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Home ― Gateway to Health Sciences Certificate

Gateway to Health Sciences Certificate

Choose a pathway to a health science career during high school

Get a valuable head start in pursuing careers in health sciences – while still in high school. Healthcare professions are among the fastest-growing occupational groups in South Dakota, with an anticipated growth rate of 11.3% from 2018 to 2028.* DSU students go on to professional healthcare programs such as physician assistant and careers in high-need areas within healthcare information systems. The Gateway to STEM certificate allows high school students to learn about the varying professions within a healthcare team and learn essential healthcare terminology through dual-credit college courses. Students can apply the earned credits to many majors in health and human services.

The certificate is available on DSU’s campus, online, and as In-District High School Dual Credit delivery in approved school districts. Students can take the courses at the reduced dual-credit rate if qualified, saving time and money to spark their professional path.

*Labor Market Information Center. (2020). Labor market overview: Occupational projections 2018-2028. South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation.

Next Steps

Emerging leaders in Health Science

This certificate is intended for high school students considering majors or degree programs in health sciences fields. The certificate is stackable with bachelor programs in Computer Information Systems with Health Informatics Specialization, Biology, Exercise Science, or could be used as stackable general education electives for other major programs.

Students can apply up to 12 credits to DSU’s majors in the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Information Systems or College of Education & Human Performance.

Certificate courses

The Gateway Certificate is stackable with many possible majors. Contact us if you have any questions about the best dual-credit courses to take toward a specific degree at DSU.

We’re here to help you explore your interests and jumpstart your career pathway!

Available courses for this certificate

Course Number Course Title
BIOL/NURS 285 Medical Terminology
HSC 250 Healthcare Terminology in the Clinical Setting
HIM 130 Basic Medical Terminology
HSC 110 The Interprofessional Health Team
HSC/BIOL 262 Health Careers Exploration
HIM 150 Introduction to Digital Health Informatics & Information Management
MATH 103 or higher Mathematical Reasoning
PHIL 220 Introduction to Ethics
PSYC 101 General Psychology
EPSY/ HDFS 210 Lifespan Development

Learning outcomes

  • Identify specific skills, competencies, and knowledge that healthcare professionals need.
  • Develop an understanding of specialized medical terminology and apply this knowledge to specific case studies.
  • Learn mathematical skills required for coursework in health care program education.
  • Identify and explain basic concepts in the selected social science or humanities discipline as foundational knowledge for health care education.