Health degrees in Chile
Medicine, Nursing, Kinesiology, Psychology, Dentistry, Occupational Therapy, Nutrition and others: they are health degrees you can study in Chile.
If you like sports and understanding how the body recovers, if you are interested in animals or if you are the one who listens to the group's problems, there are degrees that start from that.
How health is studied in Chile
They are university degrees taught at public and private universities in Santiago, ValparaÃso, Concepción, Temuco, Talca, Antofagasta or Valdivia, among other cities. In Chile Kinesiology is the name of the degree called Physiotherapy in other countries.
They combine science with practice, and several include supervised internships in health centers. In a hospital, professionals from many disciplines work together, and in the degree you learn to coordinate with them. The Comisión Nacional de Acreditación reports which institutions and degrees are accredited.
The health degrees in Chile
Among those studied in Chile are Medicine, Nursing, Kinesiology, Psychology and Veterinary Medicine.
Some focus on direct work with people, like Nursing, Kinesiology or Occupational Therapy; others on analysis, like Biochemistry, on body imaging, like Radiology, or on service management. Biochemistry and Biotechnology overlap with the science degrees in Chile, and Physical Education with those in education.
Where to study health in Chile
Universidad de Chile (UChile)Santiago · PublicBiotechnologyBiochemistryPharmacyVeterinary MedicineNursingOccupational TherapyPhysiotherapyMedicineNutritionRadiologyPsychologyDentistryHealth Services Administration
Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh)Valdivia · PrivatePsychologyBiochemistryNursingPhysiotherapyMedicineVeterinary MedicineDentistryPhysical EducationPharmacySurgical TechnologyOccupational Therapy
Universidad Santo Tomás (UST)Santiago · PrivatePhysical EducationPsychologyRadiologyBiochemistryNursingOccupational TherapyBiotechnologyPhysiotherapyVeterinary MedicineNutrition
Universidad Autónoma de Chile (UA)Temuco · PrivateNursingOccupational TherapyPhysiotherapyMedicineNutritionDentistryPharmacy
Universidad de Antofagasta (UA)Antofagasta · PublicBiochemistryNursingPhysiotherapySurgical TechnologyNutritionOccupational TherapyPsychology
Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB)Santiago · PrivateMedicineDentistryNursingPhysiotherapyVeterinary MedicinePsychology
Universidad de Concepción (UdeC)Concepción · PrivateMedicinePsychologyNursingDentistryVeterinary MedicinePharmacy
Universidad Mayor (UMayor)Providencia · PrivateMedicineDentistryNursingPhysiotherapyVeterinary MedicinePsychologyHow to choose between them
Notice what you do without anyone asking you to: if you like helping your friends when they get injured playing, if you take care of the animals at home, if experiments appeal to you or if you are good at organizing others.
Then decide if you prefer working with people, as in Kinesiology or Occupational Therapy, or technical work, as in Pharmacy or Radiology.
If you are torn between Nursing and Kinesiology, look at what subjects each one includes and which is taught near you. With the career test you can compare your answers with these degrees.
To read before choosing
Frequently asked questions
What score do you need to get into Medicine or Nursing?
Each university defines its weighting, and many use PAES scores, the test managed by the DEMRE. Check the cutoff scores from previous years at each university.
How long are health degrees in Chile?
Medicine is the longest; Dentistry, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine and Occupational Therapy follow; Nursing, Kinesiology and Psychology are in the middle, and Nutrition, Radiology or Surgical Instrumentation are among the shortest.
How do I know if a health degree is accredited?
Look it up in the Comisión Nacional de Acreditación, where the accreditation status of institutions and degrees is listed.
What sciences will help me to start Kinesiology or Nursing?
Biology and chemistry, because the first courses build on that. Check what each program requires.
What if blood makes me squeamish?
You can go for Psychology, Nutrition or Radiology, which works with images of the body. Read about them in their profile before ruling out a degree.
What does a kinesiologist do?
They rehabilitate injuries or ailments of the body through movement: they assess what is happening with each patient and design exercises to help them regain strength and mobility.