculum that allows for diverse areas of concentration
• Instruction by professionally credentialed faculty
• Medically relevant coursework ideal for a variety of post-baccalaureate study choices

In addition to the other pre-professional tracks and scholars programs available through the health sciences program, interested students are encouraged to learn more about the Pharmacy Scholars option — an exclusive opportunity for qualified incoming Saint Louis University first-year students to gain a guaranteed interview to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program at University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis and access to an accelerated pathway to completing both their bachelor's degree and their Pharm.D.

Curriculum Overview

The health sciences program at Saint Louis University offers a flexible curriculum that prepares students for a variety of health career environments. The curriculum is built on a strong science foundation that threads a holistic approach to understanding health care throughout the educational model.

SLU's health sciences program will provide students with:

• A solid, scientific baseline for pre-professional and/or pre-med scholars for entry into post-baccalaureate studies after graduating
• A path for those interested in entering a non-clinical, health-related field
• For HIM concentration students, use of an educational-based electronic health record, encoding systems, database management, statistical software and various other health information systems

The health sciences degree requires a minimum of 120 credits. Most importantly, the program strives to equip graduates to understand the health care system and its complexities while still providing a solid scientific knowledge base.

Careers

The majority of students with a bachelor's degree in health sciences go on to medical school, graduate school or other post-baccalaureate studies. Students are also prepared for non-clinical employment opportunities within health care, such as:

• Health Care Coordinator: The point of contact to help coordinate patient support and services. As the liaison between patients, families, medical staff and services, coordinators provide management of the health and well-being of the patient.
• Case Manager: Based in home health agencies, health care management companies, the insurance industry or elderly care settings, case managers assist in the management of daily operations and provide support to multidisciplinary teams to ensure quality patient care is delivered.
• Health Services Manager: Provides management and direction to the physician or health care organization including staffing, training, monitoring, evaluating and compliance. Managers assist in the identification of potential quality improvement issues and policy and procedure development.
• Privacy Officer: Responsible for managing the risks and business impacts of privacy laws and policies and for protecting patient information that is collected and stored by health care facilities.
• Corporate Wellness Administrator: Responsible for the implementation and day-to-day management of employee, community and worksite wellness programs, corporate wellness administrators manage wellness program services by implementing sustainable health promotion programs that target populations across the organization based on an individual company's needs.
• Medicolegal Death Investigator: Responsible for the investigation of sudden and unexpected deaths. Develops and evaluates information obtained from observations, interviews and reviews of various records to assist in determination of cause and manner of death, which impacts public health.
• Patient Advocate/Patient Navigator: Serves as the liaison between a patient and their health care provider(s). Advocates are dedicated to coordinating the patient’s medical care, getting them help and working with the family.
• Health Literacy Educator: Assists consumers in understanding the health care system in plain language using health literacy skills.

Students with the HIM concentration have employment opportunities in a variety of areas, including:

• Health care consulting
• Information system companies
• Government agencies
• Law firms
• Hospitals

HIM Concentration

The Health Sciences - Health Information Management concentration is designed for students interested in the study of medical sciences, data analysis, information technology, legal concepts and health management. HIM professionals are recognized experts in clinical and health care operational data. Department and adjunct faculty, who are professionals in the HIM field, prepare students for exciting and diverse career opportunities in health information and to take the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) nationally recognized credentialing exam.

Graduates are primed for a tremendous variety of rapidly growing employment opportunities in all venues of the health care industry, including working with health care leadership to optimize the use of patient and operational data to make meaningful decisions regarding quality care, patient safety and organization operations; working with patients and families to help them understand their health information; and working with health care providers to optimize their use of technology to manage their data and operational needs. 

Many HIM graduates also pursue graduate degrees in:

• Business administration
• Health administration
• Health data science
• Health informatics
• Law
• Public health

Students interested in advancing their academic path to graduate studies may pursue one of the following accelerated track options:

• HIM to HDS (Master of Science in Health Data Science)
• HIM to Law (Juris Doctorate)
• HIM to MHA (Master of Science in Health Administration)

Clinical and Research Opportunities

Each student will complete a project-based internship in their last year of study. The HIM concentration has affiliations with local clinical sites for students to complete their professional practice experience. The projects provide an opportunity to experience roles such as:

• Electronic health record analyst
• Patient data integrity coordinator
• Clinical data analyst
• Consultant
• Revenue cycle management analyst
• Quality assurance analyst
• Coding and compliance specialist

Careers

Information drives the health care industry. A career in health information management offers graduates tremendous and diverse opportunities to make an impact and improve the health care delivered throughout the industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for health services managers in the United States in 2020 was $104,280 and the employment of health services managers is expected to experience a 32% average growth through 2030.

Employment opportunities for graduates include:

• Ambulatory care clinics
• Governmental agencies
• Health care companies
• Health care consulting
• Home health care
• Hospitals
• Information system companies
• Insurance companies
• Law firms
• Managed and long-term care facilities
• Mental and behavioral health facilities
• Physician practices
• Research associate

Salaries are generally higher for graduates working in sales or consulting, and second-baccalaureate graduates may have a slightly higher salary range depending on their previous work experience and degree.

Admission Requirements

Freshman Applicants

Solid academic performance in college preparatory coursework is primary consideration when we review your freshman application.  

• Admission criteria include:
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70 or greater on a 4.00 scale
• Saint Louis University has moved to a test-optional admission process for all undergraduate programs. Applicants may submit standardized test scores, but those who choose not to will not be disadvantaged in any way in the admission process. 

Transfer Applicants

The minimum college transfer GPA is 2.70/4.00.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:

• Scholarships: Awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need. In addition to University scholarships, the Doisy College of Health Sciences offers scholarships to sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students.
• Financial Aid: Provided in the form of grants and loans, some of which require repayment.

For priority consideration for merit-based scholarships, applicants should apply for admission by Dec. 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.

For more information, visit the student financial services office online at http://finaid.slu.edu.

HIM Concentration Accreditation

Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)
200 E. Randolph Street
Suite 5100
Chicago, IL 60601
http://www.cahiim.org

The Health Information Management accreditor of Saint Louis University is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College's accreditation for the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with Health Information Management has been reaffirmed through 2020. All inquiries about the program's accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601; by phone at (312) 235-3255; or by email at info@cahiim.org.
For more information on the SLU Health Information Management program professional and technical standards and program outcomes, please see Additional Accreditation Information.

HIM Program Outcomes Data

Additional Accreditation Information

Health Sciences

1. Graduates will be able to communicate effectively to express issues in healthcare.
2. Graduates will be able to implement healthcare management tools to utilize project management techniques.
3. Graduates will be able to demonstrate effective team skills when collaborating on healthcare projects.
4. Graduates will be able to employ data from empirical research to inform positions on healthcare issues.
5. Graduates will be able to exhibit ethical behaviors related to health sciences that are rooted in Jesuit values.

Students in SLU's health sciences major take the following courses. 

Standard Track

Medical Scholar Track

Pre-Physician Assistant and PA Scholar Track

Pre-Medicine Track

Pre-Pharm.D. Track 

Pre-Occupational Therapy Track

Pre-Physical Therapy Track

Health Information Management Track

HIM to M.S. Health Data Sciences Track

HIM to Juris Doctor (Law) Track

HIM to Master of Health Administration (MHA) Track

• Students apply a maximum of 30 MHA credits completed in their first year to their undergraduate degree program and receive their Bachelor’s Degree after the successful completion of the first year of the SLU MHA Program.
• Students must maintain a 3.4 cumulative GPA to continue in the Accelerated Program. After completing 75 credits, students will submit an application to SLU’s MHA Program. If admitted to SLU’s MHA Program, these students will begin their MHA program in their fourth year.
• Please note that the SLU MHA program is competitive and enrollment in the Accelerated HIM to MHA 3+2 track does not guarantee admission to the SLU MHA program.

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a minimum 2.70 grade point average (GPA).

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Standard Track

Medical Scholar Track

Program Notes

Courses substituted in place of electives or added to curriculum as required courses for post-baccalaureate medical school programs are not guaranteed to meet all the pre-requisite requirements of all institutions. It is the responsibility of the student to contact their desired institution for post-baccalaureate study to identify the specific pre-requisite courses required for their area of study.

Pharmacy Scholars & Pharm.D. Accelerated Track

†

Writing intensive course

‡

ENGL 1900 satisfies Composition I requirement; ENGL 2XXX satisfies Composition II requirement

Program Notes

Pre-Physician Assistant and PA Scholars Track

Program Notes

Courses substituted in place of electives or added to curriculum as required courses for post-baccalaureate PA Programs are not guaranteed to meet all the pre-requisite requirements of all institutions. It is the responsibility of the student to contact their desired institution for post-baccalaureate study to identify the specific pre-requisite courses required for their area of study. PA Scholars Only - Upon completion of the bachelor’s degree, students will proceed directly into SLU’s graduate-level PA program.

Pre-Medicine Track

Program Notes

Courses substituted in place of electives or added to curriculum as required courses for post-baccalaureate medical school programs are not guaranteed to meet all the pre-requisite requirements of all institutions. It is the responsibility of the student to contact their desired institution for post-baccalaureate study to identify the specific pre-requisite courses required for their area of study.

Pre-Occupational Therapy Track

Program Notes

Courses substituted in place of electives or added to curriculum as required courses for post-baccalaureate MOT programs are not guaranteed to meet all the pre-requisite requirements of all institutions. It is the responsibility of the student to contact their desired institution for post-baccalaureate study to identify the specific pre-requisite courses required for their area of study.

Pre-Physical Therapy Track

Program Notes

Courses substituted in place of electives or added to curriculum as required courses for post-baccalaureate DPT programs are not guaranteed to meet all the pre-requisite requirements of all institutions. It is the responsibility of the student to contact their desired institution for post-baccalaureate study to identify the specific pre-requisite courses required for their area of study.

Health Information Management Track

Program Notes

Professional Practice is scheduled at affiliated healthcare facilities in the St. Louis area or by special arrangement elsewhere in the United States. Students are responsible for transportation and other expenses during these assignments.

Apply for Admission

Contact Doisy College of Health Sciences:
Julie Miller
Recruitment Specialist
314-977-2570
dchs@health.slu.edu

2+SLU programs are formal  transfer agreements for students seeking an associate degree at a partner institution. 

• Health Information Management-Health Sciences, B.S. (STLCC 2+SLU)