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Our mission is to develop caring, collaborative scholars through a dynamic, student-centered, occupation-focused educational program.

Vision

Our vision is to address society's occupational needs by fostering excellence in health, wellness, and occupational studies through teaching, scholarship, and service.

Our program in Health, Wellness and Occupational Studies gives students a broad education that will prepare them for a variety of career paths. Students are prepared for opportunities including application to graduate programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, counseling, special education, public health, or related health professions - as well as professional opportunities such as careers as a wellness coach, wellness coordinator, activity director, health educator, case manager, medical salesperson, or paraprofessional in mental health and educational settings.

The curriculum is grounded in a holistic conceptualization of health and wellness that teaches students to assess health from both a macro and micro level. Students gain depth in understanding of a wide variety of determinants of health through the study of health science, public health, and human occupation – an often-overlooked determinant of health. Students also gain practical skills applicable to a variety of paths through training in motivational interviewing, wellness assessment, health literacy, stress management, health education, and program development, implementation and evaluation. Thus, Health, Wellness and Occupational Studies students learn how to work with people by understanding where they come from, and employing tools to help them take the next steps toward a healthier life. Further, students are encouraged to find their passion by using flexible electives to concentrate their studies in their unique interests, explore a wide range of topics, elect for an internship in health and wellness settings, or take experiential electives. Service learning, active learning, and interprofessional education are embedded into the curriculum with themes of resilience, advocacy, and wellness across the lifespan. 

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the program, the HWOS student will:

• Critically analyze concepts of health and wellness through application at the personal (micro), population (meso), and societal (macro) levels.
• Synthesize biological, psychosocial, and educational theories that influence human behavior and occupational participation.
• Assess the influence of disease and disability with respect to health promotion and occupational well-being.
• Model compassion as an essential attribute in understanding diverse occupational engagement across the lifespan.
• Collaboratively engage in integrative leadership in occupational media, research and science in preparation for inter-professional endeavors.
• Be prepared to apply for graduate study in the field of occupational therapy or a related health profession.