Integrative Health and Wellness

Wellness is about optimizing health so we can do good in the world. It involves behaviors that allow us to engage in meaningful activities. It also helps us avoid damage from unhealthy behaviors.

Health and wellness professionals help people change their behaviors and adopt healthy lifestyles. This includes physical activity, healthy eating, managing stress, and sleeping well. These healthy behaviors provide short and long-term interest for people.

Integrative health and wellness (IHW) takes an individualized, whole-person approach to well-being. It focuses on the connectedness of mind and body. A person's thoughts, emotions, behaviors, physiology, and environment are all related. IHW approaches consider this and tailor behavior change efforts to the person.

IHW approaches are expanding fast in a variety of health and medical settings. As part of the Health Promotion and Education major, this program prepares you for these settings and for advanced study.

Completing the IHW sequence in the Health Promotion and Education major leads to exciting opportunities in:

• Health and Wellness Coaching
• Worksite Wellness
• Hospital-based Health Promotion
• Integrative Health
• Graduate or continued studies in various health and medical fields such as integrative health, nursing, occupational therapy, and various health and medical professions

IHW students in the Health Promotion and Education major are eligible to become National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches and Certified Wellness Practitioners.

Why Study Integrative Health and Wellness?

The Health Promotion and Education Program at Illinois State University has a long, successful tradition. The program began in 1973 and includes specialized sequences in school health education, public health, and integrative health and wellness.

Each of the sequences are accredited, including IHW, by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching.

You will take classes with full-time faculty who are highly experienced educators and health and wellness professionals.

Related Skills

Health promotion professionals specializing in integrative health and wellness are knowledgeable about human health and develop skills in behavior change, holistic health, and health and wellness coaching.

Integrative Health and Wellness (IWH) Knowledge

You need broad, inter-disciplinary knowledge so coursework includes anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, nutrition, fitness, mindbody health, and health behavior.

Holistic Health

Many traditional approaches to disease deal with problems that already exist and primarily treat symptoms. For example, if a person has cardiovascular disease, traditional approaches might provide diet recommendations and medications to lower cholesterol.

IHW approaches consider a broader perspective such as behavioral, emotional, occupational, and environmental influences. With a deeper understanding of the person, a tailored, holistic approach is pursued. This greatly increases the chance a person will not just have reduced symptoms but enhanced health for the long-term.

Health and Wellness Coaching

Health and Wellness Coaches collaborate with their clients who seek self-directed, long-term behavior change. Coaching is an evidence-based and strengths-focused relationship of influence.

The purpose of coaching is helping others, individually or as a group, maximize their health and wellness in ways and directions they desire. Health and wellness coaches are skilled at behavior change with a focus on motivation, skill-building, growth mindset, positive psychology, emotional intelligence, and other evidence-based approaches.

Being Successful in the Field

If you are passionate about wellness, intrigued by integrative and holistic approaches to well-being, and want to help people transform their health, this is a program for you.

Behavior change is hard and many people benefit by having someone on their side, increasing the likelihood of success.

To be successful in this field you need to be deeply committed to life-long learning about health and developing interpersonal communication, teaching, and coaching skills.

You need to acquire credentials like the National Board Certified-Health and Wellness Coach.

With passion, knowledge, and skills you have a significant positive impact on the health and wellness of the people you serve.

Career Industry Liaison

Applying to Illinois State

Applying by our priority deadline is encouraged for best consideration for your academic program and for scholarships. Start your application today!

Applying to Illinois State

Applying by our priority deadline is encouraged for best consideration for your academic program and for scholarships. Start your application today!

Minimum GPA

2.50

Middle 50% GPA

2.75 - 3.44

Required Courses

None

Recommended Courses

Academic Advising

Minimum GPA

2.50

Middle 50% GPA

2.75 - 3.44

Application Period

Applications are always accepted.

Application Information

Current students can use the Apply to Your Program tool on My.IllinoisState.edu.

Major Requirements

Recommended courses for transfer students include those listed below. Check with the Department of Health Sciences academic advisor for more information about equivalent courses.

• BSC or KNR 181: Human Physiology & Anatomy I
• BSC or KNR 182: Human Physiology & Anatomy II
• FCS 102: Fundamentals of Human Nutrition
• KNR 113: Personal Fitness
• PSY 110: Fundamentals of Psychology
• HSC 105: Medical Terminology
• HSC 201: Pathophysiology I
• HSC 202: Pathophysiology II

Academic Advising