Edith Cowan University's South West Campus has given the go-ahead for new health courses in 2018.
From next year, the Bunbury campus will be offering Health Science courses such as Nutrition, Occupational Safety and Health, Health Promotion and Addiction Studies.
ECU Professor of Public Health and Nutrition Amanda Devine said the move provided SW health students the opportunity to study closer to home.
She said the decision provided more flexible study options for Year 12 students and mature aged students.
Professor Devine also noted ECU had received a good response from students since September’s announcement.
It allows people to get connected which and actually that empowers people to have a voice and make change in their local area.
- Amanda Devine, Professor of Public Health and Nutrition
“We were actually down there recently with Jamie’s Ministry of Food, we’re running something called the Get Connected study and we were talking to participants who were a part of that program and they were very interested, some of them were actually doing university prep courses and were very pleased that this was going to be in their space,” she said.
“It actually allows us to probably work with people who even want to do their masters or a PHD program in the region, so it allows us to run research that’s more local and relevant to the community of Bunbury.”
Professor Devine noted the courses would provide opportunities for different types of jobs, adding value to research programs and journeying to a range of places in the SW.
“Often it sort of drives uptake, or drives new job prospects for people, when you actually have new graduates coming out and wanting to make a change and make a difference,” she said.
“It allows people to get connected which and actually that empowers people to have a voice and make change in their local area.”
Professor Devine said ECU was working towards engaging with local industry to develop research opportunities for students.
