2026-2027 Academic Catalog
Biological Sciences, BS, Concentration: Health Sciences
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About the Program
 The Health Sciences concentration is intended for students who are interested in applying to health related professional program. Students can choose this concentration to meet the requirements for application to professional programs and apply the programs of their choice, such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, physician assistant, physical therapy, veterinary medicine, and other allied health professions. However, students should always check with the specific professional program to determine all requirements. Please note that GPA requirement for a Purdue University degree is different from professional program admission. e.g. a GPA of 3.5 or higher is generally considered competitive for medical/osteopathic/dental school applications while a GPA of 3.0 or higher is the baseline for physician assistant programs. Because admission requirements vary across professional programs, students should consult their academic and/or faculty advisors to ensure they meet the specific requirements for their intended program.
Degree Requirements
- 120 Credit Hours
- Minimum grade of C- required for all BIOL courses
- Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
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CES Exit Survey The College of Engineering and Sciences requires that all graduating students complete a student outcomes and career preparation survey. The survey helps the University meet state reporting requirements and understand the career outcomes of our graduates. All information is reported in aggregate and helps improve programs and career preparation for future students. Students will gain access to the survey after submitting the Application to Graduate with the Office of the Registrar.
PNW General Education Core (30-32 Credits Minimum)
Additional Health Sciences Courses(31 Credits)
The Bachelor of Science (B.S) in Biological Sciences with a Health Sciences concentration is intended for all students who are interested in applying to a health science related professional programs. Because admission requirements vary across professional programs, students should consult their academic and/or faculty advisors to ensure they meet the specific requirements for their intended program. The recommended courses listed may be required for certain programs. Health Sciences Electives
Maximum 3 credits of independent study / research / internship (BIOL 39500 , BIOL 48800 , BIOL 48900 , or BIOL 49500 can be used to fulfill this elective requirement. Additional credits can be used as free electives. BIOL 34200 cannot be used as a concentration elective but can be used as a free elective. Choose 3: Humanities, Social Sciences, or Foreign Language Electives (6 Credits)
This degree requires 6-credit hours of Humanities and Social Science electives in addition to the 3-credits required from each of these areas that must be chosen from the approved General Education list (see General Education Core above). Six credit hours of foreign languages can be used towards this requirement. Note that some professional schools have specific Humanities and Social Sciences course requirements for admission. Free Electives (10-14 Credits)
10-14 credits chosen from the PNW curriculum are acceptable, students must complete at least two elective courses at the 30000 level or higher. Civics Literacy Proficiency
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths: - Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
- Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
- Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)
For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website. Total 120 Credits Required
Requirements
Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): Minimum grade of C- required for all BIOL courses (unless otherwise noted); 2.0 GPA Experiential Learning (EL): One Experiential Learning credit is required for graduation. EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title. Most students fulfill this requirement by taking ENGL 10500 . Courses meeting this requirement in Biology include BIOL 34000 , BIOL 39500 , BIOL 48800 , BIOL 48900 , and BIOL 49500 Other possible courses that can be used to fulfill this requirement include SCI 49100 , and IDIS 10001 . See the Experiential Learning Course List for additional courses meeting this requirement. General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description. Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement. Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study. Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information. Semester 1 (15-17 Credits)
Semester 8 (11-13 Credits)
- BIOL 42600 - Senior Capstone
- Free Elective - 30000 level or above
- Free Elective
- Health Science Elective (See Note 5)
- Health Science Elective (See Note 5)
Additional Information and Guidelines
Note 1: Additional GPA Requirements for BS Biology Degree: Minimum 2.0 GPA for all biology core (BIOL 10100 , BIOL 10200 , BIOL 10700 , BIOL 24300 , BIOL 24400 , BIOL 32020 , and BIOL 42600 ) and concentration required courses. Note 2: Gen Ed Technology Course Requirement - CIS 20400 is recommend for students with limited experience using Microsoft Suite and can be replaced by BIOL 57601 Bioinformatics , or a different course approved by the department. If students choose a course that is not a Gen Ed Technology course, they will have to fulfill this requirement with another course in this area as a free elective. See the Gen Ed Core List for suitable courses . Note 3: This degree requires 6-credit hours of electives from Humanities and Social Sciences in addition to the 3-credits required from each of these areas that must be chosen from the approved General Education list (see General Education Core above). Six credit hours of foreign languages can be used towards this requirement. Note that some professional schools have specific Humanities and Social Sciences course requirements for admission. Note 4: Health Sciences Concentration required courses. Note 5: Health Sciences Elective courses range from 1 to 5 credits. Maximum 3 credits of Health Sciences related independent studies / research / internship, BIOL 34200 , BIOL 39500 , BIOL 48800 , BIOL 48900 , and BIOL 49500 can be used to fulfill this elective requirement. Additional credits can be used as free-electives. At least one of the courses in this category must be a 50000 level class. Social Sciences Elective: PSY 35000 is recommended.BIOL 34200 Biological Science Practicum (Health sciences related experience) is highly recommended. BIOL 48900 Biological Sciences Research is also recommended. Note 6: IHH 20000 Medical Terminology (3 credits) is required by some professional schools for admission. It may be taken as a free elective prior to BIOL 21300 . College Scorecard
The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs. The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings. Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program. That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=2601&fos_credential=3 Additional Health Science Courses (31 Credits)
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