What Can I Do with a Degree in Health Promotion and Wellness?

“I thought, ‘I could do anything I want with this,’” says Nikia Moukendi, '19. 

After earning her bachelor's in the Health Promotion and Wellness program online, Moukendi worked for an NGO and a state agency.

Like Moukendi, UL Lafayette students graduate from the Health Promotion and Wellness online program ready to succeed, whether their goal is to go straight into the workforce, apply to graduate school, or get special certifications. 

“It gave me that opportunity to really sit down with myself and see what I’m really interested in,” says Payton Phares, ’22. 

“I can work in a gym; I could work in consulting; I could further my education and go get my master’s. I can do all these things.” 

What is Health Promotion and Wellness?  

At the heart of the program, students learn about the many ways that health and wellness are unique for each person, and about the professionals needed to make health information accessible to the public. 

“My advisor Lisa LeBlanc helped me tremendously throughout my college journey and showed me that it was all about public health, which is informing and helping others,” says Drake Bourgeois, ’22.

Bourgeois currently fills that role as an agricultural specialist for the State of Louisiana. 

Health Promotion and Wellness students dive deep into courses on nutrition, environmental health, stress management, occupational health and safety, epidemiology, world health issues, and the social mechanisms of substance abuse.

Building on these subjects, the curriculum helps students cultivate stronger analytical and critical thinking skills with classes on research, health behavior theories and planning models, program development, applied mathematics, and a selection of social and behavioral science classes. 

Students round out their skillset with classes on communication, psychology, marketing, organization funding strategies, and a selection of specialized academic and business writing classes.

“I’ve been able to learn marketing skills, people skills, networking, and collaboration,” says Faith Boudreaux, ‘21, associate director of marketing and fan experience for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. 

Potential Careers 

Community Health Educator 

Community health educators work to promote healthy behaviors through educational programs. This may mean providing direct instruction in CPR or First Aid training, safe childcare, nutrition and meal planning, or substance abuse prevention.  

It may also mean coordinating preventative services such as blood pressure, vision and hearing screenings as part of a targeted campaign. 

Most community health educators are employed through health care organizations, nonprofits, or government agencies.  

Madeline Cassedy started working as a community education coordinator before graduating with her degree in 2022. She says seeing the impact of her work is a special highlight.  

“Some of the best moments I have as a community education coordinator are when students come up to us after class and they tell us how much they learned from our programs,” says Cassedy. 

Social or Community Services Manager 

Social services managers and community services managers both use their skills to support organizations and programs dedicated to improving public well-being. 

While some roles may focus on outreach, awareness campaigns, senior health and resources for low-income populations, other roles may facilitate recreation and community enrichment.  

These professionals need to be strong communicators and strategic team leaders to see projects through each stage, from start to implementation. 

Social and community service managers are most often employed through nonprofit organizations and government agencies in office settings as well as clinics and shelters. 

Occupational Health and Safety Analyst 

Health and safety officials are needed to evaluate a workplace for OSHA compliance, risk mitigation measures, and accident prevention. 

Through courses on health and safety, stress and stress management, and management of behavior and organizations, Health Promotion and Wellness students learn about the spectrum of workplace conditions and their evidence-based impact on employee health, quality of life, and potential productivity.   

While many positions in this field do not require a graduate degree, extra certifications are recommended for advancement. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor forecasts growth among these jobs through 2031 should keep pace with the economy overall. 

Bonus: Credentials 

Whatever a graduate’s goals may be, the Health Promotion and Wellness program is structured to prepare students to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. 

The CHES exam is a rigorous metric and, according to Kailey Hanks, ’17, an accurate reflection of the skills program graduates will need in their work. 

While working at The Family Tree, Hanks collaborated on a breastfeeding education program.  

“What made me proud about that is it was a direct implementation of the CHES of core competencies,” she says, “looking at the population to determine the best way to learn, come up with a plan, implementation, then re-evaluating the approach as to what is and is not working.” 

Explore the opportunities where your interests intersect with the workforce’s demands. Learn more about the B.S. in Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Wellness online today.