Program Description

The Liberal Arts & Sciences/Mathematics and Science (LAMS) program leads to the Associate in Science (A.S.) degree. This LAMS concentration in Health Science with an emphasis in mathematics and the natural sciences, serves as the foundational coursework for a career in one of the health sciences: nursing, pharmacy, and many other allied health career fields. Qualified graduates of this program most often continue their studies at four-year colleges and universities to further their education towards a one of a number of allied health professions whose competitive admission requirements require coursework in mathematics and/or natural science at the majors-level.

Program Note

Advice for Graduates Transferring to Bachelor’s Programs in Health Science

The distribution of courses to meet the requirements for the A.S. degree varies depending on the student’s interests, so it is important that a student review the requirements for the first two years of any colleges to which he or she might transfer. Course selection can then be made with advice from an Academic Counselor or the Liberal Arts Math and Science (LAMS) Curriculum Chair (Chad.Thompson@sunywcc.edu).

Additionally, students who are ultimately interested in professional programs related to Health Science (medicine, physical therapy, dentistry, etc.), should also carefully review the admission requirements to those career programs in order to make informed decisions as to specific math and science courses that need to be taken within the LAMS program, and possibly consider the Biology or Chemistry Concentrations, which may be more appropriate for certain professional school interests (i.e., medical school, veterinary school, dental school, etc.).

Advice for Prospective Students Interested in Allied Health Programs at Westchester Community College

Many students with an interest in being accepted into one of the college’s allied health programs (i.e., Nursing AAS, Radiologic Technology AAS, and Respiratory Technology AAS) major in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Math and Science (LAMS) while they work on their entrance requirements. For these students, it is very important to understand, not only the entrance requirements for the prospective program, but also the specific math and science requirements for the LAMS degree.

In many cases, the entrance requirements for specific allied health programs deviate from the higher-level math and science requirements of LAMS. Therefore, it is essential that before a student begins to work on the entrance requirements for a competitive allied health degree, the student should be aware of how the math and science requirements overlap between the two programs, and where they do not. Informed course selections can then be made with advice from an Academic Counselor.

Program Requirements

60 credits are required for the degree:

• General Education - 33 credits
• Required Degree Courses - 27 credits

General Education Requirements - 33 Credits

• Communication - Written and Oral (3 credits): ENG 101 Writing and Research  
   
• Humanities (3 credits): ENG 102 Writing and Literature  
   
• Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning) (8 credits): MATH 117 - College Quantitative Reasoning  and  MATH 140 - Statistics 
   
• Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning) (8 credits):  BIOL 101 - Principles of Biological Science (and Lab)  and BIOL 121 - Anatomy and Physiology 1 (and Lab)  
   
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (3 credits): choose from this category of general education courses  
   
• Social Sciences (3 credits): PSYCH 101 - Introduction to Psychology  
   
• The Arts OR World Languages (3 credits): choose from either category, The Arts  or World Languages  
   
• US History and Civic Engagement OR World History and Global Awareness (3 credits): choose from either category, US History/Civic Engagement  or World History/Global Awareness  

Where specific courses are not listed within the categories above, courses must be selected from the list of all general education courses . 

Required Degree Courses - 27 credits

• BIOL 123 - Anatomy and Physiology 2 (and Lab)  
• BIOL 221 - General Microbiology (and Lab)  
• CHEM 113 - Principles of Inorganic Chemistry (and Lab)  
• NUTR 109 - Nutrition for Health Care  
   
• Free Electives (12 credits): select any college course(s) 

Program Map

The program map is a recommended semester-by-semester schedule of courses based on degree requirements and serve as a general guideline to help students complete their program in two years. Although designed for full-time enrollment, these are easily adaptable for part-time study. For additional, individualized guidance, students should review Degree Works and consult an Academic Counselor or Faculty Advisor to ensure they are on track to complete their program.

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3

Semester 4

Minimum Total Credits: 60

Transfer Opportunities

Westchester Community College is committed to facilitating a smooth transfer process to ensure that graduates of the college are prepared to transfer with junior status, and are able to complete a bachelor’s degree within two years of full-time study upon transfer. View 4-year institutions’ transfer agreement information by program here.

Career Opportunities

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