Overview
The goal of the interdisciplinary minor in health and wellness is for students to have concentrated study in the area that can complement their major with a series of courses from outside their discipline. The minor centers on a three-course core, covering the cultural, psychological, and physiological aspects of health and wellness, respectively, and two upper-division electives, selected from a list of chosen courses from various disciplines across campus for students to tailor a focused course of study in human well-being. After completing the minor, students shall be able to:
- Analyze health and wellness via a cultural lens with sociocultural factors such as race, class, sex, and gender.
- Apply different research methods for examining health and wellness issues.
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative methods in health and wellness research.
- Develop sound research skills to be able to read, to interpret, and to implement research in health and wellness.
- Evaluate cultural systems that give rise to inequities in health and wellness and assess how health and wellness can be constructed culturally and may be potentially biased.
- Gain knowledge in the dimensions of wellness – physical, occupational, social, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional – and develop strategies within each dimension of wellness to modify lifestyle and to learn, to implement, and to adopt healthy behaviors.
- Make behavior changes that promote health and well-being; and identify and implement healthy behaviors that enhance the quality of life throughout the lifespan.
- Promote health and wellness through the implementation of behavioral change and lifestyle medicine.
- Explore career options in health and wellness, including allied areas such as fitness- and sports-related endeavors.
General Requirements
- All upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for a letter grade. Lower-division courses can be taken pass / no pass.
- A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
- A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.
- No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student’s major and minor programs.
- All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to be graduated. If the student cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, the student must see a College of Letters & Science advisor.
- All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling.
Lower-Division Required Courses:
| Dept | Course | Cross listing | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NUSCTX | 10 or 10S | Introduction to Human Nutrition | 3 | |
| PHYS ED | 1-5 | Various Activity Courses (two 0.5 unit courses) | 1 | |
| PHYS ED | 32 | Fitness for Life | 3 | |
| PSYCH * | 1 | General Psychology | 3 | |
| PSYCH * | W1 | General Psychology | 3 | |
| PSYCH * | 2 | Principles of Psychology | 3 |
* Choose one of the PSYCH courses.
Upper-Division Courses
Three core courses are required; two courses are electives.
A minimum of five, upper-division courses must be completed that total at least 15 units. Three of the courses must be taken from UC Berkeley. Some courses may have additional prerequisites or require the permission of the instructor.
Upper-Division Required Core Courses
| Dept | Course | Cross listing | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHYS ED | 121 | Health, Wellness, and Culture: A Critical Perspective | 3 | |
| PHYS ED | 177 | Wellness for Life | 3 | |
| PSYCH | 162 or C162 or LS C160V | Human Happiness | 3 |
Upper-Division Elective Courses
Current electives for Spring 2025:
Select two of the following courses, for a minimum of six units. The courses below may be counted in any semester they are offered. One course may be replaced by completing a minimum of three units of thesis, internship (field study), group study, or independent study and research (i.e., 196 Thesis, 197 Field Study, 198 Directed Group Study, or 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research; these courses normally would have a prefix of PHYS ED or PSYCH, but prefixes from other departments are allowed with written approval from the program’s director).*