Health Studies, BS

What you will study

UCM’s undergraduate Health Studies program is interdisciplinary to promote your career interests and tailor the program accordingly. Throughout the program curriculum, you’ll learn to: 

• Negotiate cross-cultural ideas of what it means to be healthy
• Influence others’ lifestyles to encourage healthy habits in any environment
• Discuss and sway current U.S. health policies and news coverage about public health

We encourage students to focus on three areas: academics, experience and professional skills.

• Academics: See new relevant course options in Program of Study, Four-Year Plan and the Approved Electives to focus on a career direction.
• Experience: Begin exploring career options by volunteering or working in the health-related area you find interesting.
• Professional skills: Develop your skills by studying abroad, attending/presenting at a professional conference, participating in a research study and becoming a certified health educator specialist.

4 Year Plan                  Approved Electives

 

 

Unique learning opportunities in health studies

Your experience in UCM’s Health Studies program will take you far beyond the classroom. By the time you enter the job market or begin filling out graduate school applications, you’ll have hundreds of hours of practice in the real world.

• Internships: Complete a 300-contact hour field experience, applying principles or theories in an approved community, corporate or clinical setting. Students have interned at Dairy Farmers of America, Humana, Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, Wellsource and Kansas City Probation & Parole Division #5.
• Study abroad: Learn about global health while living and working in another country. Opportunities to study abroad include “A Taste of France With Nutrition” — a 10-day culinary tour for course credit. Look forward to 2024 trip to Pura Vida Cosra Rica.
• Applied nutrition: Bring your knowledge and experience to the communities that most need it by working with food assistance programs such as the Salvation Army, local soup kitchens, Open Door and many others.

 

Internships and more

Interns will have a wide variety of responsibilities and opportunities! To know more details about internships, join the Health Studies group in Brightspace under My Community.  The Brightspace Health Studies group serves as a communication site which includes internship details, club information, job listings and scholarships. Interns will have a wide variety of responsibilities and opportunities! 

 

What can you do with a bachelor’s degree in Health Studies from UCM?

Health care in the United States is projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to become the largest job sector in the United States within the next decade. With this growing demand for experienced health care professionals, the time to earn a bachelor’s degree in Health Studies is now. 

96% of UCM’s Health Studies program graduates end up at their first choice of job or in a graduate program. They have gone on to earn graduate degrees in epidemiology, health administration, public health and occupational therapy. Many of our graduates work in schools, hospitals, corporations and government agencies. 

What to do with a Health Studies degree from UCM

Explore more options for future jobs with UCM’s degree in Health Studies using the interactive tool below. You can gain insights on health care salaries, job outlooks and more.

 

 

Financial assistance options for your UCM Health Studies degree

You’ve chosen to dedicate your career to helping others. We offer many scholarships to make that path as accessible and affordable as possible.

Beyond the general scholarships available through the University of Central Missouri, numerous scholarships are available specifically for Health Studies majors, including:

• Mike and SueAnn Carter Scholarship

You can learn more about program-specific scholarships at the UCM Scholarship Finder.

Certifications

“The Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) examination is a competency-based tool used to measure possession, application and interpretation of knowledge in the Seven Areas of Responsibility for Health Education Specialists delineated by A Competency-Based Framework for Health Education Specialists 2015. The exam reflects the entry-level Sub-competencies of these Areas of Responsibility.”  https://www.nchec.org/ches

“Promote physical activity from the playground to policy-makers by becoming an ACSM/NPAS Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist (PAPHS). In collaboration with ACSM and the National Physical Activity Society (NPAS) – learn how to make your voice heard for the advancement of your community on the way to building partnerships, developing initiatives, and advocating for programming that centers on physical activity as a path to stronger public health.” https://www.acsm.org/get-stay-certified/get-certified/specialization/paphs

 ”Wellcoaches founded the first coaching school for health and wellness professionals in 2002, in collaboration with the American College of Sports Medicine, and published the first coaching textbook in health and wellness. Since then, Wellcoaches has defined the cutting edge and the gold standard for high impact, evidence-based, and innovative education, training, and certification. We provide the tools and skills to become game-changing professionals in corporate, healthcare, military and consumer well-being. We have trained more than 10,000 coaches in nearly 50 countries and now train 1,200 coaches per year.” http://www.learn.wellcoach.com/

 

Professional Organizations