NLC's Associate of Arts Degree (Health Studies) prepares students for entry into health-related degree programs, with an emphasis on the University of Northern British Columbia's Northern Baccalaureate Nursing Program. The two-year Associate Degree (Health Studies) provides broad coverage across the Arts and Sciences while introducing students to nursing as a career and meeting UNBC's core prerequisite requirements in the social sciences, English, Indigenous studies, human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, psychology, and statistics.

Students who complete NLC's Associate of Arts Degree (Health Studies) with UNBC's grade requirements have an optimal transfer pathway into the Northern Baccalaureate Nursing Program (Please see the NBNP webpage for more information) and will be included among NLC students who have first claim to a designated number of seats each year. The partnership between NLC and UNBC enables prospective Registered Nurses to complete their post-secondary education in the north, for employment in the north.

Students who proceed to complete UNBC's Northern Baccalaureate Nursing Program will become eligible to apply for licensure as Registered Nurses. Working collaboratively on interprofessional health-care teams, Registered Nurses are typically employed in acute care, residential care, mental health, public health, and community settings.