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Academic Programs: Overview
Welcome to the College of Health and Human Services (HHS) Academic Programs. HHS houses nine academic departments, which include undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs. The college holds programs with diverse methods of declaring and obtaining admission into the majors. You may find the university policy on declaring a major below:
Undergraduate programs
HHS has eight undergraduate programs. Considering we are one of the largest colleges at Sacramento State, several of our programs are impacted or in high demand. Therefore, individual departments may have selected to set their programs as impacted or Pre-Major which require specific courses to be completed prior to being fully admitted and/or declared into the program. There are also programs which allow direct admission into the major.
Direct Admission
When applying to Sacramento State through CSU Apply, selecting one of the following programs - Communication Science and Disorders, Health Science, Therapeutic Health and Recreation, Kinesiology (all four concentrations), Sport and Recreation Management, Health Services Administration, Public Health (all three concentrations), and Hospitality and Tourism Management - will grant admission without any additional supplemental documentation.
The Bachelor of Science in Communication Science and Disorders requires 12-13 units of lower-division prerequisite courses to be taken during the first two years at Sacramento State. CSAD is designed for students to begin their upper-division coursework in the fall semester.
The Department of Allied Health Sciences is the primary pathway into healthcare careers at Sacramento State. Home to the Bachelor of Science in Health Science and the Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Health and Recreation. The B.S. in Health Science is designed as a pathway into the traditional pre-licensure Nursing program.
Allied Health Sciences Website
Health Science Four-year Roadmap
Therapeutic Health and Recreation Four-year Roadmap
Kinesiology
Effective Fall 2026, the Department of Kinesiology offers a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (four concentrations) and a Bachelor of Arts in Sport and Recreation Management with direct admissions. The four concentrations in Kinesiology include: Athletic Care, Athletic Coaching Education, Physical Activity and Wellness, and Physical Education/Teacher Education.
Four-year Roadmaps:
Physical Education/Teacher Education
Sport and Recreation Management
Public Health
The Department of Public Health offers three undergraduate programs: (1) BS in Public Health (concentrations in (a) Health Promotion, (b) Occupational Health & Safety, and (c) Health Informatics & Data Science); (2) BS in Health Services Administration; and (3) BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management. You may find their four-year roadmaps for each of their concentrations as well as their direct department website.
Four-year Roadmaps:
Public Health (Health Promotion)
Public Health (Occupational Safety and Health)
Public Health (Health Informatics and Data Science)
Pre-Major
HHS has three Pre-Major programs which includes Criminal Justice, Exercise Science, and Social Work. Pre-major programs allow students to declare into their pre-major while completing the department’s set prerequisites which may include: specific grade requirements, specific GPA requirements, and specific course requirements.
Once completing set prerequisite requirements, a student will work with their advisor to officially declare the major. Advisors (not the student) will submit the Declaration/Change of Major form on OnBase.
The following programs hold the Pre-Major status:
Criminal Justice
The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice requires a C or better in the 12 units of lower-division prerequisite courses to be taken in the first two years at Sacramento State.
Criminal Justice Four-year Roadmap
The Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science offers two options for students: 1) Health Fitness/Strength Conditioning and 2) Clinical Exercise & Rehabilitation Specialist. You may find the four-year roadmap below as well as their direct department website.
Exercise Science Four-year Roadmap
The Bachelor of Arts in Social Work requires a B or better in the 12 units of lower-division prerequisite courses to be taken during the first two years at Sacramento State. SWRK is designed for students to begin their upper-division coursework in the Fall semester.
Impacted Major
The Chancellor's Office of the California State University has granted Nursing impaction status for their undergraduate degree. Students applying to the Nursing program are required to submit a supplemental application.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing has two different pathways to obtain a BSN: (1) Traditional Pre-Licensure BSN and (2) RN to BSN.
Traditional Pre-Licensure/Health Science: Please note- beginning Fall 2020, students who declare Nursing as their major of interest on the Cal State Apply application and who are selected for admission to the university will be admitted as a Health Science major, the pathway into the traditional pre-licensure Nursing program
Graduate Programs
There are six programs in HHS that offer graduate programs. HHS also houses the Doctorate in Physical Therapy.
There is a two-step process to apply to any graduate program. You must apply to the university (through CSU apply) as well as complete any supplemental application and documentation required by the department. Please make sure to visit the following department websites, along with Graduate Studies website available below: