School of Health, Life Sciences, and Education
I’ve experienced instructors who genuinely care about every student and who expect to see you become a better health care professional and a better person!”James Fisher, nursing student, Class of 2021
Choose your Field of Study
The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences in the Getty College of Arts & Sciences offers several major and minor programs.
Pre-Professional Programs
ONU also has several pre-professional programs to choose from. Your pre-professional program can be declared along with your undergraduate major.
Immerse yourself in labs and clinicals
The best way to prepare for your future career is through hands-on learning. We provide immersive experiences, including labs, clinicals and undergraduate research, starting your first year on campus. Working with advanced equipment and techniques, you’ll receive intense, real-world training from your professors – not graduate assistants or lab instructors.Do more. The opportunities are waiting for you.
Here you can explore all your interests. Despite rigorous academic programs, our health and behavioral science students get involved. They join student organizations, play sports, perform with music ensembles, tackle research projects, present at professional conferences and volunteer in the community.
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Students in the School of Health, Life Sciences, and Education can study abroad for a semester or for the summer and still graduate on time.
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Assist your professors with research projects, working side-by-side with them in the lab. You could also co-author a paper or present your findings at a professional conference. Most students don’t have these types of research opportunities until graduate school.
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Service learning enables you to practice your patient skills while making a difference. Northern Nurses without Borders travels to the Dominican Republic, delivering medicine and vital medical care to people in need. ONU HealthWise provides preventative screenings and health care services to the campus community and to underserved rural communities. You could volunteer with both these groups.
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Environmental and field biology majors: Explore and learn in natural laboratories, including our Metzger Nature Center, 70 acres of fields, woodlands and streams in the hilly unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, and our Wetlands Restoration Project, 300 acres just 12 miles from campus being restored to its original habitat.
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Forensic biology students: Investigate and solve mock crimes in the ONU Crime House, working alongside real law enforcement personnel.
Follow Your Passion
The health and behavioral science fields need competent and compassionate professionals. Our graduates are making a difference in people’s lives, and so will you.
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Paige is completing a pediatric physical therapy residency program at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., working with premature infants in the neonatal intensive care units and older children through educational, outpatient and aquatic services.
“I love helping children and families tackle mobility obstacles and connecting them with their communities to ensure access. There is nothing better than a child’s smile as they take their first steps.”
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A staff psychologist with the PTSD clinical team at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Battle Creek, Mich., Ashlee provides mental health services to veterans, supervises trainees, and conducts research on trauma and PTSD.
“I love supporting the mental health recovery of veterans and investigating innovative approaches to mental health treatment.”
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Chase is a registered nurse on the medical/surgical unit of New Hanover Regional Medical Center in North Carolina.
“I love that every day as a nurse is different and there are so many areas of health care that you can work in.”
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Josh is a medical student at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. He plans to pursue a residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry upon graduation.
“I love learning about how the body and mind work and synthesizing that information into a holistic treatment plan for my patients.”
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A clinical psychologist at Mercy Kids Autism Center in St. Louis, Mo., Allison performs diagnostic evaluations and provides individual and family therapy interventions in an outpatient setting.
“I love empowering parents with tools to help their children. I feel fortunate to work on a team with providers from several different disciplines, as I learn so much from them.”
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The clinical team lead of cardiac rehab at the Ohio Health Marion General Hospital, Lindsey provides exercise prescriptions and monitors heart patients who have undergone procedures ranging from heart catheterizations to open heart surgeries.
“I love making a difference in each patient’s life. It’s so rewarding to provide that ‘step’ for them to become heart healthy, and it can be life-changing for heart patients.”
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Michaela works as a substance prevention educator/specialist at Meridian Healthcare, a non-profit addiction treatment and medical facility in Youngstown, Ohio. She provides prevention lessons at schools (grades 6-12), workplaces, universities and health fairs.
“I love encouraging critical thinking skills and equipping my students with the evidence-based strategies and knowledge they need to make informed choices about their health and futures.”
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Lizzy is working in her “dream job” on the postpartum floor at MacDonald Women’s Hospital (part of University Hospitals) in Cleveland, Ohio.
“I love working with people and making a difference in others’ lives. Originally, I wanted to pursue a medical degree, but the more I learned about the health care professions, nursing stood out because it involves the most patient interaction.”