Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) announces two new academic programs designed to prepare students to enter burgeoning health sciences industries. Available to students beginning in the Fall 2024 semester, the programs were created in response to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast that employment in healthcare occupations will grow twice as fast as all other occupations from 2022 to 2032.
Following recent approval from the New York State Department of Education, ACPHS introduces a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a fully online version of its Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences.
“A major part of our newly launched strategic plan entails the expansion of our health sciences offerings,” said President and Professor Toyin Tofade MS, PharmD, BCPS, CPCC, FFIP. “Both of these new programs will be instrumental in helping us achieve our mission to educate the next generation of health care leaders, both nationally and globally.”
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences
The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences is a brand-new program developed to meet an exponentially growing interest in health sciences fields. The program will prepare students for a vast array of career opportunities while benefiting from the College’s close-knit and like-minded community.
The program will foster a student’s growth as a future healthcare professional by providing a solid foundation in the basic, social and health sciences. Students pursuing this path will take courses tailored to human health for preparation in health professions such as physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, cardiovascular perfusionist, nurse, athletic trainer, optometrist or dentist.
“This new health sciences bachelor’s degree quite literally allows students to choose their own health care adventure,” said Associate Dean of Health Sciences Meenakshi Malik PhD. “It was created with built-in flexibility to allow students opportunities to add important real-world experience to their academic accomplishments by shadowing, volunteering and working at some of New York State’s most prominent medical centers.”
The program can be completed in as little as 3.5 years—a popular path for students seeking to enroll in a PA program with a January start. And with roughly 2 million new jobs forecasted to open over the next decade, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that health sciences graduates can anticipate an average salary of $101,350 with graduate training.
Online Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences
ACPHS is also offering an asynchronous online version of its Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences, a post baccalaureate (post-bac) program. This will be the College’s first fully online program. It is designed to help students who have completed their undergraduate degree with an opportunity to strengthen their academic credentials to pursue medical, dental, optometry and other health professional schools.
In addition to a core set of graduate science and humanities courses, the program offers individualized advising, opportunities to strengthen academic records, MCAT and entrance exams preparation, and access to workshops and a valuable professional network to develop a medical school application. Also, as part of the program, students may be eligible to apply for ACPHS linkage programs with Albany Medical College and New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“The online version of our post-bac program can be completed full-time in just one year’s time allowing students from across the country to gain a solid foundation that will enable them to be well poised for medical schools of all types,” said Malik.
Graduates of a master’s in biomedical sciences pursue paths such as physicians (allopathic and osteopathic), dentists, physician assistants and veterinarians. While salary ranges vary widely depending on specialty and geographic region, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that physicians and surgeons earn a median annual wage of $229,030, PAs make approximately $126,010, and dentists earn approximately $159,530.
Learn more about ACPHS’ Bachelor of Sciences in Health Sciences and Master of Science of Biomedical Sciences at www.acphs.edu/academics.
About Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) is a private, independent college dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders to improve the health of society. ACPHS offers 17 undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs including online Master of Biomedical Sciences and Master of Biotechnology programs. Students have myriad opportunities to extend what they are learning in the classroom at The Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET), at student-supported pharmacies in underserved communities, and at The Collaboratory, a public health resource designed to alleviate community health disparities in Albany’s South End neighborhood. ACPHS ranks #1 in New York State for best return on investment by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce and was graded an A+ for value by Niche.