Health Coaching, Minor
The health coaching minor is available to students who are interested in expanding their knowledge of coaching individuals through health behavior change and is ideal for students majoring in psychology, sociology, social work, and EXPER who would like to work in behavioral health, in private industry and case management. This minor can also result in a certificate in health coaching.
Click on the curriculum tab to see the required classes.
Minoring in Health Coaching in college offers strong benefits if you're interested in helping others improve their well-being, and it complements many health-related, psychology, or fitness-oriented majors. Here's a breakdown of the key advantages:
🔹 1. Prepares You for In-Demand Careers
Health coaching is a growing field focused on behavior change, wellness, and preventative care. A minor in Health Coaching can prepare you for roles such as:
Certified Health Coach
Wellness or Lifestyle Coach
Chronic Disease Prevention Coach
Fitness and Nutrition Coach
This is especially valuable in healthcare, corporate wellness, public health, and community outreach settings.
🔹 2. Teaches Evidence-Based Behavior Change Techniques
You’ll gain knowledge in:
Motivational interviewing
Goal setting
Habit formation
Health psychology
Client-centered communication
These skills are central to helping people adopt lasting healthy behaviors—such as better nutrition, stress management, exercise, or smoking cessation.
🔹 3. Complements Many Majors
A Health Coaching minor pairs well with:
Exercise Science / Kinesiology
Public Health
Psychology
Nursing or Pre-Health
Education
It adds a preventative, client-focused dimension to more clinical or scientific degrees.
🔹 4. Helps You Get Certified
Many programs align with national certifications like:
National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)
This gives you a head start if you want to pursue credentialing and work professionally in the field.
🔹 5. Real-World, Practical Experience
Many minors include:
Role-playing and coaching simulations
Fieldwork or internships
Wellness program planning
This hands-on experience makes you more competitive in the job market and helps you build a client-centered skill set.
🔹 6. Improves Your Own Health and Leadership
You don’t just learn to coach others—you learn to:
Take control of your own wellness
Understand how to create sustainable habits
Become a leader and advocate for health in your community or workplace
✅ Summary
A Health Coaching minor is a powerful addition if you want to work in healthcare, wellness, fitness, or behavioral health. It blends science, psychology, and communication to help people make lasting, healthy changes—and can lead to a meaningful, flexible career.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Summarize and synthesize information relevant to assessing and improving population health and healthcare issues.
- Exhibit the ability to read and interpret scientific research with application of the scientific methods, statistics, study design, and reporting in the health sciences.
- Evaluate and integrate critical concepts and skills acquired in the health sciences curriculum to common professional problems in the health science fields of interest.
- Exhibit effective oral and written communication as well as mass communication regarding subjects related to the health sciences in an individual and group setting.
- Apply and demonstrate knowledge, skills and critical problems solving in a field-based and/or clinical setting.
Outcomes Assessment Activities
- End of program exam, writing example, oral communication example, case study.
Specific Program Requirements
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 151 | Human Development (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| EPER 162 | Personal Health | 3 |
| EPER 222 | Behavior Facilitation | 3 |
| HS 322 | Health Coaching Concepts | 3 |
| HS 330 | Epidemiology & Disease Prevention | 3 |
| PSYC 403 | Emotional Intelligence | 3 |
| HS 422 | Applied Health Coaching | 3 |
| Total Credits | 21 | |