CAMDEN — The New Jersey Council of Presidents has approved a bachelor of arts in health sciences degree program for the Rutgers University–Camden College of Arts and Sciences. Courses will begin in the fall.
The new 120-credit multi-disciplinary academic major will include courses in the general sciences while also educating students in subjects essential to modern health-related professions, such as behavioral therapy, biomedical ethics, health psychology, health advocacy, and human development.
The Rutgers University Board of Governors approved the new major in March. The program is another significant step forward in Rutgers–Camden’s contribution to the advancement of health education in southern New Jersey, says Kriste Lindenmeyer, dean of the Rutgers–Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
“This program puts Rutgers–Camden on the cutting edge of the health sciences by training students that represent the next wave of health care professionals across the country,” Lindenmeyer says. “It utilizes our strengths in the sciences and in health education to meet an increasing demand for professionals to help patients gain greater access to the wide range of health services.”
The new major offers a clear-cut path to a degree for the large number of students interested in the sciences and health, but ultimately opt to not pursue an academic major or career in a traditional science field.
“It’s an option for students interested in the newly emerging careers demanding interdisciplinary knowledge of the natural sciences, psychology, mathematics, and public policy work in hospitals and other organizations involved in providing a complex array of health care services,” the Rutgers–Camden dean says.
Lindenmeyer estimates that about 40 Rutgers–Camden students will enroll in the new major during the fall 2014 semester and she expects a gradual increase in enrollment with more than 180 students majoring in health sciences within five years.
“We see a lot of new opportunities in a wide variety of health fields that have never before been offered to our students,” says Allen Woll, associate dean for program development and special projects at Rutgers–Camden and coordinator for the new major. “The health science field is booming around the country and this program opens up a world of possibilities for our students, who will be well-versed in the sciences as well as public health, arming them with knowledge to serve the needs of the community.”
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest academic unit at Rutgers–Camden, delivering a wide array of programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels in the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and fine arts.
For more information about the health sciences program, visit healthsciences.camden.rutgers.edu.