Welcome to the Faculty of Health

Professor Diane Gibson, Dean of the Faculty of Health 

The Faculty of Health at the University of Canberra aims to contribute to building a healthier community, both in the ACT and nationally. The Faculty trains nurses and midwives, psychologists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dietitians, nutritionists, exercise scientists, sport management and media professionals, and experts in coaching and exercise science. We are also intent on developing additional courses to respond to skills shortages and the needs and interests of people in the ACT and surrounding regions.

Both the Faculty and the University have a bold vision for the future, guided by the University’s strategic plan which sets out a clear and focused forward direction, promoting excellence in teaching, expanding research capacity, and engaging with the ACT community and its region.

This is an exciting time for the Faculty of Health. In 2010, we commenced our Master in Exercise Science program, and an Honours degree in Sport Science, and 2011 will see the first intake into our re-developed undergraduate program, the Bachelor of Exercise and Coaching Science. This is all part of the expansion and redevelopment of our sports studies and exercise science program and the further development of our crossfaculty National Institute of Sports Studies at the University of Canberra.

We are establishing a strong profile in relation to innovation in clinical teaching and work-integrated learning . Funding from the Department of Health and Ageing has helped us initiate a series of innovative clinical training activities, including our Rural Clinical Training Stream, our successful student-led clinics in physiotherapy and dietetics and our innovative student-nurse led aged care wards. All of these developments are aimed at expanding the scope and quality of the learning experience that our students gain from their clinical education.

In 2011, the Faculty will take our first group of students into the Master of Occupational Therapy program and commence our Bachelor of Public Health, specially developed for students who intend to work in the health sector, including those planning to undertake post graduate clinical training in physiotherapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, dietetics, medicine or nursing.

And October 2011 will see the commencement of our first mobile student-led clinic providing multi- disciplinary services on the far south coast of New South Wales (affectionately known to our staff and our partners in Bega and Eurobodalla Shires as ‘the bus’).

The University of Canberra has traditionally been known for delivering professional education and undertaking applied research. We are harnessing these strengths by bringing research, policy and practice together with the establishment of our new research centre, CeRAPH (Centre for Research and Action in Public Health). What we learn through research can be taught to our students as part of the sharing of best practice, and in turn both teaching and practice will shape the questions our staff pose in their research.

Through the Faculty of Health Clinics and headspace ACT our staff and students are obtaining experience in work-integrated learning here on campus as well as in health services across the Capital Region. The opportunities for inter-professional learning provided at the University mirror the trends in the health workplace for different disciplines to work together, particularly in areas of emerging national importance such as primary care, prevention, mental health and the management of chronic disease. The Faculty of Health, both staff and students, look forward to meeting this challenge.


Discipline Areas

The Faculty of Health is organised into six discipline areas:

  1. Nursing and Midwifery
  2. Nutrition and Dietetics
  3. Pharmacy
  4. Physiotherapy
  5. Psychology
  6. Sport Studies

We also host the Centre for Research and Action in Public Health (CeRAPH), the Faculty of Health Clinics - Allied Health Service, and the National Institute of Sport Studies (UCNISS).


Teaching and Learning

Faculty of Health courses take place in purpose-built buildings, with well-equipped laboratories, hospital-like wards, kitchens including institutional cooking and refrigeration equipment, pharmacy dispensing units, a range of physical laboratories for exercise and physical assessment, work placements and online.

Other supports for teaching and learning include:

Should you wish to provide feedback on our performance in health education, please email the Associate Dean (Education).


Student Liaison Officer

Our Health Student Liaison Officer provides basic course and university information to prospective and current students. 

Contact: The Health Student Liaison Officer
Email: HealthStudentLiaison@canberra.edu.au