Non-Award
The Health Sciences First Year course is the essential first step into Otago's health professional programmes:
Please note: Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) is not the same as Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHealSc).
Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) is a prescribed 126-point course to be completed in the first year of a student's university study, starting in the first semester.
The course also provides an excellent foundation for the Bachelor of Dental Technology, Bachelor of Oral Health, and Bachelor of Radiation Therapy, as well as advanced study in the biological, biomedical and other sciences.
Students who have completed not more than one year of university study in subjects other than Health Sciences First Year compulsory papers (or equivalent) may be granted a dispensation to undertake the Health Sciences First Year. No student will be permitted to take an examination in a subject of the first year course in which a pass has already been gained.
Admission to second-year classes in Dentistry, Medical Laboratory Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy is determined by Admissions Committees and is most commonly gained through a competitive Health Sciences First Year. A separate application for admission to second-year classes must be submitted no later than 15 September in the year preceding that to which admission is sought.
See the Health Sciences First Year website for more information.
Note: Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) is treated like a major subject for enrolment purposes, however you cannot complete a three-year Bachelor of Science majoring in HSFY. Instead, after completing your first year, you can transfer to a different major subject for second year and beyond. For example, after HSFY, you might enter second-year Anatomy or Biochemistry or Medicine.
If you are interested in working in the areas of public health, Maori health, or Pacific health, you might consider the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHealSc).