Health and Wellness Major

The wellness field is growing! This exciting and energizing major prepares you for a career path that leads to jobs as nutrition or food educators, fitness trainers, health coaches or foodservice professionals. Our academic program allows you to minor in another field to prepare you for your unique career goals.

 A vital part of the program is an internship which you complete in your senior year.  This internship offers you invaluable hands-on experience and the ability to build knowledge as well as demonstrate and grow your skills in an actual organization, program, or business.  Many of our students are hired by their internship placements.

Framingham State University offers two concentrations in the Health and Wellness Major

The Fitness Concentration adds breadth and depth in the dual fields of fitness and nutrition. This unique program prepares you to sit for the American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer national exam.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the growth in employment of fitness trainers and instructors will increase 10-13 percent from 2016-2026*. As businesses, government, and insurance organizations continue to recognize the benefits of health and fitness programs for their employees, incentives to join gyms or other types of health clubs are expected to increase the need for fitness trainers and instructors.

In the Public and Community Health concentration, students study population health programs and policies in both national and global settings. A great diversity of career options exist in the field of public and community health, including health education specialists and community health workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of health education specialists and community health workers is projected to grow 13 percent from 2019 to 2029. Growth will be driven by efforts to improve health outcomes and to reduce healthcare costs through education about practicing healthy behaviors and utilizing healthcare services.

For students who enrolled in FSU before September 2020 the Nutrition and Food Studies concentration allows you to take advantage of the growing fields of health, wellness, and food to become a nutrition educator, wellness educator, health coach, or foodservice manager. For students who enrolled in FSU in September 2020 or later, please see the new Nutrition and Food Service Program Management concentration in the Food and Nutrition Major.