Frequently Asked Questions

The Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health is a four-year undergraduate degree that will prepare students for further study or careers in the field of health. Students will take core courses in health, but also courses from a variety of disciplines across the university, including in Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Chemistry, and potentially in Political Science, Human Kinetics, History and many more. The result is a well-rounded and contemporary education about health.  

Students applying to the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health are required to consult the admissions page for admissions requirements. Students should consult the section pertaining to admissions for the Bachelor of Arts and Science.  

Absolutely – the courses that make up the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health demonstrate how health can be studied from many different perspectives. Students who want to prepare for the MCATs or other professional practice exams will find a home here, as will students who want to pursue careers in health-related fields, including: health policy, health advocacy, pharmaceutical sales, health management or health research. The program is designed to offer maximum breadth while ensuring students receive a rigorous health education that aptly prepares them for many careers in health.  

Students who would prefer to enroll in the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health instead of the program in their original application are advised to contact the admissions office to let them know of the change. Students who meet the admissions requirements will be admitted to the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health.  

In their first year enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health, students will take courses in Sociology, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, and Health.  

Yes – however, students who wish to switch to the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health will have to apply for a program change. Please note that in order to do so, students will need to contact Academic Advising to work out a study plan to be submitted with the program change. Students who were in the Health Studies Colloquium in 2016-2017 or who have taken PSYC 101 and 102 (or PSYC 100), SOC 101 and 102 (or SOC 100), BIOL 111 and 112, and CHEM 101 and 102 (or CHEM 100) in their first year will be best positioned transfer into the Health program as they will have already completed many of the first-year requirements of the program.  

Students will be notified by the admissions office in their official letter of acceptance. Students who have already been accepted at StFX and are applying for the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health after the fact will be notified by email.  

The Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health could be used as preparation to many health-related careers that span traditional medical options (medicine, medical research, dentistry, occupational therapy, audiology, optometry, speech pathology, physical therapy, pharmacy, midwifery) and non-traditional options (social health policy, law, bioethics, genetics counselling, community health, occupational health, epidemiology).  

Students will have the opportunity to explore many career paths throughout their degree. Starting in the first year, you will participate in a tutorial that will explore future career opportunities, pathways through the program, and graduate study options. This tutorial is designed to get students thinking about all the options that await them in the program and after graduation, and to help them plan their studies effectively.  

Finally, in their fourth year, students will participate in a term-length project (HLTH 402- Health Innovation) seeking to solve a problem in health or produce a health innovation. This will get them thinking about the real-world implications of what they have learned in the classroom and put the skills they have accumulated over the previous three years to work!  

It is important to note that the completion of this program is not a prerequisite to other health programs at StFX or other Atlantic university programs.  

There are many good ways to prepare for the MCAT, which is a required test for students intending to apply for medical school. Students should explore all viable pathways before deciding on their best preparation for medical school. Graduates from all sorts of programs at StFX have gone on to become successful medical doctors. The Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health is one way to prepare to study medicine.  

The MCAT changed recently, and students who will be taking it are strongly encouraged to take a breadth of courses that are included in the Bachelor of Art and Science in Health. The program is designed to give students the opportunity to take all the courses that will help them prepare for the new MCAT. 

No, not directly. The prescribed courses in the first year of this program are not the same courses as the first-year courses for these programs. Like many other degree programs from which you may transfer, you would be required to take extra courses to prepare you for the second year of these programs regardless of the number of credits you have earned from first year.  

The HKIN program and the BASc in Health program share commonalities, but are created with different goals in mind. The programs' approaches to health and wellness differ. For instance, the Human Kinetics program focuses on exploring all aspects of human movement, including physical activity and physical fitness and how they relate to overall health and wellness. In contrast, the BASc in Health provides a broader perspective of the field of health by engaging students in biomedical approaches to health as well as the social determinants of health and health equity from systemic, population, and individual perspectives. Students in the BASc in Health may complete coursework pertaining to human movement but it is not a required component. Both programs will prepare students well for a rewarding career in health in different areas. Students should speak with an academic advisor of admissions to determine which program is the best fit.  

If you have questions that still are not answered on this FAQ, please email @email and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.  

Interested students are encouraged to contact the admissions office  or apply now