• Biomedical Studies

• Community and Population Health - Aboriginal and Rural Health

• Community and Population Health - Environmental Health

• Bachelor of Health Sciences Honours (BHSc Honours)

The Bachelor of Health Sciences degree is a four-year program consisting of a range of courses that relate directly to the science of health, in the recognition that health is a complex entity defying a simple explanation or a single disciplinary perspective. The courses identified within the School of Health Sciences offer learning opportunities from a variety of disciplines, including the life sciences, social sciences, behavioural sciences, and ethics and law, to enable students to develop a body of knowledge and understanding relating to the dimensions of health. Some of these courses are considered to be ‘core’ and therefore central to the basic understandings of health, while others offer the student opportunities to learn about a specific health perspective that is focused on one of three Majors:

i) Biomedical Studies
ii) Community and Population Health - Environmental Health
iii) Community and Population Health - Aboriginal and Rural Health

Graduation from either of the Community and Population Health Majors enables students to embark on careers or graduate programs related to health care management, administration, information systems or public health.

Students pursuing the Biomedical Studies Major are required to complete a set of courses that enables them to be prepared for application to professional programs, such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, dentistry, speech pathology or physiotherapy. This major provides a foundational, multidisciplinary knowledge base that is focused on the natural and physical sciences, and social sciences, and includes population health and research methodology. Students interested in other fields requiring extensive biomedical laboratory skills may enroll in the degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB).

All students graduating with the Bachelor of Health Sciences degree will have developed critical analytical skills, life-long learning skills, and the ability to work from the evidence of best practice.

General Requirements

To be awarded the BHSc degree, students are required to complete 122 credit hours of University-level courses. 

Students enrolling in Health Sciences courses with prerequisites are required to have completed all prerequisite courses for those courses with a C or better, or have permission to enroll from the School Chair.

To change BHSc majors, students must apply through Student Advising.

Admission Requirement

Admission to the Bachelor of Health Sciences program is based on academic qualifications and available space. At the time of application, students must specify whether they intend to pursue either the Biomedical Studies Major or one of the two Community and Population Health Majors. Priority admission is given to students who meet admission criteria and apply by the deadline of February 1. Applications received after the deadline may be reviewed based on available space in the program. Self-identified Aboriginal applicants who meet or exceed the minimum requirements for admission to the program are given priority for up to twenty percent (20%) of the first-year seats for the Bachelor of Health Sciences program.
 
Applicants from British Columbia and Yukon secondary schools must:

• Meet the basic UNBC admission requirements, and

• Have completed Principles of Mathematics 11 or Pre-Calculus 11, Chemistry 11, Biology 12, English 12 and other approved Grade 12 courses as specified in the Admissions sections of the Undergraduate Calendar with a minimum of 70% in each course.

Other Applicants must:

• Meet UNBC admission requirements, and

• Have completed the equivalent of Principles of Mathematics 11 or Pre-Calculus 11, Chemistry 11, Biology 12, English 12, and other approved Grade 12 courses as specified in the Admissions section of the Undergraduate Calendar with a minimum of 70% in each course.

Students interested in specializing in the Biomedical Studies Major are strongly encouraged to take: Pre-Calculus 12, or Principles of Mathematics 12, and Chemistry 12 before entering the Program.

Major in Biomedical Studies

Students pursuing a major in Biomedical Studies are required to complete the following 98 credit hours of courses. It is recommended that students take the following courses in the year of study indicated. Students must take an additional 24 elective credit hours of which at least 9 credit hours must be upper-division courses from any discipline for degree completion.

Major in Community and Population Health - Aboriginal and Rural Health

Students pursuing a major in Community and Population Health-Aboriginal and Rural Health are required to complete the following 97 credit hours. It is recommended that students take the following courses in the year of study indicated.

Major in Community and Population Health - Environmental Health

Elective and Academic Breadth Requirement for all BHSc Majors

Students take electives at any level sufficient to ensure completion of a minimum 122 credit hours. This includes taking any additional credit hours necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the University (see Academic Regulation on Academic Breadth).