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General Health & Wellness

A program of study that prepares individuals to assume roles as health/wellness professionals in private business and industry, community organizations, and health care settings. Includes instruction in personal health, community health and welfare, nutrition, epidemiology, disease prevention, fitness and exercise, and health behaviors. Examples: [Health and Wellness], [Health Promotion and Wellness], [Wellness, Health Promotion and Injury Prevention]

Types of Degrees General Health & Wellness Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Health & Wellness may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	56
Associate’s Degree	823
Bachelor’s Degree	3,466
Master’s Degree	1,192
Doctor’s Degree	60

What General Health & Wellness Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Health & Wellness build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Health & Wellness graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Health & Wellness emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a General Health & Wellness program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Health & Wellness careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Health & Wellness graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.7 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Health & Wellness professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Apple macOS	Operating system software	—
SmugMug Flickr	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Health & Wellness graduates include:

• Community Health Worker (CHW)
• Promoter
• Community Health Agent
• Community Nutrition Advisor
• Community Living Instructor
• Community Health Representative
• Behavioral Health Advocate
• Community Health Navigator
• Public Health Outreach Worker
• Health Advocate
• Public Health Worker
• Peer Health Promoter
• Mental Health Advocate
• Field Based Community Health Worker
• Apprise Counselor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Health & Wellness graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	43.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	37.7%
Master’s degree	10.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.6%
Some college courses	1.6%
Doctoral degree	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Health & Wellness?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 77.9% of General Health & Wellness degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,371	77.9%
Men	1,240	22.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Health & Wellness graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,746	48.9%
Asian	330	5.9%
Hispanic or Latino	1,083	19.3%
Black or African American	875	15.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	78	1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	15	0.3%
Two or More Races	250	4.5%
Race Unknown	181	3.2%
International Students	53	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Health & Wellness Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Health & Wellness graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$40,203
4 years	$49,234
5 years	$57,884

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $57,884 — roughly 44% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Health & Wellness Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General Health & Wellness. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	16	2
Bachelor’s	23	17
Master’s	22	4
Doctoral (Research)	3	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Health & Wellness Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Health & Wellness graduates earn a median of $49,234 four years after completion — roughly 30% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Health, General	25,004
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General	5,611
Public Health Education and Promotion	3,785
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	2,571
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	2,298
Behavioral Aspects of Health	623
Maternal and Child Health	180
Dental Public Health and Education	84
Arts in Medicine/Health	5
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General	—
International Public Health/International Health	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.