Nursing (July 2026)

Discover what it means to age well in today’s world. In this hands-on program at the University of British Columbia, you’ll explore healthy aging, dementia, and community care through real-world experiences. Visit innovative seniors’ care centres, connect with older adults and caregivers, and learn from experts in aging, health, and wellness. Whether you’re interested in health, social work, or community development, this program offers a unique opportunity to build practical skills and deepen your understanding of aging in a vibrant Canadian setting.

Aging in Action: Exploring Health, Care & Community

This course offers an engaging exploration of healthy aging and the common health challenges faced by older adults. Students will take part in excursions to innovative seniors’ care centres and learn through interactive mentorship experiences that bring theory to life. Guest speakers, including older adults, healthcare providers, and educators, will share real-world insights into aging, dementia, and wellness. Students will discuss best practices for promoting seniors’ health and wellbeing, guided by ethical principles and respect for personhood. Learning takes place through a dynamic mix of lectures, workshops, discussions, and excursions, providing meaningful opportunities to connect with and learn from the aging community.

Caring Communities: Supporting Seniors Where They Live

This course offers students an applied exploration of how to support the health and well-being of seniors within their homes and communities. Students will gain experience developing practical skills to engage effectively with older adults and to create safe, supportive home environments that promote aging in place. A range of guest speakers, including seniors, family caregivers, and health and social service providers, will share diverse perspectives on community-based care. Guided by expert faculty in the field of aging, students will examine environmental, policy, and systemic factors that influence aging in place. Learning will take place through lectures, case studies, discussions, and excursions, connecting classroom knowledge with real-world experience in senior support.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Learn how mental health is shaped by life stages, environments, and culture—while living and learning in beautiful British Columbia. This two-course program offers students a comprehensive and practical foundation in mental health and well-being, with a focus on both lifespan development and personal resilience. Designed for students interested in health, social services, education, or community work, the program emphasizes evidence-informed approaches, real-world application, and personal growth.

Mental Health Journeys: From Birth to Later Life

This course applies a life-course perspective to examine mental health and illness from the fetal period through older adulthood. Students will explore key developmental, biological, social, and structural determinants influencing mental health across the lifespan, including major risk and protective factors. Emphasis is placed on mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment, as well as health system challenges and opportunities in addressing mental health and substance use concerns. Through lectures, discussions, and guest presentations, students will develop a strong foundation for working effectively with individuals, families, and populations across diverse care and community settings.

Stress Less: Science, Strategies & Self-Care

This course examines the multidimensional nature of stress and resilience and their impact on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Students will explore the positive and negative aspects of stress, factors that contribute to stress, and the physiological and psychological responses it evokes. Emphasis is placed on understanding resilience, social support, and self-care strategies that foster overall health and well-being. Through lectures, discussions, excursions, and an interactive creative assignment, students will apply evidence-informed approaches to managing stress in their current and future personal and professional lives.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Explore how global forces, from climate change to health policy, shape the well-being of communities worldwide. In this two-course package at UBC, you’ll learn leadership strategies for advancing health equity, study the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and World Health Organization frameworks, and examine how climate change affects human health. Connect with local leaders championing Indigenous rights and cultural safety in Vancouver, hear from climate and health experts, and analyze real-world cases of global health action. Whether you are interested in global health, policy, nursing, environmental studies, or community development, this program helps you build leadership skills and understand how to support sustainable and healthy futures, locally and globally.

Leading Global Health: Equity, Policy & Sustainable Futures

This course offers students an opportunity to explore how an increasingly globalized and connected world creates new avenues for health care providers to lead in social justice and equity. Drawing on the World Health Organization’s current program of work and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the course introduces leadership styles and strategies for global health advocacy and policy development. Discussions will examine global health leadership in action as it relates to complex contemporary challenges such as climate change, human resources for health, good global governance, decent work, gender and age-transformative action, universal health coverage (UHC), and the WHO’s “triple billion” goals. Students will also have opportunities to meet leaders in Vancouver who champion Indigenous rights and cultural safety.

Climate Change: Impacts and Building Resilience

This course addresses climate change, the largest threat of the 21st century, and its impacts on human health and well-being. Students will explore key concepts in climate science, examine how human activities contribute to environmental degradation, and consider strategies to promote sustainable practices at individual, community, and population levels. Using the social determinants of health framework, the course integrates lectures, sessions with climate and health experts, and real-world case studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of climate-related health challenges. Students will gain critical knowledge and practical skills to support resilience and promote health in a rapidly changing world.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites