BrandonU eliminates Bachelor of Science in Mental Health program due to lack of demand

The Brandon Sun reports that Brandon University’s Bachelor of Science in Mental Health will be eliminated due to low demand for the program. Steven Robinson, BrandonU VP (academic and provost) explained that the program, which was created in 1998, had been developed to provide nurses with a pathway to psychiatric nursing, without requiring them to complete a four-year program. “It was always intended to be temporary,” said Robinson. “Now, 22 years later […] there’s no more demand.” The article says that only one student is currently in the program, and that this student will be able to complete the degree until 2026. Brandon Sun (MB)

Update: A new article from Beverley Hicks, retired assistant professor Brandon University Psychiatric Nursing Program, has provided additional perspective on the program's cancellation. Hicks explains that the program was offered as an interim measure to offer psychiatric nurses the opportunity to gain a university degree. Today, psychiatric nurses are able to pursue a four-year bachelor of science in psychiatric nursing at the university. "The termination of this degree is not the disaster the headline suggests, and to say it was axed is not really as dire as it sounds," explains Hicks. "It simply outlived its value and it was a good decision." Brandon Sun