Wellness and Health Promotion (3610)

Our program will help you turn YOUR passion for healthy lifestyles into a career. We will prepare you to enter the workforce as a wellness professional to work in a variety of settings, including the healthcare system, nonprofit organizations, corporations or government agencies. The following are potential career opportunities:

• Health educator or advocate
• Wellness or health coach
• Workplace wellness coordinator
• Community health worker or specialist
• Behavior modification specialist
• Community engagement specialist
• Health promotion specialist or coordinator
• Prevention specialist

You are likely to succeed in the field of workplace or community wellness if you:

• Have an interest in science and biology
• Enjoy helping others improve their health
• Demonstrate excellent organizational, communication and analytical skills
   

Explore YOUR career with Career Coach! Career Coach is a helpful tool that will assist you in developing a path from your education to the job market. With Career Coach, you can find:

• Average hourly wages
• Information about possible careers of interest through a variety of search options
• Discover what occupations are in-demand within the region you select
• Number of individuals currently employed within that occupation
• Anticipated number of job openings available – just to name a few!

Begin exploring your options now!

If you choose the Workplace Wellness track, you will be prepared to design and implement wellness programs for both employers and employees using effective communication and program marketing skills.

If you choose the Community Health track, you will be prepared to advocate within health agencies and healthcare systems and connect individuals to available services and resources in communities.

Both options offer a foundation in wellness, health promotion, behavior change and health coaching and prepare you to complete the health coach certification from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) or a similar professional certification.

Our curriculum allows you to gain this foundation while you also take courses in biology, psychology, human services, gerontology, marketing and management. Additionally, you will learn how to assess individuals and groups, as well as design high-quality wellness-based programs.

No matter which track you choose, you will be able to:

• Use current technologies, tools and applications for academic and career settings
• Critique scientific literature and health-related information
• Assess individuals, programs, populations or communities for wellness program-planning
• Demonstrate health coaching and motivational interviewing skills
• Facilitate behavior change for lifestyle modification
• Design, implement and evaluate wellness and health promotion programming
• Connect resources and services to individuals and communities that serve to optimize health and wellness
• Model professional conduct and recognize scope-of-practice
• Pass and receive a national health coach or other health or wellness-related certification upon graduation
   

• View summaries of every course at HACC by browsing our class schedules database.

• Review our program guide (pdf) to view a list of required courses, recommended course sequencing and program competencies.

Yes! Our online program is designed to lead you directly into the workforce; however, there are transfer opportunities available. Our programs are designed to be flexible enough to transfer to a wide variety of colleges and universities with no loss of credit. However, each individual college has its own unique program. Therefore, we encourage you to select a four-year school as soon as possible. This will allow you to learn the transfer college’s program requirements so you can take the proper classes with us.

You may complete the entire program through asynchronous instruction. You may also complete this program at the Harrisburg, Lancaster and York campuses through various modalities (e.g., on-campus/in-person instruction, hybrid, synchronous remote instruction and/or asynchronous instruction).

Yes! We offer many scholarships through the HACC Foundation. Each scholarship has specific eligibility requirements. To learn how to apply, please visit hacc.edu/Scholarships.

HACC holds classes in the spring, summer and fall. You can apply anytime online. When you submit your application, please include the unique program code 3610 to ensure you enroll in the correct program.

Future students, we are excited to connect with you and answer your questions. Please choose the option that works best for you to meet with us.

Current HACC students, please contact our Advising Department with any questions.