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Overview
Excel in the growing health industry
Massey’s Bachelor of Health Science will prepare you to address the big health challenges facing the nation and the world in the 21st century.
Level
- Undergraduate, NZQF Level 7
Credits
- 360
Duration
- 3 year(s) full-time. Available part-time.
Other
- Some distance courses contain compulsory contact workshops.
Note: This programme is covered by the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order 2021. Students are required to provide details of their vaccination status on enrolment.
Massey’s Bachelor of Health Science offers a wide range of health majors. Its multidisciplinary foundation will prepare you to make a creative and practical contribution to improving the health of individuals, communities and nations.
The health industry needs you
There is a growing need for people who understand personal, workplace and community health issues in today’s interconnected and complex world.
With an interdisciplinary approach, you’ll gain a good understanding of the biological and social bases of 21st century health issues. You’ll be able to apply your multidisciplinary skills to explore solutions and create interventions. You will gain the skills to assess current practices and policies and develop new ideas for bettering health.
The Bachelor of Health Science focuses on communication and critical-thinking skills. It will give you an understanding of research methods and the principles and practices of epidemiology. It will help you build your career in any of New Zealand’s major health sectors.
Improve the nation’s health
You’ll get an understanding of the many dimensions of personal and population health and healthcare in New Zealand. With a solid grounding in health science, you’ll be perfectly placed to contribute to improving the nation’s health from day one in the workplace.
Follow your interests
It’s easy to build a degree around your special interests at Massey. Our Bachelor of Health Science offers a large and comprehensive suite of health majors. So you’ll have lots of choice. And with up to four elective courses, you can fine-tune these to your interests.
Specialisations
Majors, subjects or endorsements
Careers and further study
Careers
The Bachelor of Health Science is a great programme to find an exciting and rewarding career. Depending on your major, you could work in any of the following:
- biosecurity
- environmental health protection, consultancy and auditing
- health navigation and case management in rehabilitation and disability support
- health promotion, community health and policy work in communities, iwi, government and non-government organisations
- health research in universities, companies, non-profit organisations and research institutes
- injury prevention
- mental health and addiction work
- public health
- quality assurance
- secondary school teaching
- workplace health and safety
- policy advice and analysis
- community development
- whānau ora navigation.
Further study
You may wish to consider further study once you have completed your degree. For example: a Postgraduate Diploma 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 qualifications that may help.
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
- Compulsory courses – 180 credits
- Compulsory course selection – 30 credits
- Major courses – 120 credits
- Electives from Schedule C – 30 credits
Ensure that overall, you have:
- Not more than 165 credits at 100 level
- At least 75 credits at 300 level
Courses for this programme
Schedule A: Core courses (210 credits)
Compulsory courses
| 165 credits | ||
|---|---|---|
| 150112 | Hauora Tangata: Foundations of Māori Health | 15 |
| 150202 | Mauri ora: Māori Wellbeing and Vitality | 15 |
| 214101 | Human Bioscience: Normal Body Function | 15 |
| 214102 | Applied Sciences for Health Professionals | 15 |
| 214201 | Human Bioscience: Impaired Body Function | 15 |
| 231106 | Introduction to Public Health | 15 |
| 231107 | Social Determinants of Health | 15 |
| 250100 | Health Communication | 15 |
| 250205 | Principles and Practice of Epidemiology | 15 |
| 250303 | Systems Thinking and Design for Health | 15 |
| 250331 | Health of Communities | 15 |
15 credits
Either
| 214212 | Research Methods in the Health Sciences | 15 |
Or Psychology Major only
| 175203 | Introduction to Psychological Research | 15 |
| 30 credits | ||
|---|---|---|
| 147101 | Rehabilitation Studies | 15 |
| 147102 | Whakapiri: Engagement in Mental Health and Addiction Work | 15 |
| 151131 | Introduction to Food and Nutrition | 15 |
| 175101 | Psychology as a Social Science | 15 |
| 175102 | Psychology as a Natural Science | 15 |
| 179155 | A Foundation of Interpersonal Skills for the Helping Professions | 15 |
| 231108 | Health Intervention Management | 15 |
| 234121 | Functional Anatomy | 15 |
| 234141 | Introduction to Human Movement and Hauora | 15 |
Schedule B: Specialisations
Majors
Please refer to individual specialisation page for a list of courses for your specialisation.Minors
Please refer to individual specialisation page for a list of courses for your specialisation.Schedule C: Electives
| 145216 | Urban Environments | 15 |
| 147302 | Alcohol, Other Drugs and Addiction | 15 |
| 150103 | Nau mai e noho: Engaging with Māori | 15 |
| 175303 | The Practice of Psychological Research | 15 |
| 175309 | Forensic Psychology | 15 |
| 175311 | Psychology of Women | 15 |
| 175318 | Experimental Psychology | 15 |
| 175345 | Organisational Psychology | 15 |
| 179320 | Community Development | 15 |
| 234331 | Sport and Physical Activity in the Social Context | 15 |
| 250320 | Work Integrated Learning in Health Sciences | 15 |
Majors and minors
About specialisations
Completing a major is compulsory. A Bachelor of Health Science major consists of 120 credits of compulsory courses.
Planning your programme
Planning overview
If you study full-time you’ll take eight 15-credit courses each year.
For some majors, you will need to take specific 100-level core courses from Schedule A to ensure you have the necessary pre-requisites for 200-level major compulsory courses.
Check the regulations for your chosen major.
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.
- Get an estimate of the tuition fees for your qualification
- View a list of non-tuition fees that may be payable
Already know which courses you're going to choose?
You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.
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 can find their National Student Number in the student portal.
- Student loans (StudyLink)
- Fees Free
- Student portal
A good fit if you:
- want to improve the health and lives of the population
- have a particular interest you want to explore
- are keen to work in the growing health industry.
Meet our students
“
Raising a family, whilst studying via distance went from a dream into reality, a very achievable goal. A Bachelor of Health Science in Health Promotion has provided me with a platform to empower communities at the margins of society. Gaining a health science degree is now just the start of an academic journey ahead.
” Francine Whittfield
CARE Center (culture-centered approach to research and evaluation), Massey University
“
What I’ve enjoyed most about my studies is the way Massey embraces students and clearly makes an effort to give them the best experience possible. The lecturers and other staff are very supportive of their students.
” Omar Masoud Albalawi
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
Scholarships related to this programme
There are a number of scholarships available for new and current students. They could relate to your situation, achievement or interest.