• On-Campus Component
    Yes
  • Cost
    $1,764.00 per credit (part-time); $10,584.00 full-time (6–14 credits)
  • Total Credits
    12 or 16 (Health Coaching track)
  • Credential
    Graduate Certificate
  • Admission GPA
    2.8
  • Application Deadlines
    April 15
  • Campus
    Twin Cities
  • College
    School of Nursing
  • Department
    Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing

This innovative, interdisciplinary graduate program is designed to expose health professionals to a global range of integrative, complementary, cross-cultural, and spiritual healing practices. The program draws upon the rich expertise of University- and community-based faculty who encourage and challenge students to discover new ways of caregiving, and to cultivate diverse skills that will transform their life's work, experiences, and relationships with others.

The certificate may be completed fully, primarily, or partially online.

Students may choose to pursue the Health Coaching Track within the Certificate. All coursework in this track is offered in a primarily online format, with in person intensives on campus one weekend per semester only. Health Coaching is an emerging field of partnering with clients to achieve their health behavior change goals. Graduates of the Health Coaching Track practice in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, health education facilities, community centers, fitness venues, senior living, corporations, schools, and private practice.

Program Options

Students may choose to study a wide spectrum of topics or can individualize their coursework to focus on an area of interest, such as:

  • Health Coaching (formal track)
  • Clinical Applications
  • Leadership in Optimal Healing Environments
  • Nature-Based Therapeutics

Curriculum

Twelve semester credits are required to complete the certificate. It is possible to complete all coursework online. A bachelor's degree in a health-related field is required for admission.

Required Courses

  • CSPH 5101 Overview of Whole Health Models of Care & Integrative Practices (3 cr)

  • CSPH 5102 Personal Wellbeing: The Journey of Self-Care (1 cr)
    or

  • CSPH 5806 Wellbeing and Resiliency for Health Professionals (1 cr)

Students choose the remaining credits from courses consistent with their academic training and professional goals.

Health Coaching Track

Sixteen semester credits are required to complete this track. All coursework is offered in a primarily online format, with in-person intensives on campus one weekend per semester only. Admission to the Health Coaching Track requires an undergraduate or graduate degree specifically in a healthcare discipline. A bachelor's degree in a health-related field is required for admission.

Required Courses

  • CSPH 5101 Overview of Whole Health Models of Care & Integrative Practices (3 cr)
  • CSPH 5701 Introduction to Health Coaching: Principles, Practices, and Personal Development (4 cr)
  • CSPH 5702 Transformative Health Coaching: Empathy, Ethics, and Effective Communication (4 cr)
  • CSPH 5708 Intersectional Perspectives in DEI, Mental Health, and Trauma-Informed Care (3 cr)
  • CSPH 5714 Health Behavior Change Theory and Application (1 cr)
  • CSPH 5716 Health Coaching Practicum: Deepening Skills and Optimizing Outcomes (1 cr)

Prerequisites for Admission

Required

  • A bachelor’s degree (or higher) in a health- or wellness-related field (including, but not limited to: exercise physiology, health education, community health, nursing, or nutrition) from an accredited US institution or a foreign equivalent
    or
  • A master’s degree (or higher) in health care administration, naturopathic medicine, medicine, pharmacy, psychology, or public health from an accredited US institution or a foreign equivalent, or
    • are a board-certified chaplain with a minimum of three years in a healthcare setting
      or
    • are currently enrolled in a health care professional graduate training program at an accredited institution