One way to explore health and life science majors is to see them in five buckets that include: direct patient care, laboratory work, health administration, health care technology, and health education. On this page, you will find the five buckets with links to associated majors here at IUPUI. For more information about specific IUPUI programs, click on the program links listed below.
Five buckets in health and life sciences
Direct patient care
Careers in direct patient care are hands on and demand an intense knowledge of science and a deep empathy for people. If you can handle high levels of stress, all kinds of bodily fluids, and knowing as much about the human body as possible, check out careers like nursing, dental hygiene, radiography, respiratory therapy, and others.
Laboratory work
If you have a passion for science, problem solving, and helping people, a career in laboratory work might be for you. Lab scientists can work as part of the patient-care team to diagnose patients, such as clinical laboratory science or cytotechnology, or to search for problems in the physical environment, such as environmental health science.
Health administration
Health care administrators keep the system running, from hiring physicians and practitioners to managing a hospital’s staff to making health policy. Are you great at staying organized and working with people and information? Check out careers like health services management or health sciences.
Health care technology
Technology is changing every second, and people who work in health care technology have to keep the system current so that patients can continue receiving the best possible care. These people can work hands on with medical equipment and technology (healthcare engineering technology management); they may also work in the digital realm, running statistical analyses and telling stories about the data they’ve found (health data science), or coding and developing new systems to keep patient care cost effective, efficient, and high quality (health information management).
Health education
Health educators don’t only work in the classroom, they also work in our communities, in big corporations, and in hospitals to promote health and to educate others on how to live healthier lives. Graduates with degrees in community health or health sciences can find careers as disease prevention specialists, program coordinators, public outreach campaign planners, and policy advocates. If you want to make a difference in the health of your community, check out these majors.
- Dental Hygiene, Associate Degree, IU School of Dentistry
- Exercise Science, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Health and Human Sciences
- Fitness Management and Personal Training, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Health and Human Sciences
- Medical Imaging Technology, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Nuclear Medicine Technology, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Nursing, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Nursing
- Paramedic Science, Associate Degree, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Psychology, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Radiation Therapy, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Radiography, Associate Degree, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Respiratory Therapy, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Social Work, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Social Work
- Biology, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Biomedical Engineering, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology
- Cytotechnology, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Forensic and Investigative Sciences, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Global Health, Bachelor's Degree, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Histotechnology, Associate Degree and Certificate, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Medical Laboratory Science (formerly Clinical Laboratory Science)*, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Medicine, Health Professions Program
- Neuroscience, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Biology, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Biotechnology, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Community Health, Bachelor's Degree, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Forensic and Investigative Sciences, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Global Health, Bachelor's Degree and Minor, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Health Data Science, Bachelor's Degree, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Health Information Management, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Informatics and Computing
- Health Services Management, Bachelor's Degree, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Medical Humanities and Health Studies, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Liberal Arts
- Philanthropic Studies, Bachelor’s Degree, IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
- Physical Education and Teacher Education, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Health and Human Sciences
- Psychology, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Social Work, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Social Work
- Biomedical Engineering Technology, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology
- Health Data Science, Bachelor's Degree, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Health Information Management, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Informatics and Computing
- Healthcare Engineering and Technology Management, Associate Degree and Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology
- Community Health, Bachelor's Degree, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Exercise Science, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Health and Human Sciences
- Fitness Management and Personal Training, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Health and Human Sciences
- Global Health, Bachelor's Degree, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Health Sciences, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Health and Human Sciences
- Health Services Management, Bachelor's Degree, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Medical Humanities and Health Studies, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Liberal Arts
- Psychology, Bachelor's Degree, Purdue School of Science
- Social Work, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Social Work
- Sociology, Bachelor's Degree, IU School of Liberal Arts
1:1 career appointments
If you would like individualized guidance in exploring health-related majors, you can schedule a 1:1 appointment with our career consultant. You can go to the Student Appointment Scheduler or call our office at 317-274-4856 to schedule an appointment.
If you are at "square one" in the major and career decision-making process, it is beneficial to complete an assessment prior to your appointment with a career consultant. However, it is not necessary! Regardless of where you are at in the process, please be prepared to talk about your values, interests, personality, and skills. Our conversation is all about you, after all, and understanding yourself is the first step to discovering majors and careers that are the best fit for you.