University of Venda (UNIVEN) School of Health Sciences

The School of Health Sciences is one of the eight Schools comprising four departments and one centre. The school offers both professional and academic programmes in CESM categories 04, 09 and 18, in diverse disciplines at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Its geographic location is of strategic importance for the training of Health professionals who are proactive and culture sensitive practitioners capable of meeting the health needs of rural communities locally and regionally.

The School of Health Sciences was established in 1986 comprising Department of Nursing and Education and Public Health offering a variety of post-basic nursing programmes namely, Nursing education and nursing administration. The school started growing by introducing other departments as follows: Advanced Nursing Science in 1998, Nutrition in 2000, and Psychology which has existed for many years under the School of Human and Social Sciences and incorporated into the School in 2002. The Center for Biokinetics, Recreation and Sport Science is an additional unit, established in 2001 and started its programmes in 2002.

The growing need for education in the country and province, growth in students’ population, and curriculum diversity, support the view to explore and identify the type of health professionals needed to serve in the rural primary health care settings particularly where UNIVEN is situated.

On the fight against shortage of health practitioners including medical and paramedical in the Republic of South Africa (RSA), the school’s vision for the future is the establishment of allied Health medical department to cater for the needs of the rural communities in offering the qualifications that are career-focused and in line with the mandate of a comprehensive university.

There is a need for the school to be responsive to the national strategic goals to increase health professionals such as nurses; psychologists; physiotherapists; pharmacy; radiographers; dentists and occupational health therapists etc.

UNIVEN School of Health Programmes