January 30, 2006

Starting this fall, and pending final approval from the Ministry ofAdvanced Education, the University of Northern British Columbia willbegin offering a new bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences that willenhance UNBC’s growing number of academic programs  that focus onhealth and human development.
The new program will have three majors: Biomedical Studies,Environmental Health, and Aboriginal and Rural Health. All majors buildfrom a foundation of new health science courses, drawing upon existingcourses from the sciences and social sciences to provide students witha broad understanding of issues while preparing them for furtherstudies in areas as diverse as medicine, occupational therapy, speechpathology, healthcare management and administration, and community andpublic health.

“The versatility of this program is one of its definingcharacteristics,” says Howard Brunt, UNBC Vice-President Academic andProvost. “In addition to being a comprehensive degree program, itcontains the pre-requisites that students will need for careers in manyhealth-related fields that require a master’s degree or PhD. We haveworked closely with health service providers from across the provinceto ensure that this program will contribute to health services in ourregion while opening the door for students to multiple career paths.”

The Bachelor of Health Sciences is the most recent addition to UNBC’sgrowing opportunities for education in health-related disciplines.Other programs added in recent years have included master’s degrees inDisability Management and Nurse Practitioner; undergraduate programs inBiochemistry and Molecular Biology and Aboriginal Health Sciences; andthe Northern Medical Program. The Nursing program has also doubled itsintake of students since 2000, adding programs in Quesnel andTerrace.  In terms of future program development, UNBC ispartnering with the Colleges and Northern Health on federally fundedresearch to assess the North’s emerging training and education needsfor health professionals.

The application deadline for students interested in the Bachelor ofHealth Sciences is March 15th. For further information on the Programor the application process, call 250-960-5363.

Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622