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Major · Health Professions & Related Programs

The on-ramp into every corner of the health workforce

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General is a broad introductory major covering the basic sciences, clinical procedures, and foundations shared across health occupations. It is designed either as a launchpad into specialized training or as a flexible credential for entry-level health roles. About 27,135 degrees are awarded annually across 641 colleges, split across associate and bachelor's programs.

Schools offering
641
Annual completions
27,135
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$59k

About this major

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General sits at the broad entrance to health education rather than inside any single clinical discipline. The CIP definition describes it as a program that prepares students "for either entry into specialized training programs or for a variety of concentrations in the allied health area" — a description that is unusually candid about the major's role. Coursework covers the foundational sciences shared across health occupations: anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, basic research and clinical procedures, health systems, and introductory patient care concepts. Students do not specialize deeply in any one area; the point is to build the scientific vocabulary and procedural literacy that specialist programs assume.

The major tends to attract students who are drawn to health careers but are still working out which slice of the field fits them best. The breadth is a feature in that situation — it keeps options open across clinical, administrative, and community health paths while the student gets a closer look. It also serves students who want to reduce risk before committing to a more intensive program: completing an associate's in health sciences at a community college is a lower-cost way to confirm that the biology-heavy coursework and clinical exposure feel right before applying to nursing school or a speech-language pathology graduate program.

The scale of this major is notable. About 27,135 degrees are awarded annually across 641 colleges — one of the larger distribution footprints in health professions. The program appears at both community colleges (Pasadena City College, Sierra College, Fresno City College — all associate-level) and four-year universities (University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, UC Sacramento — all bachelor's), reflecting two distinct student populations and two distinct use cases for the same credential.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

No federal crosswalk data available for this major yet.

Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$59k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$54k

Bachelor's

$61k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you're interested in health careers broadly but aren't yet certain which specific occupation fits — if the idea of spending a year working through anatomy, clinical basics, and health systems before picking a specialty sounds like a smarter path than committing to a three-year specialist program on a hunch. You may also fit well here if you're managing cost carefully: the associate's-to-bachelor's earnings gap is only about $7,600 at five years, which means starting at a community college with an associate's and testing the waters carries little long-term penalty compared to the savings on tuition. And if your eventual target is a follow-on specialty — Communication Sciences, Speech-Language Pathology, or a clinical allied health credential — this foundation keeps all of those doors open.

Think twice if you already know exactly which health career you want and that career has a direct undergraduate path available. Nursing, dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, and radiologic technology all have purpose-built degree programs that put you on a direct clinical track from day one; choosing a general health sciences degree as a route into one of those careers adds time and typically adds cost without meaningfully improving your odds. Think twice also if you're expecting a specific career outcome anchored to this credential alone — five-year median earnings sit at $59,402, lower than most specialty health programs, and the ceiling depends heavily on what specialized credential or graduate program you pursue after.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of South Florida Tampa, FL 0 1,092 1,092
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 0 923 923
Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA 769 0 769
California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA 0 631 631
Sierra College Rocklin, CA 549 0 549
University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 0 502 502
Fresno City College Fresno, CA 458 0 458
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 0 451 451
Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 0 373 373
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL 0 349 349
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Communication Sciences and Disorders, General

4,781 completions/yr

Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist

4,422 completions/yr

Health and Wellness, General

4,268 completions/yr

Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist

1,462 completions/yr

Dental Assisting/Assistant

1,363 completions/yr

Audiology/Audiologist

172 completions/yr

Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, Other

95 completions/yr

Dental Public Health and Education

34 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Health Sciences, General majors actually study day-to-day?
The curriculum covers the foundational sciences that run through virtually every health career — anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, basic research methods, and an introduction to clinical settings and procedures. Because the program is intentionally broad, coursework also touches on health systems, patient communication, and public health concepts. You won't drill deep into any single specialty the way a nursing or respiratory therapy program would; the point is to build the scientific and procedural literacy that most health careers assume from the start.
Is this a terminal degree or a stepping stone?
For most students, it functions as a stepping stone. The CIP definition for this program explicitly frames it as preparation 'for either entry into specialized training programs or for a variety of concentrations in the allied health area.' In practice, many graduates who want a specific career — speech-language pathology, audiology, dental work — use this degree to confirm the field is right before committing to a more demanding specialist program. Some enter health administration or support roles directly with the bachelor's, but the highest-paying health careers typically require a more specialized credential on top of this foundation.
Associate's or bachelor's — does the degree level matter here?
The gap is narrower than in most majors. Five-year median earnings for associate's completers run about $53,633, while bachelor's completers reach approximately $61,251 — a difference of roughly $7,600. That is a much tighter premium than you'd see in fields like engineering or computer science, and it reflects the generalist nature of this credential: both degree levels tend to place graduates in similar entry-level support roles or into further training. If you plan to use this as a stepping stone toward a clinical specialty, the degree level matters less than what comes after it.
What specialties does this major lead into?
The most common follow-on paths within health professions include Communication Sciences and Disorders (4,781 annual completions), Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (4,422 completions), and Health and Wellness, General (4,268 completions). Speech-Language Pathology as a standalone specialty adds another 1,462 completions annually. Dental Assisting draws about 1,363 completions per year. These are all well-defined specialties where a general health sciences background provides a useful prerequisite foundation — the breadth of this major is designed to keep those doors open.
What's a realistic earnings picture after this degree?
Five-year median earnings across degree levels sit at roughly $59,402. That is below the median for most health majors that lead directly to a licensed clinical occupation, which is worth acknowledging honestly: this major's earning potential is tied to what you do next, not to the credential itself. Students who use this as a platform to enter Communication Sciences, Speech-Language Pathology, or a clinical specialty will see significantly higher earnings down the line. Students who stop at the associate's or bachelor's and enter health support roles directly should expect earnings in the $48,000–$65,000 range depending on employer and location.
Is this the right major, or should I pick a specialization directly?
If you know exactly what health career you want — nursing, respiratory therapy, dental hygiene, speech pathology — you are likely better served by entering that specialized program directly. This major is most valuable when you're drawn to health careers broadly but haven't yet committed to one specialty, or when you want a lower-stakes first step to test the academic and clinical environment before taking on a more demanding credential. The 641 colleges offering this program means there's wide geographic availability, including a strong presence at community colleges that makes it accessible for students who need to manage cost while keeping options open.