Charles Darwin University (CDU) has announced that it is rolling out new courses this year, in response to higher interest in health science courses among new university students.
The university will be offering 31 new courses – including courses in occupational therapy, speech pathology, and nutrition. The new courses will also include nine postgraduate courses on nursing and midwifery.
The announcement comes after the university found that almost 100 prospective students have selected an allied health course as their first preference. So far, the university has issued more than 3,400 offers both within Australia and overseas.
Dr Sufyan Akram, assistant dean of CDU’s College of Health and Human Sciences assistant dean, said that the new courses will also allow Northern Territory locals with an interest in health sciences to stay within the region to pursue further studies, as well as encourage them to stay and work in the Territory after university and thereby provide additional manpower to the local health sector.
“Currently, we fly in a lot of interstate health professionals to work in our local health workforce. We want to change that by developing our health workforce in the Territory,” Akram said.
According to CDU vice-chancellor Simon Maddocks, the new courses will also be open to international students.
A trend reflecting societal changes
CDU’s announcement reflects the increasing demand for health science courses throughout the country. For instance, Deakin University in Victoria also found the popularity of health and science courses among university students had grown from a decade ago.
Liz Johnson, deputy vice-chancellor (education) at Deakin University, said that an increasingly ageing population has made these courses more attractive for school leavers.
Meanwhile, Macquarie University also sought to improve its medical science offerings with its recent announcement of its partnership Sydney-based FLEDGE Innovation Labs to provide more opportunities for its medical technology students to have access to industry expertise.