Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching

This program is designed for individuals seeking to promote health and wellness by working with individuals and small groups reached via private practice, in integrative health clinics, conventional medical settings, fitness and wellness centers, and organizations. Health and wellness coaches partner with their clients, and facilitate introspection, goal setting, behavioral change, accountability, and goal achievement. Health and wellness coaching can be conducted as a stand-alone professional practice, or be used to complement another health, wellness, or medical practice including nutrition, nursing, social work, health promotion, herbal medicine, acupuncture, Ayurveda, fitness and training, yoga therapy, massage therapy, and naturopathic medicine, among others.

This program provides the skills, knowledge and expertise needed to become skilled health and wellness coaches who help clients clarify health and wellness goals through introspection, leverage their strengths, address challenges in behavior change, implement and sustain life-changing behaviors, and manage both setbacks and progress. The program develops an understanding of behavior change theories and principles, excellence in core coaching competencies, and the skills necessary to help clients adopt individually designed attitudes and lifestyle changes most conducive to optimal health and wellness. Students build a broad view of health and wellness that incorporates both conventional measures of health that focus on prevention of illness and disease and promotion of healthy lifestyles, as well as additional measures of health found in complementary and alternative health practices from a variety of wisdom traditions.

Unique to MUIH’s health and wellness coaching philosophy, and an essential component of the curriculum, is teaching people to be aware of the body’s innate wisdom and to regard symptoms and struggles as teachers. Other distinctive program features include a focus on research literacy for informed coaching practice, an integrative approach to wellness and healing, a focus on whole-person care, and a model that emphasizes self-reflection and personal empowerment for healthy lifestyles. Students practice and hone their coaching skills through real-time coaching labs, working with mentor coaches and volunteer coaching clients. The program includes a series of three practicum. In the first, students work one-on-one with clients and begin to build their coaching practice. The second is a group coaching practicum, and the third is a practicum utilizing more advanced skills. Also provided are opportunities to coach volunteer clients and interprofessionalism in different settings, including conventional health care settings.

This program features highly credentialed and recognized faculty who hold the highest professional coaching credentials. Ninety percent of MUIH’s health and wellness coaching faculty hold professional credentials issued by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching and/or the International Coaching Federation (ICF). 67% are NBHWC credentialed, 67% are ICF certified, and 43% are dually certified by NBHWC and ICF. 

The 15 credits of foundational coaching courses in the M.A. Health and Wellness Coaching program also make up the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health and Wellness Coaching. This certificate program serves as both a stand-alone credential and can serve as an entry point leading toward the M.A. degree.

MUIH’s Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching is a graduate program, which differs from training programs offered in the field. Click here for a description of the added value of a graduate program.

Can’t decide whether health promotion or health and wellness coaching is the program for you? Review this comparative summary to learn more about these professions.

The program consists of 30 credits of required coursework in the following areas:

• 15 credit hours of core health and wellness coaching courses and Practical Skills Assessment.
• 15 credit hours of advanced courses including: advanced coaching skills, group coaching, inter-professionalism, cultural competence, research literacy in integrative health and evidence-informed practices, practice management coursework that provides students with the skills to build and sustain their own practice or business in coaching, and a final project course that integrates learning throughout the students’ academic journey.

Required Courses

The program consists of the following required courses:

• APP606 Becoming a Healing Presence (3 cr)
• APP700 Mindfulness, Meditation, and Health (3 cr)
• COA605 Foundations of Healthy Lifestyles (1.5 cr)
• COA610 Fundamentals of Health and Wellness Coaching (3 cr)
• COA616 Theories and Principles of Behavior Change (3 cr)
• COA620 Applied Healing Strategies (3 cr)
• COA665 Advanced Coaching: Groups, Populations, and Settings (3 cr)
• COA670 Advanced Topics in Health and Wellness Coaching (3 cr)
• COA705 Professional Development for Health and Wellness Coaches (1 cr)
• COAPSA Practical Skills Assessment (0 cr)
• IHM650 Practice Management in Coaching (2 cr)
• ISCI631 Introduction to Complementary and Integrative Health (1.5 cr)
• MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)
• IHED625 Research Methods in Health Education: Quantitative and Qualitative (3 cr)  OR  RSCH601 Research Literacy in Integrative Health (3 cr)

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.

Advanced Standing for NBHWC and ICF Certified Coaches Programs 

Individuals who are an NBHWC National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach or who are an Associate, Professional, or Master Certified Coach (ACC, PCC, MCC) by ICF are eligible for advanced standing in MUIH’s M.A. Health and Wellness Coaching program. Advanced standing recognizes student’s certified learning as a health and wellness coach and applies it toward the attainment of MUIH’s M.A. Health and Wellness Coaching degree. Advanced standing reduces credits, costs, and time to program completion for NBHWC and ICF certified individuals. The program can be completed in as little as one year for individuals with such advanced standing, and students may choose to take longer to complete the program based on their schedule.

NBHWC Advanced Standing: Individuals who are an NBHWC National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach are eligible for 10.5 credits of advanced standing and will only need to complete 19.5 credits of coursework at MUIH. Such students are exempt from taking the following courses at MUIH: COA605 (1.5 cr), COA610 (3 cr), COA616 (3 cr), COA620 (3 cr), and COAPSA (0 cr).

ICF Advanced Standing: Individuals who are an ICF Associate (ACC), Professional (PCC), or Master (MCC) Certified Coach are eligible for 6 credits of advanced standing and will only need to complete 24 credits of coursework at MUIH. Such students are exempt from taking the following courses at MUIH: COA610 (3 cr), COA620 (3 cr), and COAPSA (0 cr).

To receive advanced standing, students MUST submit official documentation of their NBHWC or ICF coaching certification BEFORE starting their first class at MUIH. Individuals who hold both NBHWC and ICF certification are encouraged to submit their NBHWC certification to maximize the amount of advanced standing they receive. Such documentation is only required to receive advanced standing; it is not required for admission into the program.

Upon completion of this program students will be able to:

• Master the professional qualities, relational skills, and behaviors that promote healing presence and a client-centered coaching practice.
• Appraise and apply a wide range of practice and evidence-informed coaching skills to facilitate sustainable behavior change among diverse individuals, groups, populations, and settings.
• Develop tailored approaches from a wide variety of coaching theories, principles, and practices for use with diverse individuals, groups, populations, and settings.
• Integrate conventional, complementary, and integrative health perspectives into a comprehensive evidence-informed health and wellness coaching approach.
• Develop skills to accurately review and evaluate research literature from the field of health and wellness coaching for application to an evidence-informed coaching practice.
• Demonstrate proficiency in the coaching competencies and Code of Ethics as established by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC), as well as in the Scope of Practice as established by the NBHWC.
• Create a personalized business plan, professional development plan, and prospectus based upon concepts and principles of an integrative health and wellness coaching practice.

Program Format

This program is offered in the online format. Click here to view MUIH’s definition of online, hybrid, and on-campus course and program formats.

The program may occasionally offer some courses on-campus for students that wish to learn in person, but students are not required to take any on-campus courses. Not all courses will be offered in the on-campus format. The schedule of on-campus courses is determined on a trimester-by-trimester basis. When offered on-campus, courses are delivered in a weekend format to accommodate students with weekday commitments and those who can travel to attend the program. Classes typically meet Friday evenings and all-day Saturdays and Sundays. Class dates are subject to change.

Program Schedule

For trimester start and end dates, see the Academic Calendar.

Course Schedule

Trimester 1

• APP606 Becoming a Healing Presence (3 cr)
• COA605 Foundations of Healthy Lifestyles (1.5 cr)
• ISCI631 Introduction to Complementary and Integrative Health (1.5 cr)
• MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)

Trimester 2

• COA610 Fundamentals of Health and Wellness Coaching (3 cr)
• COA616 Theories and Principles of Behavior Change (3 cr)

Trimester 3

• COA620 Applied Healing Strategies (3 cr)
• COAPSA Practical Skills Assessment (0 cr)
• APP700 Mindfulness, Meditation, and Health (3 cr)

Trimester 4

• IHED625 Research Methods in Health Education: Quantitative and Qualitative (3 cr)  OR  RSCH601 Research Literacy in Integrative Health (3 cr)
• COA665 Advanced Coaching: Groups, Populations, and Settings (3 cr)

Trimester 5

•  COA705 Professional Development for Health and Wellness Coaches (1 cr)
• COA670 Advanced Topics in Health and Wellness Coaching (3 cr)
• IHM650 Practice Management in Coaching (2 cr)

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health and Wellness Coaching and the Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching programs offer two professional credentialing pathways. Students who complete these programs are eligible for credentialing by  the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) and the International Coaching Federation (ICF).  This program features highly credentialed and recognized faculty who hold the highest professional coaching credentials. Ninety percent of MUIH’s health and wellness coaching faculty hold professional credentials issued by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching and/or the International Coaching Federation (ICF). 67% are NBHWC credentialed, 67% are ICF certified, and 43% are dually certified by NBHWC and ICF.

National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health and Wellness Coaching holds the status of NBHWC-Approved Training Program, and it is embedded in the Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching program. Students who began the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate or Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching in fall 2019 or later, who have completed the NBHWC-approved coursework as part of MUIH’s programs, and who have met NBHWC’s additional requirements qualify to sit for the national board exam, the HWC Certifying Examination. The HWC Certifying Examination was developed by NBHWC in conjunction with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Individuals who pass this exam will earn the title of National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).

Graduates of MUIH’s Post-Baccalaureate and Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching programs have a pass rate of 83% on NBHWC’s HWC Certifying Examination (from 2017-2021), as compared to the national pass rate of 84% on this exam during the same period.

Additional requirements may apply for this credential. Interested individuals are encouraged to check for the most recent requirements with NBHWC at nbhwc.org.

International Coaching Federation (ICF)

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health and Wellness Coaching and the Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching are approved by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Courses in these programs provide the Approved Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH) required to become an ICF-certified coach and fulfill the minimum synchronous 60-hour training requirement to apply for ICF’s Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. Additional requirements apply for this ICF credential, and requirements beyond coach training increase with higher level of credentials. Interested individuals are encouraged to check for the most recent requirements with ICF at coachfederation.org.

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health and Wellness Coaching and the Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching programs hold various approvals from the International Coach Federation (ICF) and the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). Students who complete these programs are eligible for credentialing by both organizations. See the Licensure, Certification, and Credentialing section below for additional information.

Seventy percent (70%) of recent graduates (2018-2021) of MUIH’s M.A. Health and Wellness Coaching program were employed or self-employed within one year of graduation. Graduates of MUIH’s health and wellness coaching programs are employed in a variety of settings including private practice; integrative group practices; health care systems; hospitals; wellness centers; health and wellness online and mobile platforms; consulting firms; community, non-profit, and outreach organizations; state, local, and federal agencies; and colleges and universities. Many graduates chose to have a portfolio career in which they have multiple positions and employers within one or more profession, rather than one full-time job. A portfolio career provides such individuals with variety in their work life and the opportunity to develop a wide and varied professional network.

Individuals with skills and knowledge in health and wellness coaching will support the continued projected growth of healthcare occupations in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects healthcare occupations to grow 13% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 2 million new jobs. Healthcare occupations are projected to add more jobs than any other occupational groups in the U.S. Health and wellness coaching is aligned with the growing trend toward integrative approaches and holism in health and wellness. The National Health Interview Survey indicates 59 million Americans spend $30.2 billion per year out-of-pocket for integrative health practices, and 33.2% of U.S. adults use integrative health practices.

Health and wellness coaching has been identified as an innovative and cutting-edge career. Deloitte Insights includes wellness coaches among the ten winning business archetypes in the future of health. The health coaching industry has emerged as an estimated $7 billion service market in 2021, with an estimated 128,000 health coaches and health educators already in the workforce, advising and motivating clients to make lasting lifestyle and behavioral changes. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects the employment of health education specialists, including health and wellness coaches, will grow 12% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations due to “an emphasis on promoting healthy behaviors, particularly based on experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic.” The growing number of National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) and International Coaching Federation (ICF) credentialed coaches is also an indicator of the growth of the field. There are 6,500 NBHWC certified coaches and 30,802 ICF certified coaches in 130 countries and territories.

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Take a look at what our Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching program offers and how MUIH is the choice for you!

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How to Become a Certified Health and Wellness Coach

December 6 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST

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Duston Morris, Ph.D., CHES, ACE-HWC
Department Chair

Suzanne Zolnick, M.A.S.
Department Manager

Caressa Olivo, M.A.
Academic Advisor

Click here to view the faculty.