Academic Catalog

Health Minor

Department: Kinesiology and Health Science

The Health minor facilitates development of personal knowledge, skills, and routines for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and prepares students of any major to apply and promote knowledge, skills, and best practices about physical and mental health and wellbeing in personal, community, and professional settings.

Drawing from health and healthcare perspectives in biology, communication, economics, education, family and consumer sciences, kinesiology and health science, nursing, psychology, sociology, this multidisciplinary, 19-20-semester hour minor requires a health skills core (4 s.h.) that includes a personal health- or healthcare-focused core course and a self-directed 40 clock hour health/nutrition/fitness practicum; one course each in the topic areas of fitness and nutrition, disease and pathology, and mental health and wellbeing (9-10 s.h.); and 6 s.h. of elective courses within one of two areas of emphasis: Personal Health or Community and Professional Health. The elective courses must be taken in addition to the required courses. Following University requirements, a majority of the courses taken must be at the 200 (sophomore) level or above with no fewer than 6 semester hours at the 300 (junior) level or above.

The Health minor credential is useful for students of all majors committed to maintaining lifelong personal health; those planning to seek employment in human services, non-profit organizations, recreation and fitness, insurance and risk management, or healthcare; students interested in accumulating additional academic credit in preparation for graduate-level healthcare programs; and/or those interested in serving on health-related community boards or wellness committees, now or in the future.

Health Minor Learning Objectives

  1. Students will explore current issues in fitness and nutrition, disease and pathology, and mental health and wellbeing.
  2. Students will identify best practices related to fitness and nutrition, disease and pathology, and mental health and wellbeing.
  3. Students will develop knowledge, skills, and routines designed to maintain optimum physical and mental health.
  4. Students will use current thinking and best practices to promote physical and mental health and wellbeing in personal, community, and professional settings.
  5. Students will apply knowledge, skills, and best practices about physical and mental health and wellbeing in personal, community, and/or professional settings.