About Health and Wellness
Housed within the Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics Department, the health and wellness program prepares students to become health and wellness professionals in community organizations, colleges and universities, government health departments, and some healthcare settings. Students also are eligible to become certified health education specialists (CHES).
We prepare undergraduate students to assume roles as health/wellness professionals in private business and industry, community organizations, and healthcare environments.
Degree Information
As a health and wellness graduate, you would be able to immediately enter the workforce and start making a difference in people’s lives. If you decide to pursue a higher degree in the medical field, health and wellness will provide you with a strong, solid background on which to build.
There are hundreds of job options in the health and wellness field, many of which do not require any additional education beyond a bachelor’s degree. Job titles typically held by health and wellness graduates include:
- Community Health Program Director
- Disease Education
- Drug Education
- Exercise Scientist
- Fitness Facility Owner/Manager
- Group Exercise Instructor
- Mental Health Specialist
- Nutritionist
- Occupational Therapist
- Personal Trainer/Exercise Specialist
- Personal Weight-Loss Coach
- Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
- Sex Education Instructor
- Spa Director
- Wellness Center Manager
- Wellness/Health Educator
Students participate in conferences, sponsor wellness activities, serve in support roles for health-delivery organizations, and participate in individual research and scholarship programs with faculty mentors.
Health and Fitness Organization: A student-run organization open to all health, nutrition, and dietetics majors, health and wellness majors, and exercise science minors. Students design and implement health programs on the Buffalo State campus and in their local community. Students are given opportunities to intern or shadow in the fitness industry, attend conferences, and participate in field research.
Nutrition Club: A student-run organization that enables students to listen to and meet dietitians in the community; host nutrition education projects for the college and community; and participate in community service activities.
Phi Upsilon Omicron Mu Chapter: This is the oldest national family-and-consumer-sciences honor society in the United States. Selected students will participate in disease awareness events, fundraisers, and events related to nutrition and health awareness.
Health and Wellness Student Association: Educates students through lectures, guest speakers, attending conferences, and field trips on ways to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
Internships allow students to obtain relevant professional experience and to prepare for employment. Relationships with institutions have been established throughout the country. The department offers a variety of health and wellness internship sites for students.
Health and Wellness Internships allow students to obtain relevant professional experience and to prepare for employment. The department offers more than 38 health and wellness internship sites for students.
“I also had a lot of great teachers in my program who helped me along the way."
Community Connections
The program is integrated into the local community which opens opportunities for students that participate in outside-the-classroom opportunities offered through the department.
Excellent Faculty
Faculty have expertise in public health, collaborative research, community health, health education, exercise science and nutrition.
Small Class Size
Most classes within the health and wellness major have 30 or fewer students, meaning students get plenty of attention from their professors and have the chance to form classroom relationships with their peers.
Real-World Opportunities
Health and wellness students are encouraged to participate in conferences, sponsor wellness activities, serve in support roles for health-delivery organizations, and participate in individual research and scholarship programs with faculty mentors.
“Eating healthy doesn’t require expensive specialty ingredients or frozen meals from the grocery store. It just takes a little kitchen know-how.”
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation awarded the 2016 Abbott Nutrition Award (recognition for significant contributions to the importance of nutrition in women’s health) in Women’s Health to Carol DeNysschen.
“If we could only motivate people to eat better and move more, we’d have so much less chronic disease.”
