Online Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences – Healthy Lifestyles and Fitness Science

The online health sciences degree uses an interdisciplinary approach to provide you with the skills needed to work in the preventative side of health care. You’ll use lifestyle coaching, physical activity and health care education to improve the health of the community you serve.

You’ll also explore fitness, nutrition, healthy eating, stress management and cultural aspects of health and research-based practices in health and wellness coaching. After completing the healthy lifestyles and fitness science program concentration, you’ll have the knowledge and skills needed to pursue a wide range of employment opportunities within the health and wellness fields. You’ll also be prepared to continue your education in diverse health care fields, such as nutrition, exercise science, psychology and public health.

Can I customize this online health sciences degree?

Yes. When enrolled in the health sciences program, you have the opportunity to complete courses from six diverse focus areas, allowing you to study subjects you're most interested in. To graduate from this program, you must take four focus area courses, made up of one lower-division course and three upper-division courses. If interested in multiple focus areas, you can mix and match courses. Courses included in each focus area can be found here. Focus areas include:

• Health Care Compliance and Regulations: Students in this focus area are generally interested in studying the historical context of racial and ethnic health disparities, learning about delivery of health care in the U.S. and analyzing how policies are implemented in society.
• Health Education and Promotion: Students in this focus area are generally interested in learning about theory-based methods of health promotion and how to analyze, interpret and report data. This track is ideal for students working toward becoming a certified health specialist.
• Health Leadership and Management: Students in this focus area are generally interested in gaining management skills, bringing about significant organizational change and learning about timely sustainability topics.
• Health Psychology: Students in this focus area are generally interested in learning how to make psychological contributions to health promotion and illness prevention, analyzing human social behavior and understanding and improving their intellectual and behavioral skills.
• Healthy Nutrition: Students in this focus area are generally interested in studying principles of food preparation and learning how to best communicate evidence-based nutrition messages to help promote change. This track is ideal for students looking to discuss political, ethical, social and cultural issues inherent in the U.S. food system.
• Integrative Health: Students in this focus area are generally interested in learning about chronic disease in the U.S., studying chronic disease prevention and analyzing issues related to family and professional caregiving.

What will I learn in this health sciences program?

In the healthy lifestyles and fitness science concentration, you’ll gain in-depth knowledge in the areas of nutrition, fitness and mindfulness practices. You'll also learn about the core competencies of the health and wellness coaching profession. These include skills in relationship-building, active listening, powerful questioning, positive psychology and motivational interviewing.