Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Health Services, Bachelor of Science

VCU

Community college:
Any AA, AA&S, AS or AFA degree (Virginia Community College System)
Virginia Community College System
Associate degree

Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts & Sciences, Associate of Science, or Associate of Fine Arts

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The Bachelor of Science in Health Services prepares future health care leaders with the knowledge, skills and competencies to meet the challenges of managing responsibilities across the range of health care organizations. With an emphasis on evidence-based practice, the program prepares students to work as non-clinical health services providers charged with planning, directing and coordinating medical and health services. Graduates will be able to work in diverse health care settings, such as hospitals, specific clinical areas or departments within those facilities, health management organizations or in medical practice groups.  Students in the program will have a course in their senior year that will provide an opportunity for service learning and relevant experiential, applied learning in a health services field.


The program is designed for students who wish to create a pathway into a health care field. It provides a core set of courses to build a foundation of health care knowledge. It also provides the flexibility for students to focus their studies on a particular area of interest through the selection of open and restricted elective courses. The flexibility gives students an opportunity to identify how their strengths, values and skills can best serve the health of their communities.

Career opportunities

Graduates of the B.S. in Health Services will be prepared to serve in entry-level and middle-level healthcare administrative positions within settings such as hospitals, hospital systems, managed care organizations, outpatient clinics, physician practices, public health facilities, inpatient treatment facilities, accountable care organizations, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and retirement and long-term care facilities.


The Health Services major can also help prepare students for graduate study in areas such as Health Administration, Mental Health Counseling, Addiction Counseling, Public Health, Social Work, and Research Evaluation. An accelerated masters option is also available with the Health Services major and the MS in Gerontology.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Health Services Administrator
  • Managed Care Coordinator
  • Patient Advocate/Navigator
  • Practice Administrator
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Community Health Worker
  • Health Administrator
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Highest level of math required
  • STAT 210
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Health Services, Bachelor of Science

Virginia Community College System (Any AA, AA&S, AS or AFA degree)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Enroll in a SDV student success course.
  • Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the Health Services department website to become familiar with the degree.
  • Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
  • Get involved with student clubs and organizations at your community college.
  • Volunteer for community service projects.
  • Register to vote.
  • Consider applying for the summer Allied Health Career Exploration (AHCE) program.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
Experience Year 2
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Be prepared: Once you enroll at VCU, your VCU GPA will be determined by your grades at VCU.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Visit the Health Services department website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi, and professors.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the accelerated BS and MS in Gerontology program.
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the Health Services department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Enroll in a SDV student success course.
  • Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Explore the Health Services department website to become familiar with the degree.
  • Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
  • Get involved with student clubs and organizations at your community college.
  • Volunteer for community service projects.
  • Register to vote.
  • Consider applying for the summer Allied Health Career Exploration (AHCE) program.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Be prepared: Once you enroll at VCU, your VCU GPA will be determined by your grades at VCU.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Visit the Health Services department website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi, and professors.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the accelerated BS and MS in Gerontology program.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the Health Services department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Health Services, Bachelor of Science

Virginia Community College System (Any AA, AA&S, AS or AFA degree)

Virginia Community College System courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 or 101 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major (Ancillary)
Humanities/Fine Arts Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240. VCU equivalent 3 General education
Humanities/Fine Arts/Literature Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240, ENG 225, ENG 245, ENG 246, ENG 250, ENG 255, ENG 258, ENG 275 (the course must come from a different group than the previous requirement). VCU equivalent 3 General education
Lab science Select one of the following (UCGS Block IV): BIO 101, BIO 102, BIO 106, CHM 101, CHM 111, CHM 112, ENV 121, ENV 122, GOL 105, GOL 106, GOL 110, PHY 100, PHY 201, PHY 202, PHY 241, PHY 242. VCU equivalent 4 General education
History Select one of the following (UCGS Block VI): HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 111, HIS 112, HIS 121, HIS 122. VCU equivalent 3 General education
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology (counts toward restricted elective ancillary requirement for the BS degree) PSYC 101 3 Major (Ancillary)
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology (counts toward restricted elective ancillary requirement for the BS degree) PSYC 304 3 Major (Ancillary)
ECO 202 Principles of Microeconomics ECON 210 3 Major (Ancillary)
Complete requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 28 Elective
Community college credits transferred to VCU 60
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
ALHP 310 Introduction to Health Care Professions 3 Major
ALHP 320 Person-centered Care 3 Major
ALHP 325 Introduction to Rehabilitation Services 3 Major
ALHP 330 Human Growth and Development for the Health Professions 3 Major
ALHP 340 Health Care Technology and Innovation 3 Major
ALHP 410 Professional and Clinical Ethics 3 Major
ALHP 415 Health Care Financing and Budgeting 3 Major
ALHP 416 Health Care Economics 3 Major
ALHP 420 Health Care Leadership Development 3 Major
ALHP 425 Health Care Management and Performance 3 Major
ALHP 430 Overview of Research in the Health Professions 3 Major
ALHP 435 Health Care Career Development and Planning in Allied Health Professions 3 Major
ACCT 202 Accounting for Non-business Majors 3 Major
HCMG 300 Health Care Organization and Services 3 Major
Restricted electives (see VCU advisor for course options) 18 Major (Ancillary)
REAL The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. 0 Major
Credits completed at VCU 60
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120
The accelerated B.S. and M.S. program allows qualified students to earn both the B.S. in Health Services and M.S. in Gerontology in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Minimum qualifications for entrance to this accelerated program include completion of 84 undergraduate credit hours including ACCT 202, ECON 210 and STAT 210; an overall GPA of 3.0; and a GPA of 3.0 in core ALHP courses and restricted electives.