Health and Wellness Major (B.S.)

https://cps.unh.edu/online/program/bs/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 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.

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
Math for Our World
Statistics
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:

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
Practicum in Health Care
Issues in Women's Health
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Contemporary Issues in Personal and Global Health
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.

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
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
Principles of Exercise Science
or Fitness and Health
4
SCI 508
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
Integrative Capstone: Project in Health and Wellness
or Integrative Capstone: Internship in Health and Wellness
4
Elective 4
 Credits8
 Total Credits120
  • 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.