Overview
Study for a meaningful career
With a Massey Bachelor of Health Science (Integrated Human Health) you’ll kick-start a career that will help you solve the big health challenges of the 21st century.
Level
- Undergraduate, NZQF Level 7
Distance learning
- Available
Duration
- 3 year(s) full-time. Available part-time.
Create healthy workplaces
Massey’s Bachelor of Health Science (Integrated Human Health) will give you a broad and applied knowledge of the impact of biological and environmental factors on health.
Make a difference to the nation’s health
Health is complex. If we want to improve health outcomes for ourselves and our communities it's important to have an appreciation of the many different aspects of health. This major takes an integrated approach to understanding the latest science of good health. You’ll explore a range of factors that determine human health including sleep, exercise, nutrition, genetics and the environment.
In the Bachelor of Health Science (Integrated Human Health) you'll gain vital knowledge and skills in relevant human bioscience areas. This will help you understand the impact of these crucial factors on body function and their role in achieving and maintaining good health. You’ll also learn about intervention and prevention strategies and their role in improving health outcomes.
Study your way
You can choose whether to study on campus or by distance to fit with your other commitments.
Careers and further study
Careers
The Bachelor of Health Science (Integrated Human Health) will equip you to work in many different fields. You’ll be working to encourage people to improve their health. Employment opportunities include working in:
- local health authorities
- local and national governments
- schools and universities
- corporate companies
- charities and funding bodies
- research institutes
- health and fitness centres.
Further study
You may wish to consider further study once you have completed your degree such as a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science or Master of Health Science.
Entry requirements
University admission
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
Programme admission
Required
There are no specific entry requirements for this programme, outside of university admission regulations.
English language requirements
To study this programme you must meet Massey University's English language standards.
Prior learning, credit and exemptions
For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:
- review the Recognition of Prior Learning regulations
- contact us through the Enquire button on this page.
If you do not have the entry requirements
English language and foundation courses
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, we have courses and programmes that may help.
- English Language Proficiency
- Foundation Certificate in Academic English
- Foundation Certificate in Advanced Academic English
- Full Foundation - Certificate in Foundation Studies
Summer School
If you need to do a course before you start your programme, there may be options for you in Summer School.
Courses and planning
Credit summary
360 credits
From the Schedule to the Degree including:
Compulsory courses
Course selection
Your major
Elective courses
Ensure you have:
- Not more than 165 credits at 100 level
- At least 75 credits at 300 level
Also attend field trips, studios, workshops, tutorials and laboratories as required.
See ‘Courses for this programme’ below for schedules of courses.
Courses for this specialisation
Compulsory courses
| 120 credits | ||
|---|---|---|
| 214231 | Nutrition for Special Populations | 15 |
| 214331 | Food Choice and Nutrition Promotion | 15 |
| 231200 | Theories and Models of Health Promotion | 15 |
| 231307 | Intervention Research and Design | 15 |
| 231308 | Health Promotion Advocacy | 15 |
| 234223 | Exercise Physiology | 15 |
| 252201 | Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and Shift Work | 15 |
| 252301 | Sleep, Health and Performance | 15 |
Planning your programme
Planning overview
If you study full-time, you’ll take eight 15-credit courses each year.
Make sure you include courses that are prerequisites for the next level of courses you wish to study.
Make sure you choose 214.131 Introduction to Food and Nutrition in your first year because it is the pre-requisite for one of your 200-level compulsory major courses.
Fees and scholarships
Fees and finance
Fees, student loans and free fees scheme
Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.
There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
Already know which courses you're going to choose?
If you already know which courses you are going to take, you can use our fees calculator to get an estimate of your fees.
Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.
Current and returning Massey students will find their National Student Number on their student homepage.
- Student loans (StudyLink)
- Fees Free
- Student homepage login
A good fit if you:
- want a career in a specialist health-related fields
- have a passion for improving health outcomes and addressing inequities
- want to understand how the human body functions.
Meet our students
“
Studying my degree has enabled me to work as an Environmental Health Officer. This has allowed me to put my knowledge into practice. Work alongside communities and providers selling food and making sure they do this safely. The help and support received from staff, lecturers and other students was invaluable in completing my degree.
” Betty Holden
“
One of the services that helped me significantly as a distance student was Massey's online learning platform. The Stream site provided me with the opportunity to connect peers and teaching staff, watch online lectures, lessons or presentations, submit assessments and much much more.
” Ian Militoni
“
I recommend studying at Massey University because it allowed me to learn about everything that contributes to health and wellbeing, but also the real world application of this knowledge that allows you to work in the health field.
” Maddie Ryan
Meet our lecturers
I find the complexity and intricacy of living things enthralling. Health scientists have made great progress in understanding the biological processes underlying health and disease, but there is still much to learn. The Integrated Human Health major allows the study of a broad range of courses to reflect the complexity and interdisciplinary nature of human health.
Barry Palmer
Senior Lecturer in Life Sciences, School of Health Sciences
Accreditations and rankings
Massey University is ranked by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) as one of the top 400 universities in the world for biological sciences.
Massey University is ranked in the top 300 universities in the world and fourth in New Zealand in the subject area of public health by the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.
Key information for students
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions.
Regulations
Review this important information before you apply for this programme. This gives you full details of the rules and regulations about what you need to study and what you must achieve in order to graduate with this qualification. That includes structure, courses and requirements. These regulations should be read in conjunction with all other Statutes and Regulations of the University including the below.
Undergraduate programmes
Applying and enrolling
Applying for the programme
Check you are ready
If you are ready to apply, have a look at our application checklist. It will help you get prepared with what you need. Please also check the entry requirements carefully before you apply.
Choose your programme and click on Apply now
You will apply for the programme using the Apply now button on this page. You’ll also choose your specialisation (major, subject or endorsement) if applicable.
Some programmes have additional requirements such as the submission of a portfolio or CV. Click on Apply now and you will be able to submit those documents as part of the application process.
Receive and accept an Admission Offer of Place
You will receive an Admission Offer of Place when you have been accepted into the programme. You need to accept this before you can enrol in your courses. International students also need to pay their fees at this point.
Enrolling in courses
You’ll then get access to your own student homepage (also known as the student portal). This is where you can enrol in courses. Any updates on your application or enrolments will also be on your student homepage. Make sure you check this regularly.
When you choose courses, ensure you check for any requirements that apply including:
- prerequisites (courses you have to do before the one you are enrolling in)
- corequisites (courses you have to do at the same time as the one you are enrolling in)
- restrictions (courses that you cannot enrol in if you are completing or have completed another identified similar course)
- location – for instance some distance-based courses still have an on-campus element, so double check that the way the course is taught is suitable for your situation.
Each of our courses has its own webpage where you can find this information. You can use our course search to find course pages.
More information on courses is in the ‘Courses for this programme’ section on this page.
You can find information on application due dates and semester dates on the key dates page.
We look forward to welcoming you to Massey!
If you have any questions, contact us through the Enquire button on this page.
What are courses and credits?
What are courses and credits?
Each Massey programme is made up of courses (in some tertiary institutions they are called ‘papers’).
You will have some compulsory courses and some you can choose from.
Each course is worth a certain amount of credits (often 15 credits, but this does vary). You must gain a set number of credits to be able to graduate from this programme.
There may also be some rules about which courses you need to pass to progress to the next year, or stage, of your study (known as progression). There are also courses you must pass to graduate with a specialisation.
- See the ‘Courses for this programme’ section for the list of courses.
- Courses search
Understanding course numbers
The first three digits of our course numbers show you which subject the course is about.
The second three digits show you the level and course ID number. For instance:
- sub-degree courses are '0' (i.e. xxx.0xx)
- undergraduate study begins at 100-level, (i.e. xxx.1xx)
- as you progress through 200- and 300-level courses this number changes to 2 and 3 respectively. The higher the number that starts the second three digits, the higher the level of study
| 1 | 6 | 2 | . | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| Subject area | Level | Course ID number | |||||
About electives
Electives are courses that are not compulsory. Certain guidelines are usually provided on courses you may take. Elective courses contribute to the programme, but not to your major or specialisation.
Workload and time management
Use this tool to help determine how much time you will need each week to complete your studies.
Returning students
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the programme or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these programmes go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Enquire button on this page if you have any questions.
Scholarships and awards
There are a number of scholarships available for new and current students. They could relate to your situation, achievement or interest.