Health Sciences (Healthy Lifestyles and Fitness Science) ,BS
ALLIED HEALTH, Advocacy, Behavioral Health, Chronic Diseases, Coaching, Community Health, Corporate Fitness, Exercise Science, Health Education, Health Promotion, Holistic Health, Lifestyle Medicine, Personal Trainer, Wellness, worksite wellness
Help people improve their daily lives and coach them on how to build and maintain healthy habits. Gain the well-rounded knowledge you need to guide people and communities in enhancing their health.
The Bachelor of Science in health sciences with a concentration in healthy lifestyles and fitness science blends multidisciplinary coursework with practical training, providing you with a strong foundation in promoting healthy lifestyles. You gain expertise in nutrition, fitness, stress management, substance abuse prevention, behavior change, health coaching and health promotion program management.
You are equipped to make a meaningful impact on individual and community health, addressing challenges related to social determinants of health.
The program offers three academic tracks that prepare you for nationally accredited certifications:
Fitness science: You learn to assess clients and create personalized exercise programs to optimize health. Courses cover physical activity planning, exercise prescription, body image, wellness and injury risk assessment. This track prepares you for a personal training certification exam through the American College of Sports Medicine (https://www.acsm.org).
Health education and health promotion: You develop, lead and evaluate health education and health promotion programs, addressing topics such as diabetes prevention, sexual health, emergency preparedness, digital health communication and stress management. This track prepares you for the Certified Health Education Specialist exam administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (https://www.nchec.org).
Health and wellness coaching: You learn behavior change strategies and motivational interviewing techniques to support clients in developing healthy lifestyle plans. This track prepares you for the National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach exam through the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (https://nbhwc.org).
- College/school:
College of Health Solutions
- Location: Downtown Phoenix or Online , ASU Local
- Second language requirement: No
- STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
- First
required math course:
MAT 114 - College Mathematics
or MAT 117 College Algebra - Math
intensity: General
What If: See how your courses can be applied to another major and find out how to change your major.
This program allows students to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years. Accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for high-achieving students who want the opportunity to share undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of their master's degree. These programs feature the same high quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
This program is offered as an accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree with:
Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
General university admission requirements:
All students are required to meet general
university admission requirements.
First-year | Transfer | International | Readmission
A current ASU student has no additional requirements for changing majors.
Students should visit the Change of Major form for information about how to change a major to this program.
ASU offers this program in an online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. Applicants may view the program’s ASU Online page for program descriptions and to request more information.
It is now possible to earn an ASU degree with ASU Local, an integrated college experience in which students take advantage of in-person success coaching and programming experiences on site while completing one of 130+ undergraduate online degree programs, all of which come with online faculty interaction and tutoring support.
ASU is committed to helping students thrive by offering tools that allow personalization of the transfer path to ASU. Students may use MyPath2ASU® to outline a list of recommended courses to take prior to transfer.
ASU has transfer partnerships in Arizona and across the country to create a simplified transfer experience for students. These pathway programs include exclusive benefits, tools and resources, and they help students save time and money in their college journey.
Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program’s learning outcomes include the following:
- Apply evidence-based concepts to promote healthy lifestyles.
- Integrate ethical standards in all aspects of health promotion.
- Design comprehensive health promotion programs to meet the health needs of individuals and communities.
With more than 300 Global Education program opportunities available to them, nutritional science students are able to tailor their experience to their specific interests and skill sets. Whether in a foreign country, in the U.S. or online, students build communication skills, learn to adapt and persevere, and are exposed to research and internships across the world, expanding their professional network.
The College of Health Solutions recommends these programs for students majoring in health sciences with a concentration in healthy lifestyles and fitness science.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for health coaches and health educators is projected to grow a steady 4% between 2024 and 2034.
Health, wellness and fitness coaches work in a multitude of professional environments. Specialty areas may include bariatric weight loss clinics, healthy lifestyle behavior counseling and management, and corporate fitness and worksite wellness.
Health educators work in a variety of professional environments. Specialized placement may include working for government agencies such as the Arizona Department of Health Services, national organizations such as the American Diabetes Association, and public and private education sectors such as university health and wellness centers.
The globally recognized credentials available through this program open doors to careers in health education, promotion and coaching worldwide and create a long-term pathway to becoming a certified diabetes care and education specialist (https://www.cbdce.org) or a lifestyle medicine professional (https://lifestylemedicine.org/certification).
Career options include positions such as:
- community health educator
- community nutrition aide for the Women, Infants, and Children program, known as WIC
- community outreach coordinator
- corporate wellness coordinator
- fitness center director
- health education specialist (program developer)
- health and patient educator
- personal trainer
- prevention specialist
- school health and nutrition program specialist
- worksite wellness coach or coordinator
Graduates are also well prepared for admission to graduate programs in health promotion, population health, lifestyle management, integrative health, health administration, psychology and medicine.
Example job titles and salaries listed below are not necessarily entry level, and students should take into consideration how years of experience and geographical location may affect pay scales. Some jobs also may require advanced degrees, certifications or state-specific licensure.
| Career | *Growth | *Median salary |
|---|---|---|
|
11.1%
|
$62,520
|
|
|
4.5%
|
$64,070
|
|
|
6.4%
|
$47,320
|
|
|
11.3%
|
$51,850
|
|
|
4.4%
|
$82,220
|
|
|
6.5%
|
$69,770
|
|
|
3.5%
|
$48,430
|
|
|
17.3%
|
$107,310
|
|
|
23.2%
|
$123,860
|
|
|
2.5%
|
$265,930
|
ASU programs that may lead to professional licensure or certification are intended to prepare students for potential licensure or certification in Arizona. Completion of an ASU program may not meet educational requirements for licensure or certification in another state. For more information, students should visit the ASU professional licensure webpage.
College of Health Solutions
|
HLTHN 401AA
chs@asu.edu
602-496-3300
Program term definitions
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
