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:

  1. Intervention development and implementation
  2. Community care coordination
  3. 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

Behavioral Health and Wellness Requirements (27-28)
Select one of the following:2-3
Introduction to the Profession3
Introduction to the Professions2
Introduction to the Profession3
PSYC 221Introduction to Psychological Science3
PSYC 330Health Psychology3
PSYC 204Research Methods in Behavioral Science4
PSYC 310Social Psychology3
or SOC 208 Social Psychology and Society
PSYC 409Psychological Testing3
or SSCI 480 Introduction to Survey Methodology
SOC 200Introduction to Sociology3
SSCI 321Social Inequality3
Select one of the following:3
Technical Communication3
Verbal and Visual Communication3
Intercultural Communication3
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 1,230
Mathematics Requirements (7)
PSYC 203Undergraduate Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences4
Mathematics Elective 33
Capstone Project (3)
Select three credit hours3
Computer Science Requirement (2)
CS 105Introduction to Computer Programming2
or CS 110 Computing Principles
Natural Sciences Requirements (10-11)
See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, section D10-11
Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) (6)
See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, section E6
Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements (21)
See Illinois Tech Core Curriculum, sections B and C21
Free Electives (15-18)
Select 15-18 credit hours 215-18

     Minimum degree credits required: 126

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 1Credit HoursSemester 2Credit Hours
PSYC 10013SOC 2003
PSYC 2213SSCI 3213
Science Elective23Science Elective23
Science Lab Elective21Science Lab Elective21
Mathematics Elective33Mathematics Elective33
Humanities 200-level Course3Social Sciences Elective3
 16 16
Year 2
Semester 1Credit HoursSemester 2Credit Hours
PSYC 2034PSYC 2044
PSYC 310 or SOC 2083PSYC 3303
Science Elective23Specialization Elective43
Humanities or Social Sciences Elective3Humanities Elective (300+)3
Social Sciences Elective (300+)3Social Sciences Elective (300+)3
 16 16
Year 3
Semester 1Credit HoursSemester 2Credit Hours
PSYC 409 or SSCI 4803Specialization Elective43
CS 105 or 1102Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective43
Specialization Elective43Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective43
Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective43IPRO Elective3
Free Elective3Humanities Elective (300+)3
Free Elective3 
 17 15
Year 4
Semester 1Credit HoursSemester 2Credit Hours
COM 42153PSYC 48563
Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective43Behavioral Health and Wellness Elective43
Specialization Elective43Specialization Elective43
IPRO Elective3Free Elective3
Free Elective3Free Elective3
 15 15
Total Credit Hours: 126
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

Students may substitute COM 428 or COM 435.

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.

PSYC 303Introduction to Psychopathology3
PSYC 312Human Motivation and Emotion3
PSYC 360Clinical Psychology: Assessment and Treatment3
PSYC 370Health and Safety at Work3
PSYC 380Topics in Psychology 13
PSYC 381Topics in Psychology 13
PSYC 414Neural and Biological Bases of Behavior3
PSYC 435Child Development3
PSYC 436Adult Development3
PSYC 460Child and Adolescent Disorders3
PSYC 465Behavior Change Principles and Practice3
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.

FDSN 201Nutrition and Wellness3
FDSN 300Nutrition Through the Life Cycle3
FDSN 301Exploring Food Science & Tech3
FDSN 401Nutrition, Metabolism, and Health3
FDSN 405Food and Behavior3

Public Health

A minimum of 15 credit hours is required for this specialization.

PSYC 350Prejudice and Stigma3
SOC 385Topics in Sociology3
SSCI 225Introduction to Geographic Information Systems3
SSCI 318Global Health3
SSCI 319Comparative Health Systems3
SSCI 325Intermediate Geographic Information Systems3
SSCI 385Special Topics 13
SSCI 486Planning, Fundraising, and Program Evaluation3
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

BIOL 305Human Anatomy3
BIOL 430Human Physiology3
PSYC 301Industrial Psychology3
PSYC 320Applied Correlation and Regression3
PSYC 370Health and Safety at Work3
PSYC 410Introduction to Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling3
PSYC 411Medical Aspects of Disabling Conditions3
PSYC 412Multicultural and Psychosocial Issues in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling3
PSYC 423Learning Theory3
PSYC 455Development and Evaluation of Training in Organizations3