Focus on preventing illness, not simply treating people once they get sick. At Waterloo, you’ll learn how to promote healthy lifestyles, improve health care systems, and bring together the science and the social aspects of health.Whether you opt for the regular or co-op stream, Health Studies – similar to Health Science programs at other universities – gives you the skills for improving human health, along with lots of room for electives. And with five specializations and dozens of campus-wide minors, you can tailor your studies to your specific areas of interest.You’ll graduate with the skills to tackle global health epidemics, transform public health policy, and pave the way for new medical breakthroughs. At the University of Waterloo, you'll study human health in a non-traditional way. Rather than a focus on treatments after diagnosis, we have a larger vision: to find strategies for preventing disease, promoting health, and improving health care services to make them more integrated and responsive. Be prepared to tackle health challenges and look for the keys to transforming the health of individuals, communities, and health care systems in Canada and around the world.
An option is an academic plan that provides depth to a student's baccalaureate degree and typically requires fewer courses than a minor. Options are only available to students within their home faculty. Health Informatics (HI) is a multidisciplinary field that investigates how computer technologies can be used to better generate, manage, store, and apply health information. In the Health Informatics Option, you will take courses from the health sciences, computer science, statistics, behavioural and social sciences, and epidemiology. Career opportunities often involve the design and implementation of health information systems (e.g., establishing electronic patient records, or establishing ‘best practices’ databases) in various health care settings.
