Health and Wellness (B.S.)

Health and Wellness (B.S.)
An older person in a gym working with resistance bands while a younger person leans in to talk to them
  Online Program

This online program helps prepare you for careers that encourage people to live healthier lifestyles by understanding evidence-based practices that influence individual to population health.

 Credit Hours: 120  |   Transfer: Up to 90 Credits  |   Tuition Cost


What is Health & Wellness?

The Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness focuses on preparing students for opportunities to help people lead healthier lifestyles. The curriculum provides foundational principles related to health coaching, health education, and community health planning to optimize individual and population health. The program can be paired with a variety of minors to further customize skills and prepare for post-graduate work.

Why study Health & Wellness at UNH College of Professional Studies?

This program helps prepare you for careers that encourage people to live healthier lifestyles by understanding evidence-based practices that influence individual to population health. The degree incorporates health sciences and examines the U.S. health care system, disease prevention, quality of life, health literacy, needs assessment and evaluation, and critical lifestyle behaviors that impact well-being and mortality.

Potential Career Areas

  • Medical and Health Services Managers
  • Health Education Specialists
  • Community Health Workers
  • Health Coach
  • Fitness and Wellness Coordinator
  • Healthcare Social Workers

Course Highlights


  • The Emerging U.S. Health Care System
  • Nutrition and Health
  • Human Biology
  • Health Behaviors: Theoretical Frameworks for Health Education
  • Issues in Women’s Health
  • Population Health
  • Needs Assessment and Strategies for Health Education and Promotion
  • Advanced Human Physiology & Wellness
  • Principles of Exercise Science

…and more!

Why UNH CPS?


  • Regionally accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education, Inc. (NECHE).
  • Available fully online with select on-campus courses.
  • Affordable tuition.
  • Nationally ranked online programs.
  • About 89% of our students are transfer students. Making the most of your transfer credits is our specialty.
  • Career advising is available to all students and alumni. We also extend this service to those considering their college options.
  • Faculty who are subject matter experts and share their real-world expertise, helping you apply what you learn to your personal goals and career.
  • We’re experts at assessing credit toward your undergraduate degree – not only from previous college coursework, but also for other college-level knowledge demonstrated outside the traditional classroom.

Students pursuing an associate degree at their local community college are encouraged to explore our Transfer Pathway! This resource lists the courses your associate degree should contain at your community college, as well as the remaining courses you’ll need to take at UNH College of Professional Studies to complete your bachelor’s degree!

View Your Transfer Pathway

  • Completion of our free, online application for admission
  • High school diploma, completion of a high school education in a homeschool setting under state law, or demonstrate high school equivalency.
    • Successful completion of one of the following exams will be required for demonstrating high school equivalency: the GED, HiSET, or TASC

Curriculum & Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness focuses on preparing students for opportunities to help people lead healthier lifestyles. The curriculum provides foundational principles related to health coaching, health education, and wellness planning to optimize individual and population health. The program can be paired with a variety of minors to further customize skills and prepare for post-graduate work.

This degree plan is a sample and does not reflect the impact of transfer credit or current course offerings. UNH CPS Online undergraduate students should develop individual academic plans with their academic advisor during their first year at UNH.

Sample Course Sequence

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallCredits
ENG 420 The Writing Process 4
HLTC 550 The Emerging U.S. Health Care System 4
SCI 502 Nutrition and Health 4
General Education Course 4
 Credits16
Spring
COM 460 Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics 4
CRIT 501 Introduction to Critical Inquiry 4
MTH 402
or MTH 504
or MTH 510
Math for Our World
or Statistics
or Pre-Calculus
4
SCI 490 Human Biology 4
 Credits16
Second Year
Fall
COM 480 Visual Communication 4
COM 590 Professional Communication 4
PSY 410 Introduction to Psychology 4
Elective 4
 Credits16
Spring
HLTC 560 Health Behaviors: Theoretical Foundations for Health Education 4
MTH 504 Statistics 4
SCI 550 Wellness and the Human Body 4
Elective 4
 Credits16
Third Year
Fall
CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking 4
HLTC 612 Population Health 4
General Education Course 4
Elective 4
 Credits16
Spring
SCI 604
or SCI 615
Principles of Exercise Science
or Fitness and Health
4
SCI 508
or SCI 509
or SCI 610
or SCI 615
or HLTC 595
Issues in Women's Health
or Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
or Contemporary Issues in Personal and Global Health
or Fitness and Health
or Practicum in Health Care
4
General Education Course 4
Elective 4
 Credits16
Fourth Year
Fall
HLTC 720 Health Program Planning and Evaluation 4
IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar 4
Elective 4
Elective 4
 Credits16
Spring
HLTC 798
or HLTC 795
Integrative Capstone: Project in Health and Wellness
or Integrative Capstone: Internship in Health and Wellness
4
Elective 4
 Credits8
 Total Credits120

Degree Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement: 120 credits
Minimum Residency Requirement: 30 credits must be taken at UNH
Minimum Cumulative GPA: 2.0 is required for conferral*
Core Curriculum Required: General Education Program
Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*GPA: Major and any state certification GPA requirements may be higher and are indicated in program details.
 
A minimum grade of C- is required in all Major coursework. Some programs may have higher grade requirements for Major coursework as noted in the Major requirements section below. Students are allowed a maximum of two course overlaps. Overlaps can be used between Major, Minor, and General Education requirements with only 8 credits overlapped between the Major and Minor. Please note that Option requirements are considered part of the Major. Students must complete 16 upper-level credits in majors within the College of Professional Studies, Online.

General Education Program Requirements

A minimum grade of D- is required in all General Education coursework. Students are allowed a maximum of two course overlaps. Overlaps can be used between Major, Minor and General Education requirements with only 8 credits overlapped between the Major and Minor.

All General Education requirements, including CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking and IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar, must be taken prior to the capstone.

ENG 420The Writing Process4
COM 460Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics4
COM 480Visual Communication4
CRIT 501Introduction to Critical Inquiry4
Select one of the following:4
MTH 402
Math for Our World
MTH 504
Statistics
MTH 510
Pre-Calculus
Knowledge of Human Behavior & Social Systems4
Knowledge of the Physical & Natural World4
Knowledge of Human Thought & Expression4
CRIT 602Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking4
IDIS 601Interdisciplinary Seminar4
Total Credits40

Writing Program Requirements

All bachelor's degree candidates are required to complete four writing intensive courses as part of the University Writing Program Requirements as follows:

ENG 420
The Writing Process
One Writing Intensive course in the Major
One Writing Intensive course at the 600-level or above
One Additional Writing Intensive Course

Writing Intensive courses are identified with the label "Writing Intensive Course" in the "Attributes" section of the course description and/or a W following the course number.

 

Major Requirements

Prior to capstone enrollment, students are expected to complete the majority of their required major courses along with CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking and IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar. Students should consult with their advisor regarding specific major courses that may be completed with their capstone. Academic Advisor approval is required for registration to be processed.

Major in Health and Wellness
Foundation Courses
HLTC 550The Emerging U.S. Health Care System4
PSY 410Introduction to Psychology4
SCI 490Human Biology4
SCI 502Nutrition and Health4
Intermediate Courses
COM 590Professional Communication4
MTH 504Statistics4
HLTC 560Health Behaviors: Theoretical Foundations for Health Education4
SCI 550Wellness and the Human Body4
Health and Wellness Elective
Select one of the following:4
HLTC 595
Practicum in Health Care
SCI 508
Issues in Women's Health
SCI 509
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
SCI 610
Contemporary Issues in Personal and Global Health
SCI 615
Fitness and Health
Advanced Courses
HLTC 612Population Health4
HLTC 720Health Program Planning and Evaluation4
SCI 604Principles of Exercise Science4
or SCI 615 Fitness and Health
Integrative Capstone
HLTC 795Integrative Capstone: Internship in Health and Wellness4
or HLTC 798 Integrative Capstone: Project in Health and Wellness
Total Credits52

Electives

Open electives are courses students will need to take in addition to their general education and major requirements in order to satisfy the remaining credit totals for their programs. Open electives are defined as any credit course offered by the College not already included in the student's general education, major, option or minor. Students will need 120 credits total to graduate with a bachelor's degree from the Online Division of the College of Professional Studies.

  • Identify and use evidence-based practice to guide planning and decision-making for individual and population health.
  • Communicate in multiple modalities to express wellness and prevention strategies, concepts, and messages.
  • Integrate knowledge of cultural frameworks and inter-professional collaboration to improve individual and population health.
  • Apply scientific reasoning and evidence-based knowledge to determine health education, health promotion, and disease prevention best practices.
  • Develop, implement, and evaluate wellness and prevention interventions.

Your Prior and Current Learning Counts


Many of our students can demonstrate college-level knowledge gained from military, workplace and volunteer-based training, and experiences. We are experts at helping students demonstrate learning and earning academic credit.

Learn More


 

Career Outcomes

Talk with your advisor to discuss how your program, experience, and goals align.