Health and Wellness Management to be New Degree at Western Connecticut State University

Western Connecticut State University in Danbury is offering a new degree for students interested in health, wellness and fitness as well as business. The B.S. in Health and Wellness Management integrates these interests into a comprehensive degree program that caters to students who want to start or manage a business that focuses on the health, wellness and/or fitness industries.

Based in WCSU’s School of Professional Studies, the B.S. in Health and Wellness Management allows students to take 21 credits in health and wellness plus an additional 18 credits in business management and administration. The Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness Management will be offered starting in the Spring of 2024.

“The health and wellness portion is quite flexible, so if a student has an interest in fitness they can take more fitness-related courses,” said Dr. Emily C. Stevens, professor and department chair of the university’s Health Promotion and Exercise Sciences (HPX) program. “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 fine-tune the content they get in their degree on the health/wellness side of things.”

The degree is designed to allow graduates to find careers in management and administration within the health and wellness industry, and even be prepared to start their own small business. “We can also advise students on how to appropriately prepare for graduate studies in business, sports management, health care administration and more,” said Stevens.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), medical and health services managers are in high demand. The 2021 median pay within the field was $101,340 per year ($48.72 per hour). As of 2020, there were 429,800 jobs in this occupation. The job outlook is strong, with projected 32% growth from 2020-30 (much higher than average). The projected numeric change in employment from 2020-30 is 139,600.

Stevens noted that the B.S. in Health and Wellness Management degree is currently not offered at any of the other Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) system public colleges. She believes that the biggest attribute of this degree is its “interdisciplinary focus and the flexibility in it,” noting that “there is a lot of room for electives, so students can work with their advisers to really tailor the program to the field(s) they are most interested in, as well as their academic/career goals.”

The new WCSU degree program is designed to provide students with the expertise needed  to achieve success after college. According to the 2022 U.S. Wellness Professionals Compensation Report, published by the National Wellness Institute, the median average compensation for all wellness professionals ranged from $56,000 to $80,500; the top 25% of highest earning professionals report salaries from $100,000 to $200,000.

Western Connecticut State University is also changing the name of its B.S. in Health Promotion Studies to B.S. in Public Health to better align with what the degree program offers. The program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.