Course guide · updated Oct 2026

Health, Nursing & Life Sciences

Nursing, public health, pharmacy, physiotherapy, nutrition and health administration. What the degrees involve, how professional licensing works, and what to check before you apply.

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What you study

Clinical and non-clinical routes into healthcare

Health programs range from clinical degrees that lead to a regulated profession, such as nursing, pharmacy or physiotherapy, to non-clinical ones such as public health, health administration and health informatics. Clinical degrees combine science teaching with supervised placements in hospitals and clinics.

Non-clinical master’s programs, such as a Master of Public Health, focus on epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy and management. They suit graduates from medicine, life sciences, social sciences and related fields who want to work on health systems rather than with individual patients.

Popular specialisations

Where you can take it

Each card opens matching programs in the explorer, where you can filter by country, level and fees.

01

Nursing

Clinical care, with supervised placements.

Browse programs →02

Public health

Epidemiology, policy and population health.

Browse programs →03

Pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences

Medicines, from chemistry to patient care.

Browse programs →04

Health administration

Managing hospitals and health services.

Browse programs →05

Physiotherapy

Rehabilitation and movement science.

Browse programs →06

Nutrition & dietetics

Food, health and clinical nutrition.

Browse programs →
Degree routes by country

How long it takes, and what comes after

Typical lengths and post-study work rules as of October 2026. Individual programs vary, so check the course page before you apply.

USAStudy in the USA →
Bachelor’s
A bachelor’s is usually a four-year degree, and you often take a broad mix of courses before you declare a major.
Master’s
Master’s programs commonly run one to two years, depending on the program and whether it includes a thesis or internship.
After you graduate
OPT gives up to 12 months of work at each degree level. Graduates of degrees on the DHS STEM list can apply for a further 24 months (STEM OPT). New OPT fees proposed by DHS in October 2026 are not in effect.

Many clinical programs are professional degrees with their own licensing exams, set state by state. The biological and biomedical sciences series (CIP 26) is on the DHS STEM list; for other health programs, check the CIP code.

UKStudy in the UK →
Bachelor’s
Three years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, four in Scotland. A placement (sandwich) year, where offered, adds a year in industry.
Master’s
A taught master’s usually takes one full-time calendar year. Integrated master’s degrees (MEng, MSci) take four years, five in Scotland.
After you graduate
Graduate Route: 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, and 3 years after a PhD.

Nursing and midwifery are regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). In official UK data, Medicine and dentistry and Subjects allied to medicine are separate subject groups.

CanadaStudy in Canada →
Bachelor’s
Bachelor’s degrees take three to four years. Colleges also offer diplomas (two to three years) and certificates (one to two years).
Master’s
Master’s degrees take one or two years after a bachelor’s. Co-op programs add paid work terms in your field.
After you graduate
A post-graduation work permit (PGWP) of up to 3 years. Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral graduates are exempt from the PGWP field-of-study rule; college programs must be in an eligible field.

Each province regulates its own health professions. Spouses of students in some professional programs, including MD, PharmD, BScN, BSN and BN, may qualify for an open work permit.

Live from official data

Health, Nursing & Life Sciences programs you can apply to

Counts by country from our database of official course data, updated as the data changes. Pick a country to see a sample, then browse and filter the full list.

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🇺🇸programs in the USBrowse →🇬🇧programs in the UKBrowse →🇨🇦programs in CanadaBrowse →

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Typical entry requirements

What universities usually look for

In general terms. Every university sets its own requirements, and they differ between programs at the same university.

Academics

For a bachelor’s: Class 12 with Biology and Chemistry, often with Physics or Mathematics. For a master’s: a related science or health degree. Some clinical master’s programs need prior registration or clinical experience.

English

Most universities accept IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic, each setting its own minimum. For a UK Student visa your English must be at least CEFR B2 for degree-level study, and your university can assess this. See our IELTS, TOEFL and PTE guides. Clinical programs may set higher scores because of patient contact.

Checks and placements

Clinical programs may ask for health checks, immunisation records and background checks before placements.

Your application

A statement showing why healthcare, recommendations and any volunteering, clinical or research experience.

Career paths

Where graduates often go

Common roles for graduates of this field. Where you end up depends on your university, experience, work rights and the job market.

Registered nurseAfter meeting the local licensing rules.
Public health officerTracks and prevents disease in populations.
EpidemiologistStudies patterns and causes of illness.
Health services managerRuns departments, clinics and services.
PharmacistAfter meeting the local licensing rules.
Clinical research associateRuns and monitors clinical trials.
Health data analystUses data to improve care.
PhysiotherapistAfter meeting the local licensing rules.

We don’t quote salary figures on this page: they vary widely by city, employer and visa status. Ask a counsellor for current, sourced numbers for the roles you are considering.

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Sources

Rules, durations and STEM codes on this page were checked against these official sources in October 2026. Live program counts come from our database of official course data; see credits and data sources. Always confirm details on the university’s own course page.

  1. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List (last updated 22 July 2024) (checked Oct 2026)
  2. Study in the States (DHS), F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) (checked Oct 2026)
  3. Study in the States (DHS), STEM OPT Extension Overview (checked Oct 2026)
  4. Study in the States (DHS), DHS publishes proposed rule establishing fees for Optional Practical Training (7 October 2026) (checked Oct 2026)
  5. QAA, The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies (2024) (checked Oct 2026)
  6. Nursing and Midwifery Council, Joining the register (checked Oct 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, Graduate visa (checked Oct 2026)
  8. EduCanada (Global Affairs Canada), Common pathways to college and university (checked Oct 2026)
  9. EduCanada (Global Affairs Canada), Graduate studies (checked Oct 2026)
  10. IRCC, Work permits for spouses and common-law partners of international students (checked Oct 2026)
  11. IRCC, Post-graduation work permit: field of study requirement (checked Oct 2026)
  12. IRCC, Post-graduation work permit: about (length of the permit) (checked Oct 2026)
  13. GOV.UK, Student visa: knowledge of English (checked Oct 2026)