The UNBC School of Health Sciences provides high quality, diverse and innovative approaches to learning and research through the use of a holistic view of health, informed by interactions among researchers, practitioners, and community members. Our faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and learning, and strive to create educational opportunities through experiential and research-focused learning. We encourage leadership among our students, staff, and faculty, enabling them to apply knowledge to improve and promote health among local, regional, national, and global communities.
Degree programs
The School of Health Sciences an UNBC covers four separate degree programs;
Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc)
The Bachelor of Health Sciences undergraduate degree program has three majors depending on students' interests.
The Biomedical Studies major focuses on the natural and physical sciences. This major would be of interest to students who wish to apply to professional programs, for example: dentistry, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy and speech pathology.
The Community and Population Health majors, Rural and Aboriginal Health and Environmental Health, while sharing some of the same core courses as the Biomedical Studies major, will also focus on courses for students interested in administration, health care management, information systems or public health.
Master of Arts in Disability Management (MA)
The Master of Arts in Disability Management program is intended to provide graduate with the knowledge and skills necessary to assist labour, management, insurance providers and employees with the development of successful return-to-work strategies for injured and/or workers with disabilities.
Master of Science in Health Sciences (MSc)
The Master of Science in Health Sciences program is designed to give health care professionals and others interested in the area the knowledge and skills to conduct community based research as well as an enhanced understanding of health care systems and policies.
PhD in Health Sciences
The PhD in Health Sciences is interdisciplinary in nature directly addressing the needs of health science researchers and professionals in BC and beyond. The program format is standard for the doctorate level where the student completes coursework and undertakes research demonstrated with a dissertation of original and innovative research in health sciences; the research is at the forefront of their chosen area. At the doctoral level, the students, through their dissertation, will demonstrate their knowledge of developing and carrying out independent research, synthesizing the work using qualitative and/or quantitative skills, making informed judgments and arguments based on fundamental theories and/or concepts. The public defence of the dissertation is a key stage for the student to demonstrate the quality of their work through a rigorous examination. The original research will be of high quality to satisfy peer review and merit publication in scientific journals.