Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Health and Wellness
Behavioral Health and Wellness
The behavioral health and wellness degree program will provide students with a broad understanding of how lifestyle choices impact health, and how health professionals design programs to promote healthy lifestyle choices. Students will develop an understanding of three core areas:
- Intervention development and implementation
- Community care coordination
- Public health policy
Promoting skills in these interrelated areas will prepare graduates for a wide range of health/wellness professions in private business and industry, community organizations, and healthcare environments.
The behavioral health and wellness degree is designed as an interdisciplinary program, combining coursework in psychology, sociology, political science, and nutritional science to address health promotion at the individual, institutional, and societal levels. The curriculum of the behavioral health and wellness major will provide students with a broad understanding of the psychological, social, and cultural context of health behavior, including related theories, skills, and emerging technology.
A flexible curriculum allows the degree to be customized around student interest and career goals. Students can choose to specialize in health psychology, public health, or nutrition. The degree program will include a capstone project designed to integrate and apply the concepts and skills learned throughout the curriculum. The capstone will be an individually tailored project defined in collaboration with a faculty adviser which will typically involve a field placement and may include a research component.
Students completing the behavioral health and wellness degree will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of principles of designing and implementing behavior change programs for a variety of health related behaviors; cultural and community-specific tailoring of behavioral health interventions; and fundamentals of public health policy analysis and advocacy.
- Effectively communicate health-promotion information to both professional and lay audiences.
- Gather and analyze information regarding individual and community health needs, and to use this information to guide program development.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Health and Wellness Requirements | (27-28) | |
| Select one of the following: | 2-3 | |
| Introduction to the Profession | 3 | |
| Introduction to the Professions | 2 | |
| Introduction to the Profession | 3 | |
| PSYC 221 | Introduction to Psychological Science | 3 |
| PSYC 330 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 204 | Research Methods in Behavioral Science | 4 |
| PSYC 310 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| or SOC 208 | Social Psychology and Society | |
| PSYC 409 | Psychological Testing | 3 |
| or SSCI 480 | Introduction to Survey Methodology | |
| SOC 200 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SSCI 321 | Social Inequality | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Technical Communication | 3 | |
| Verbal and Visual Communication | 3 | |
| Intercultural Communication | 3 | |
| Behavioral Health and Wellness Electives | (30) | |
| Complete an area of specialization (15 credit hours), three credit hours from each of the remaining specializations and nine credit hours of Behavioral Health & Wellness electives 1,2 | 30 | |
| Mathematics Requirements | (7) | |
| PSYC 203 | Undergraduate Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | 4 |
| Mathematics Elective 3 | 3 | |
| Capstone Project | (3) | |
| Select three credit hours | 3 | |
| Computer Science Requirement | (2) | |
| CS 105 | Introduction to Computer Programming | 2 |
| or CS 110 | Computing Principles | |
| Natural Sciences Requirements | (10-11) | |
| See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, section D | 10-11 | |
| Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) | (6) | |
| See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, section E | 6 | |
| Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements | (21) | |
| See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, sections B and C | 21 | |
| Free Electives | (12-14) | |
| Select 12-14 credit hours 2 | 12-14 | |
Minimum degree credits required: 120
- 1
Specializations in Health Psychology, Public Health, or Nutrition require 15 credit hours in the area of specialization and at least three credit hours from each of the other two specializations. The remaining nine credit hours may be taken from any of the three specializations or from the list of other Behavioral Health and Wellness electives. Please see the Specializations tab on this page.
- 2
A maximum of three credit hours of PSYC 497 can be earned in any given semester. A maximum of six credit hours of PSYC 497 can be applied as behavioral health and wellness electives. Additional PSYC 497 credit hours may be applied as free electives.
- 3
At the level of MATH 122 or above.
Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Health and Wellness Curriculum
| Year 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 1001 | 3 | SOC 200 | 3 |
| PSYC 221 | 3 | SSCI 321 | 3 |
| Science Elective2 | 3 | Science Elective2 | 3 |
| Science Lab Elective2 | 1 | Science Lab Elective2 | 1 |
| Mathematics Elective3 | 3 | Mathematics Elective3 | 3 |
| Humanities 200-level Course | 3 | Social Sciences Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 203 | 4 | PSYC 204 | 4 |
| PSYC 310 or SOC 208 | 3 | PSYC 330 | 3 |
| Science Elective2 | 3 | Specialization Elective4 | 3 |
| Humanities or Social Sciences Elective | 3 | Humanities Elective (300+) | 3 |
| Social Sciences Elective (300+) | 3 | Social Sciences Elective (300+) | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Year 3 | |||
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 409 or SSCI 480 | 3 | Specialization Elective4 | 3 |
| CS 105 or 110 | 2 | Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective4 | 3 |
| Specialization Elective4 | 3 | Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective4 | 3 |
| Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective4 | 3 | IPRO Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Humanities Elective (300+) | 3 |
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Year 4 | |||
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| COM 4215 | 3 | PSYC 4856 | 3 |
| Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective4 | 3 | Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective4 | 3 |
| Specialization Elective4 | 3 | Specialization Elective4 | 3 |
| IPRO Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | ||
| 12 | 15 | ||
| Total Credit Hours: 120 | |||
- 1
Select from the following courses: PSYC 100, LCHS 100, or SSCI 100.
- 2
At least one biology course is required. Recommended courses are BIOL 105, BIOL 114, BIOL 117, and (PHYS 200 or CHEM 124).
- 3
Mathematics elective requirement is satisfied by at least four credit hours at the level of MATH 119 or above.
- 4
See Specializations tab for Behavioral Health and Wellness specializations and Behavioral Health and Wellness electives.
- 5
- 6
Topic must be approved by the adviser.
Behavioral Health and Wellness Specializations
Students must complete 15 credit hours from one area of specialization (Health Psychology, Public Health, or Nutrition) and at least three credit hours from each of the other two specializations. The remaining nine credit hours may be taken from any of the three specializations or from the following list of other Behavioral Health and Wellness electives.
Health Psychology
A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 303 | Introduction to Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSYC 312 | Human Motivation and Emotion | 3 |
| PSYC 360 | Clinical Psychology: Assessment and Treatment | 3 |
| PSYC 370 | Health and Safety at Work | 3 |
| PSYC 380 | Topics in Psychology 1 | 3 |
| PSYC 381 | Topics in Psychology 1 | 3 |
| PSYC 414 | Neural and Biological Bases of Behavior | 3 |
| PSYC 435 | Child Development | 3 |
| PSYC 436 | Adult Development | 3 |
| PSYC 460 | Child and Adolescent Disorders | 3 |
| PSYC 465 | Behavior Change Principles and Practice | 3 |
- 1
Seminar and Topics courses may be used as electives if the topic is relevant to behavioral health and wellness. These courses may be taken more than once to total the 15 credit hours required for the Public Health specialization, if different topics are offered. Adviser approval required.
Nutrition
A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| FDSN 201 | Nutrition and Wellness | 3 |
| FDSN 300 | Nutrition Through the Life Cycle | 3 |
| FDSN 301 | Exploring Food Science & Tech | 3 |
| FDSN 401 | Nutrition, Metabolism, and Health | 3 |
| FDSN 405 | Food and Behavior | 3 |
Public Health
A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 350 | Prejudice and Stigma | 3 |
| SOC 385 | Topics in Sociology | 3 |
| SSCI 225 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| SSCI 318 | Global Health | 3 |
| SSCI 319 | Comparative Health Systems | 3 |
| SSCI 325 | Intermediate Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| SSCI 385 | Special Topics 1 | 3 |
| SSCI 486 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
- 1
Seminar and Topics courses may be used as electives if the topic is relevant to behavioral health and wellness. These courses may be taken more than once to total the 15 credit hours required for the Public Health specialization, if different topics are offered. Adviser approval required.
Other Behavioral Health and Wellness Electives
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 305 | Human Anatomy | 3 |
| BIOL 430 | Human Physiology | 3 |
| PSYC 301 | Industrial Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 320 | Applied Correlation and Regression | 3 |
| PSYC 370 | Health and Safety at Work | 3 |
| PSYC 410 | Introduction to Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC 411 | Medical Aspects of Disabling Conditions | 3 |
| PSYC 412 | Multicultural and Psychosocial Issues in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC 423 | Learning Theory | 3 |
| PSYC 455 | Development and Evaluation of Training in Organizations | 3 |
