Health Science, Associate of Science

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The Associate of Science in Health Science is designed to prepare the student with a solid foundation in community health, health education and promotion of awareness and prevention of health concerns. The degree prepares the student for entry level positions in the healthcare management field, and transfer into baccalaureate programs in Health Science, Public Health, and Health Information Management.

In addition, the program prepares the student for transition into:

Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing (RN) – upon achievement of selective admission criteria requirements and ranking of clinical applications. Seats are limited and competitive. Please visit the Health Science Education website at: Program: Nursing/RN, Associate of Applied Science - Raritan Valley Community College - Acalog ACMS™ for more information on selective admission process at RVCC.
Associate of Applied Science, Occupational Therapy Assistant – upon achievement of selective admission criteria requirement and ranking by the RVCC OTA Committee. Seating is limited and competitive. Please visit the Health Science Education website at: Program: Occupational Therapy Assistant, Associate of Applied Science - Raritan Valley Community College - Acalog ACMS™
Medical Laboratory Technology, Associate of Applied Science - Students must complete the MLT Pre-Clinical Program requirements in order to become eligible to apply for selective admission to the MLT Clinical Program. Applicants are required to take the TEAS exam prior to the application deadline. Admission to the MLT Clinical Program is conditional based on completion of medical requirements. Please visit the Science & Engineering website at: https://catalog.raritanval.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&poid=1598&returnto=1050

Graduates are able to:

communicate effectively, think critically and problem solve across disciplines with consumers, providers, employees and other health care professionals with diverse cultural and/or educational backgrounds.
demonstrate basic knowledge of the human body, the mind and behavioral health, the physiological processes associated with disease, medical terminology, and nutrition to support health and disease prevention.
understand organizational management, computer applications, and the development, structure and functioning of human society and social problems.

Raritan Valley Community College Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are designed to comply with the New Jersey Community Colleges General Education Foundation which supports transfer of courses to NJ Public four-year colleges and universities. Students who intend to transfer to a NJ college or university can further improve the transfer of courses by using the Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature in NJTransfer.org.

Curriculum – A.S. Degree

First Semester

ENGL 111 - English Composition I 3 Credits
PSYC 103 - Introduction to Psychology 3 Credits
PHIL 106 - Current Moral and Social Issues 3 Credits OR
PHIL 114 - Ethics 3 Credits
BIOL 124 - Human Anatomy & Physiology I 4 Credits
Free Elective 3 Credits ¹

Second Semester*

BIOL 125 - Human Anatomy & Physiology II 4 Credits
ENGL 112 - English Composition II 3 Credits
SOCI 101 - Introduction to Sociology 3 Credits
HLTH 150 - Medical Terminology 3 Credits ⁴
Foreign Language 3 Credits

Third Semester**

Social Science 200 level course 3 Credits ²OR
Foreign Language 3 Credits
Free Elective 2 Credits ¹
MATH 110 - Statistics I 3 Credits ³
CHEM 102 - Introduction to Chemistry 4 Credits
HLTH 107 - Pathophysiology 3 Credits ⁴

Fourth Semester

BIOL 133 - Principles of Microbiology 4 Credits
BIOL 142 - Introduction to Nutrition 3 Credits
HLTH 105 - Introduction to Public Health 3 Credits ⁴
PSYC 215 - Developmental Psychology 3 Credits

Total Credits 60

¹Communications recommended for students transferring into Public Health baccalaureate program. ACCT 101 Financial Accounting is recommended for entry into Health Information Management baccalaureate program at Rutgers. It is recommended to check with your intended transfer school for additional math, science or language requirements.

²Choose any 200-level course from SOCI or PSYC.

³Math Proficiency: Students must meet a minimum math proficiency of MATH 030 Intermediate Algebra to register for MATH 110 Statistics I . Students wishing to apply to the nursing program must meet a minimum math proficiency of MATH 020 Elementary Algebra .

⁴These classes (HLTH 105, 107 and 150) are taught in an online format only

*First and second semesters satisfy academic prerequisites for applying to the Nursing Program at RVCC. It is recommended that students pursuing the nursing program come to a Nursing Information Session and complete the ATI TEAS test no later than the end of the second semester, prior to any application deadlines. See www.raritanval.edu/healthscience for more details.

Students transferring into the Health Science program from the RVCC Nursing/RN program can substitute successful completion of NURS 101 Foundations of Nursing for BIOL 142 Introduction to Nutrition , HLTH 105 Introduction to Public Health , and HLTH 107 Pathophysiology .