Typical admission requirements for healthcare degrees

Our online undergraduate health and social service programs offer multiple start dates per year and require a certain number of transfer credits from a college or university you previously attended. Whether you plan to complete your bachelor’s degree in psychology, public health, social work, or nursing, many undergraduate programs will have similar application requirements:

To apply to one of our programs:

• complete the program’s online application

• submit your college essay/personal statement

• provide transcripts from previous undergraduate institutions

• submit letters of recommendation

• provide your resume (as recommended or required)

To apply to an online RN to BSN program, you also need to provide your current RN license. An associate degree is required to qualify for a bachelor’s degree in nursing program.

Bachelor of nursing career paths

Once you’ve become an RN, completing an online BSN program will prepare you to advance from technical nursing practice to professional nursing practice. Through engaging live, online course sessions, self-paced coursework, and on-site clinical experiences close to home, you will grow your patient care skills and learn to design and manage comprehensive plans of patient care.

Exploring current and rising healthcare issues with your nursing peers, you will work to gain the confidence, ability, and competency you need to make a greater difference for both patients and the healthcare system.

When you become a BSN graduate, you will be ready to take on vital roles within healthcare organizations, such as hospitals, critical care, clinics, outpatient care, and more. Many BSN graduates also go on to complete their Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees to prepare for careers as nurse leaders and nurse educators.

Entry-level BSN salary

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), RNs with a bachelor’s degree can earn over $25,000 more in median annual wages than licensed nurses without a bachelor’s degree.¹

Increasing your RN salary potential is not the only reason to earn a BSN; jobs in healthcare are requiring the degree more and more. The American Association of Collegiate Nursing reports that more than 82% of employers indicate a strong preference for BSN holders and more than 43% of healthcare settings require a BSN for new hires.²

Bachelor’s in public health degree career paths

Completing your bachelor’s degree in public health online will prepare you for a wide variety of public health careers and related roles. Through live, face-to-face online course sessions, self-paced coursework, and experiential learning opportunities, you will explore the pressing public health challenges of our time. As you collaborate with expert faculty and motivated peers, you will gain the knowledge and skills you need to excel in many areas of the public health field.

Learners in public health bachelor’s programs prepare for roles including, but not limited to:

• Community health worker

• Emergency management specialist

• Health education specialist

• Public health communicator

• Public health researcher

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment opportunities for public health roles such as community health worker and health education specialist are expected to rise much faster than the average for all occupations, with 17% growth from 2020 to 2030.³

Public health bachelor’s graduates may choose to earn their Master of Public Health (MPH).

Entry-level public health salary

Once you complete your public health bachelor’s, salary potential can vary widely based on the type of role you choose to pursue. The BLS reports that the median annual wage for community health workers was $46,590 in May 2021, while the median annual wage for health education specialists was $60,600.⁴

If you choose to continue to graduate education and pursue your MPH, you can prepare for careers such as epidemiologist—an occupation that earned a median wage of $78,830 in 2021, according to the BLS.⁵

Bachelor of psychology degree career paths

Whether you’d like to become a psychologist or develop a deeper understanding of the human mind to propel your growth in a different career, earning your bachelor’s in psychology can help you reach your goals.

Through immersive online course sessions, self-paced coursework, and experiential learning activities, you will learn to analyze data, collaborate effectively within a team, apply scientific reasoning to solve complex problems, and develop a deeper understanding of human behavior — all skills that can serve you well in just about any field. Some may go on to earn a master's in psychology to further develop their skills.

According to the American Psychological Association, the majority of psychology bachelor’s holders do not pursue psychology careers: 20% go on to work in sales, 17% work in professional services, and just 14% continue into graduate programs in psychology to pursue psychology jobs.⁶ ⁷ Learners in psychology programs can prepare for careers in:

Entry-level psychology salary

Once you complete your psychology bachelor’s, salary potential will greatly vary based on the field and role you choose to pursue. For example, the BLS reports that insurance sales agents earned a median annual wage of $49,840 in 2021, while personal financial advisors earned a median annual wage of $94,170.⁸ ⁹

As a bachelor’s degree holder in psychology, you could also choose to pursue graduate education to become a psychologist — a profession with a median annual wage of $81,040 in 2021.¹⁰

Bachelor of social work career paths

Completing your bachelor’s degree in social work will prepare you for a career making a difference — for individuals, families, organizations, and communities.

Through engaging online course sessions and self-paced coursework, and field experiences, your online BSW program will help you gain the social work job competencies you need to pursue several helping professions, such as:

• Adoption counselor

• Activity director at a senior center or rehabilitation facility

• Children’s service worker

• Child welfare specialist

• Community outreach worker

• Habilitation specialist

• Human services worker

• Mental health aide

• Probation offers and correctional treatment specialist

• Residential case manager

• Social and community service manager

An online BSW program can also prepare you to pursue licensure as a social worker, though some states also require a master’s degree in social work for licensure. According to the BLS, employment of social workers is projected to grow 12% from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.¹¹

Entry-level BSW salary

The salary you can earn with a BSW degree is most closely dependent on the career path you choose. The BLS reports that probation officers and correctional treatment specialists earned a median wage of $60,250 in 2021, while social and community service managers earned a median wage of $74,000.¹² ¹³

If you live in a state where social workers can obtain licensure without a master's degree, you can become a social worker — an occupation with a median wage of $50,390 in 2021, according to the BLS.¹⁴

¹ The difference in median annual wages for RNs with a bachelor’s degree and licensed nurses without a bachelor’s was $26,490 in 2018, as reported in Careers for nurses: Opportunities and options (2020). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 9, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2020/article/careers-for-nurses-opportunities-and-options.htm (visited August 2022).

² Employment of New Nurse Graduates and Employer Preferences for Baccalaureate-Prepared Nurses (2020). American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Research-Data-Center/Employment/2021 (visited August 2022).

³ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Health Education Specialists and Community Health Workers – Job Outlook (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm#tab-6 (visited August 2022).

⁴ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Health Education Specialists and Community Health Workers (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm (visited August 2022).

⁵ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Epidemiologists (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/epidemiologists.htm (visited August 2022).

⁶ Preparing to Use Your Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (2022). American Psychological Association. Retrieved May 12, 2022 from https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/bachelors (visited August 2022).

⁷ Careers with a bachelor’s degree in psychology (2020). American Psychological Association. Retrieved May 12, 2022 from https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2020/03/bachelor-careers (visited August 2022).

⁸ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Insurance Sales Agents (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/insurance-sales-agents.htm (visited August 2022).

⁹ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Personal Financial Advisors (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved July 25, 2022 fromhttps://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/personal-financial-advisors.htm#tab-1 (visited August 2022).

¹⁰ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm (visited August 2022).

¹¹ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers – Job Outlook (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm#tab-6 (visited August 2022).

¹² Occupational Outlook Handbook: Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/probation-officers-and-correctional-treatment-specialists.htm (visited August 2022).

¹³ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social and Community Service Managers (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/social-and-community-service-managers.htm (visited August 2022).

¹⁴ Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers – Pay (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2022 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm#tab-5 (visited August 2022).

¹⁵ Figure represents one year (52 weeks) of earnings, based on the $415 difference between median usual weekly earnings of workers with bachelor’s degrees and workers with some college, no degree, from Learn more, earn more: Education leads to higher wages, lower unemployment (2020). Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved Aug. 13, 2020, from https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2020/data-on-display/education-pays.htm (visited August 2022).