CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – The College of Charleston is creating a brand new school of health sciences, and officials say the need is greater than ever.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented us with many challenges and taught us many lessons over the past two years,” says Suzanne Austin, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Vice President. “One of the most important of these is that we must continue to make progress in improving human health, and to do this we must educate the next generation of health scientists and practitioners.”

The college does not currently have a School of Health Sciences. The college will partner with the Medical University of South Carolina to offer students several new health science programs.

Through the partnership with MUSC, students will learn in on-campus facilities and at MUSC facilities, but college president Dr. Andrew Hsu said they will be renovating several of the buildings on campus. He says they are also planning to build new facilities.

Alumni of current colleges say they would have applied to the school of health sciences if the college had offered it, but they are just happy that there is a new school.

“I think it’s amazing that there’s a school just for health sciences in general,” says Emily Cavallaro, now a senior. “Being able to be in a school for these health sciences will give us more visibility and allow us to have more opportunities. We don’t have enough visibility right now I think.

The new school and programs are expected to launch this fall. College officials say they are also looking for a dean for the new school.

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