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Wellbeing Education Certificate

Wellbeing Education Certificate

 

This certificate will assist UD students in exploring their vocation and will set them up for success as they explore opportunities such as graduate school, professional school, and/or sitting for the CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) exam.  The CHES outlines eight areas of responsibility.  This certificate is designed to expand upon these eight areas, contributing toward the requirements needed for a student to sit for the exam, therefore increasing employability.

Upon completion of the Wellbeing Education Certificate, you will be able to:

  • articulate the importance of wellbeing in their personal and professional lives.
  • demonstrate interdisciplinary understanding of wellbeing through the lens of communication, health and sports science, political science, psychology, sociology, sustainability, and/or religion.  
  • identify career options within wellbeing.
  • apply theory to practice through a health promotion project in an internship setting. 

This Certificate is co-sponsored by Campus Recreation, the Department of Health and Sport Sciences, the School of Education and Health Sciences, and Student Development.

To declare this Certificate, or if you have any questions, contact Kristen Keen, Assistant Dean of Students and Certificate Coordinator, at kkeen1@udayton.edu.

If you have completed all co-curricular requirements for this Certificate, please complete this form.

Step 1

All students interested in the Wellbeing Education Undergraduate Certificate must take HSS 217: Community Health (3 Hours). 

  • An introduction to the principles and theories of community health. The course uses the Social Ecological Model to examine community and population-level health markers, goals, disparities and the factors that may impact these aspects. Attention is also given to prevention strategies and the role of evidence-based health promotion and health education in increasing health status of populations.

Choose one of the following experiences to begin to explore the application of wellbeing work.  This experience should equate to a minimum of one credit hour (15 hours).  Once complete, you will need to provide verification of completion to the Certificate Coordinator

Co-Pilots (Peer Health Coaching)

  • The Co-Pilots are a peer health coaching program that provides individual support for students grappling with how to achieve a healthier lifestyle.  Students may seek out a meeting with a Co-Pilot if they are interested in establishing healthier daily routines (working out, sleep, time management, etc), are struggling to make a decision, are seeking strategies for building healthier relationships (including friendships), etc.  Serving as a Co-Pilot for one semester will fulfill this requirements
Flyers Thrive and Project
  • Transforming How Recovery is Viewed Everywhere is a one-hour training where students are challenged to transform their thinking and language surrounding stigma in recovery. To fulfill this experiential learning opportunity, students will participate in Flyers Thrive training, and then partner with the Center for Alcohol and Other Drugs Resources and Education (CADRE) staff to create a project to educate their peers on this topic across campus.
Internship (1 credit hour)
  • To fulfill this experiential learning option, participate in a 15 hour internship with an office such as, but not limited to: Brook Center, Campus Ministry, Campus Recreation, Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Resources and Education (CADRE), Hanley Sustainability Institute, MEC, or other university department or off campus site, as approved by the Certificate Coordinator.  Internship topic is flexible and can be of the student’s choosing, but must be related to wellbeing.
Mental Health First Aid Training and Project
  • Mental Health First Aid is an 8 hour training that explores introductory skill sets on how to support someone going through a mental health crisis.  To fulfill this experiential learning opportunity, students will participate in Mental Health First Aid training, and then partner with the Brook Center staff to create a project to educate their peers on this topic across campus.
Special Interest House (related to wellbeing)
  • Students can apply to live in a Special Interest House through Housing and Residence Life.  If the house theme is related to wellbeing, participation will qualify.  House topics will be approved by the Certificate Program Coordinator.  

Hanley Sustainability Rep

  • The HSI sustainability leaders program project teams engage volunteers (Reps) in various areas of sustainability work including sustainability peer education, zero waste education and events, on-campus composting, campus energy use, and campus native plants and vegetable gardening.
Student Employment
  • Many offices across campus, such as Campus Recreation, hire student workers in wellbeing related positions.  Serving as a student worker for one semester in a position directly related to wellbeing efforts will qualify for this requirement.
UDI 174: Health, Balance, and Talents. (1 hr)
  • The college environment can make it feel impossible to manage your personal wellbeing. Students in this course will redefine wellness through presentations by guest speakers, hands-on activities, and critical inquiry to enhance and enjoy life.
UDI 360: Adulting 101 (2 hr)
  • Adulting isn’t always easy!  Join us to explore all of the adulting skills that you will need after college, such as eating healthy on a budget, managing finances, finding a doctor you like and taking charge of your own healthcare, relationships after college, exploring your identities and vocation, and much more.  By framing these discussions through prioritizing your overall wellbeing, you will leave this class feeling ready to adult.
Undergraduate Research
  • There are many faculty across UD’s campus that are engaged in meaningful research related to wellbeing.  If a student works in a research lab for the equivalent of 1 credit hour, this requirement will be fulfilled.
Other experiences, as approved by the Certificate Coordinator
  • We recognize that new and exciting learning opportunities may develop for students.  If a student is engaged in an experience that they believe should qualify for this requirement, but is not listed here, they can petition the request to the Certificate Coordinator for approval.

Step 2

Communications Courses: 

  • CMM 374: Media and Health
  • CMM 411: Health Communication 
  • CMM 419: Communicating Health Disparities 

Health and Sport Sciences

  • HSS 206: Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology OR HSS 307: Human Physiology 
  • HSS 371: Foundations of Epidemiology 
  • HSS 384: Food Justice

Political Science 

  • POL 309: Health Policy
  • POL 426: Leadership and Building Communities 

Psychology

  • PSY 366: Health Psychology 
  • Psy 431: Interviewing and Counseling 

Religion

  • REL 256: Faith Traditions: Prayers
  • REL 367: Christian Ethics & Health Care Issues 

Sociology and Social Work

  • SWK 305: Social Services in the Health Field
  • SWK 307: Mental Health Services 
  • SOC/SWK 380: Health and Inequality
  • SOC/SWK 384: Food Justice   

Sustainability 

  • SEE 280: Sustainable Communities 
  • SEE 303: Constructions of Place
  • VAR 350: Art and Social Practice

As you explore wellbeing in deeper ways through curricular opportunities as listed above, the ability to apply their newfound knowledge beyond the classroom walls becomes critically important.  To that end, you will be required to complete a minimum of 90 hour internship in one semester (inclusive of summer term) to complete the wellbeing education certificate.  This internship should be a meaningful experience, providing you with opportunities to apply their understanding of wellbeing to an ongoing project or program that benefits those in their community and prepares you for future professional experiences.  You will register EXP 401: Wellbeing Education Certificate Internship (0 credit hours) during the semester of their internship.  This internship can be at a location of your choice (this could include, but is not limited to on-campus sites, such as the Brook Center, Campus Ministry, Hanley Sustainability Institute, etc., or an off site location approved by the certificate coordinator). 

If you are struggling to identify an internship site, you are encouraged to contact the certificate coordinator or a co-sponsoring office faculty member to explore options.  Once a you choose a site, they should complete the contract form with their site supervisor, and submit to the Certificate Coordinator before beginning internship hours.  The intention is for the coursework in step two to be completed before the internship experience. 

If you are completing internship requirements to fulfill another program requirement, they should contact the certificate coordinator to explore whether that experience will meet these requirements.


Final portfolio

In order to complete the Certificate, a final portfolio (including a reflection and project deliverable) must be submitted to the Certificate Coordinator by two months prior to the your graduation date, unless otherwise agreed upon with the Certificate Coordinator. Additional communication will come from certificate coordinator at the completion of step 2