It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the School of Nursing at the University of Northern British Columbia! Browsing our school website will give you an idea of the programs we offer, the faculty and staff who will be part of your educational journey, and the environment in which we provide education to our future Registered Nurses and Family Nurse Practitioners. The UNBC School of Nursing was recently honoured as one of the best nursing schools in Canada, listed in the annual Maclean’s magazine university rankings. Based on a survey of faculty and senior university administrators, UNBC’s nursing program was ranked 16th overall out of the 72 nursing schools in Canada. 

Nurses form the backbone of the Canadian healthcare system. At UNBC, we prepare nurses to be leaders in professional practice, education, research, and administration. They act as patient advocates who provide evidence-based and compassionate patient care, and they are key decision-makers and influencers of safe, forward-looking health policy. Our sought-after graduates hold positions in which they work both as autonomous care providers and essential members of interdisciplinary healthcare teams throughout British Columbia.

The UNBC School of Nursing offers a traditional, four-year nursing degree program in collaboration with the College of New Caledonia and Coast Mountain College, as well as a two-year intensive nursing degree program for those with previous university credit. Many of our undergraduate nurses return to UNBC when they are ready to engage in further education and enroll in one of our graduate programs. We offer three Master of Science in Nursing program options: Family Nurse Practitioner, Thesis, and Project. In addition, our Rural Nursing Certificate Program offers advanced education opportunities for those wishing to provide nursing services in rural and remote communities.

Our main campus is on the traditional, unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, an area now known as Prince George, and our school is grateful every day for the opportunity to work and learn in such a beautiful area of the province. We also have thriving regional campuses in Terrace, Quesnel and Fort St. John, giving many students the option of receiving nursing education closer to their home communities.

It would be our pleasure to welcome you to the School of Nursing. Thank you for considering us in your education journey.

Dr. Catharine Schiller RN, PhD, JD
Chair, School of Nursing