For potential supervisors, please visit our website: www.unbc.ca/health-sciences
The MSc in Health Science offers a combined student-centred and community-oriented approach. The MSc strengthens students' capacity to progress their research interests and equips a new generation of researchers to understand and respond to contemporary health challenges, especially those faced by northern, rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. The interdisciplinary program provides opportunities for those interested in health within a changing health system to explore and research and to benefit from the diverse health research strengths in the School of Health Sciences and across ÂÜÀòÉäÇø.
Students pursue health research approaches that fit with their interests, learning from a range of research expertise spanning, but not limited to, biomedical, epidemiological, community health, and ecohealth approaches. Our students also benefit from active research partnerships across and beyond the university that create opportunities for applied and community-oriented research, with direct experience working with and learning from a range of community partners.
The research-based Master's degree equips students for a thriving career in health research (including applications for PhD programs), and is well suited for established health professionals seeking a research-oriented program that builds on existing practice and skills.
Admission
Application deadlines can be found online at www.unbc.ca/admissions/graduate.
The Health Sciences MSc program accepts students for the September Semester.
In addition to meeting the admission application requirements outline in General Admission of the Graduate ÂÜÀòÉäÇø and Regulations, all applicants to the Health Sciences MSc program are required to submit a Criminal Record Check search prior to the first day of classes in their entry semester.
Domestic applicants must supply a Criminal Record Check search result after receiving an offer of admission and before the first day of classes; the search result is not required with the application. International applicants must submit a Criminal Record Check search result completed by their local police authority upon application, and are also required to submit a British Columbia Criminal Record Check if offered admission. The Office of the Registrar provides instructions on how to complete a British Columbia Criminal Record Check to domestic and international applicants who have accepted offers of admission.
Prerequisites
Applicants must have completed an undergraduate course in statistics or biostatistics. In addition to courses taught in departments of Mathematics or Statistics, courses that are included in social sciences programs such as psychology or sociology, and in the curricula of undergraduate health professions, meet this requirement.
Applicants must have completed an undergraduate course in research methodology. Appropriate courses include those found in social science undergraduate programs, and in the curricula of undergraduate health professions.
Requirements
Students must complete 32 credit hours, which include five courses (14 credit hours) at the graduate level, 6 credit hours of elective/additional courses, and a thesis (12 credit hours).
The following courses must be completed by ALL students as part of their program.
| Principles of Epidemiology | |
| Advanced Techniques in Epidemiology | |
| or | Qualitative Research Approaches in Health and Human Sciences |
| or a course as chosen in consultation with the supervisory committee, and approved by the Chair of the School of Health Sciences |
|
| Graduate Seminar in Health Sciences | |
| Health Research Seminar Series | |
| Univariate Statistics | |
| or another graduate-level statistics course chosen in consultation with the supervisory committee, and approved by the Chair of the School of Health Sciences | |
Additional Course Requirements
Students must choose two courses (6 credit hours) in consultation with the supervisor.
Examples of courses taken by Health Sciences MSc students are:
| Chemical Biology Theory and Techniques | |
| Applied Genetics and Biotechnology | |
| Professional Ethics in Health Care Management | |
| Health Economics | |
| Organization and Financing of Canadian Health Care | |
| Community Research Methods | |
| Health Promotion | |
| The Healing and Well-being of Indigenous Peoples | |
| Advanced Clinical Practice Nursing | |
| Social and Health Policy in the Context of Health and Health Care | |
| Multivariate Statistics | |
| Health Psychology | |
| Holistic Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapies |
Other courses may be substituted or added with the approval of the student’s supervisory committee.
Thesis
The thesis () is assigned 12 credit hours.
Transfer Credit
A maximum of two courses (6 credit hours) completed with at least a B standing at a recognized University may be transferred with the approval of the advisor and the Chair of the School of Health Sciences.
Updated: May 9, 2025