WCSU adds major in health management
DANBURY — Western Connecticut State University students interested in learning the finances of yoga instruction or who want to start or manage a business in the health, wellness and fitness industry, have a new program that caters to them.
WCSU is now offering a bachelor of science in health and wellness management, based in its School of Professional Studies, which allows students to take 21 credits in health and wellness and 18 credits in business management and administration, the university announced last week.
The head of the program is WestConn professor Emily C. Stevens, who is also chair of the health promotion and exercise sciences program.
Stevens described the health and wellness studies portion of the new hybrid degree as “quite flexible.”
“For example, if a student has an interest in opening a dance studio, they can take more dance-related classes. If they have an interest in running a business in complementary/alternative medicine, they can take more of our holistic health classes. This allows a lot of flexibility to help the student finetune the content they get in their degree on the health/wellness side of things,” Stevens said in a statement.
According to the university, the degree is designed to prepare graduates for management and administration careers in the health and wellness industry and to launch their own businesses.
In its announcement, WCSU cited U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data that shows the field had a $101,340 median pay in 2021 and a strong job outlook.
According to WestConn, it is the first school within the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system to offer a health and wellness management degree. Also, WCSU will also rename its bachelor of science in health promotion studies program to public health “to better align with what the degree program offers.” That program, according to WCSU, is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
There are universities in the region that offer similar programs, including the University of Pittsburgh, which offers a master’s degree in health and wellness management, WestConn spokeswoman Janine Azzi said. The New York Institute of Technology and State University of New York at Oswego both offer undergraduate degrees in health and wellness management or wellness management.
In researching the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the field, Stevens “found that there is a good job market for undergraduates in this field, which is why we pursued creating the program,” Azzi said.
The university has been advertising the program internally, “through word of mouth and advising with current students, and in prospective student recruitment materials. We are just starting to advertise the program outside of the university,” Azzi said.