Community Health and Wellness Degree

Improve Quality of Life (Yours and Others') With a Community Health and Wellness Degree

We’ve designed Keuka College's Community Health and Wellness program to give ambitious, working adults like you the chance to take your place in an emerging field. It empowers you to explore new health care opportunities through hands-on experience, research, and evidence-based practice.

Highlights

In-Person and Online Hybrid

Get the best of both worlds. Attend class one night a week for four hours at the Finger Lakes Community College campus in Canandaigua. Complete homework, assignments, and other coursework online during the week.

Degree Program Cohort Model

You'll learn and grow alongside the same cohort of students throughout the entire program. The cohort model gives you support and encouragement from colleagues and a rich professional network after graduation.

Two Concentrations

Focus your studies with a concentration in Health and Human Services or Health Administration. You’ll fine-tune your knowledge to fit the career setting you’ll find the most compelling and rewarding.

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Guide to Moving Forward

Get more information to make the decision that's right for you:

  • Featured courses and program outcomes
  • Admission requirements
  • Tuition and financial aid information
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Our evening and online format accommodates your busy and often chaotic schedule, allowing you to complete your bachelor’s degree faster and with fewer obstacles.

Keuka College’s program fosters exploration of the many different careers in the healthcare industry. Perhaps you’re a big picture thinker and you like to manage and implement programs. Or you working with people to improve their quality of life by connecting them with community services and healthcare professionals. The Community Health and Wellness degree can give you the education required for career advancement even if you have a demanding job and busy family.

Health and Human Services Concentration 

  • Designed for busy working adults interested in working with children, teenagers, persons with disabilities, the elderly, or those who are in need.
  • Attend class in person once a week for four hours at FLCC in Canandaigua.
  • Complete assignments and readings online when it fits your schedule.
  • Students can complete the program in 24 months.

Health Administration Concentration

  • Designed for busy, working adults interested in management careers in the healthcare field.
  • Attend an in-person class once a week for four hours at FLCC in Canandaigua.
  • Complete assignments and readings online when it fits your schedule.
  • Students can complete the program in 24 months.

At Keuka College, we make it easy for adults like you to earn your Community Health and Wellness degree, no matter how many — or how few — college credits you already have. 

Requirements

As at any accredited college or university, you'll need at least 120 credits to earn a bachelor's degree. 

The number of courses you'll need to take and your course schedule may vary based on the number of credits you transfer in and whether you already have your associate degree.

View College Catalog

11 Program Support Courses

35 Credits

From the basics of health care services, business, and ethics to overviews of psychology, sociology and statistics, these are the courses that will lay the academic foundation for your career. You can choose from a number of online courses in the Keuka College catalog, or transfer in credits from another accredited college or university, the U.S. military, college-level testing program, or select international sources.

9 Core Community Health and Wellness Courses

25 Credits

These courses will teach you the basics of happiness, well-being, and health, along with immersive, hands-on experience at an agency near you. You’ll study epidemiology, research methods, and health care systems. Through your capstone courses you’ll work closely with extraordinary faculty who are outstanding teachers and actively practicing clinicians.

5 Health Administration or Human Services Concentration Courses

25 Credits

Concentration courses allow you fine tune your degree based on the type of career you plan to pursue. Health Administration courses focus on essential business topics such as accounting, entrepreneurship, human resources management and organizational behavior. Human Services courses cover state and local governments, ethnic diversity, psychology, and psychopathology.

Core Courses

The Community Health and Wellness curriculum includes courses that develop foundational knowledge in psychology, computer literacy, business, health care ethics, and population health.

You’ll work closely with extraordinary faculty who are outstanding teachers and actively practicing clinicians.

CHW-312: Happiness Well-Being and Health

Concepts and constructs of wellness and health promotion are studied and analyzed in relation to one's self and the public's health.  Students will integrate health behavior theories along with models of community health promotion and wellness with the objectives of Healthy People.  Students will apply wellness and health promotion principles and strategies to one's own life and a proposed target population within the community.

CHW-411: Epidemiology and Public Health

This course introduces the basic principles and methods of epidemiology, with an emphasis on critical thinking, analytic skills, and application to health policy.  Topics include outcome measures, methods of adjustment, surveillance, quantitative study designs, and sources of data.  Students will practice using epidemiology to better understand, characterize and promote health at a population level through experiential learning activities.

CHW-412: Health Promotion and Prevention Policy

This course focuses on the development of advocacy and leadership at the local, state, national, and international level.  Students will study topics including ethics, policy making and legislation/regulation of community health and wellness concerns at all levels.

Concentration Courses

If you choose a Human Services concentration, you’ll learn about how state and local government intersect with community health, as well as abnormal psychology and psychopathology, ethnic diversity, and youth services.

If you choose a Health Administration concentration, your courses will cover financial accounting, entrepreneurship, organizational behavior, human resources management, and small business management. 

MGT-345: Organizational Behavior

This course covers the logical and rational design of organizations. There is also a thorough examination of behaviors within the individual and the group, and the effects of those interactions on the organization.

MGT-351: Small Business Management

An analysis of the management concerns associated with small business. This course examines the means of ownership and characteristics of small business, as well as the benefits derived from and problems associated with managing small retail stores, service-oriented organizations, franchises, and manufacturing firms. Problems in marketing, finance, production, accounting, personnel, and insurance associated with the management of a small business are studied and analyzed. Development of a business plan is included.

SWK-331: Youth Services Delivery System

Child welfare services and the juvenile justice system; the impact of such problems as abuse, juvenile delinquency, and emotional disturbance on children; and the child as a human being.

Degree Enhancements

Enhance your Community Health and Wellness degree and increase your career marketability by adding a certificate.

And if you need to earn additional general education or elective credits, adding a certificate is a great way to do so.
 

Spanish for the Professions

This beginner-level language and cultural immersion certificate is designed for health care, law enforcement, social work, and education professionals to help build stronger, more inclusive local communities.

Information Risk Management

Learn to assess, measure, and manage information risk and security in today's organizations. Help businesses large and small combat misinformation and develop sound information risk management strategies and practices.

Information Moderation

Learn to analyze, interpret, and communicate the technical, legal, marketing, and social forces that shape online communities and the laws and policies that surround online content.

Keuka College has helped thousands of students like you earn their bachelor’s degrees quickly, conveniently, and affordably.

Estimate Your Costs

How many college credits would you transfer in?

64

You've completed about 2 years of college or have an associate's degree.

20 months

Approximate Program Length

56

Credits Needed

$475

Cost per Credit

$13,300

Estimated Total Cost Before Financial Aid

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Affording Your Community Health and Wellness Degree

Becoming a Community Health and Wellness professional is an investment in your future and your family that has everlasting benefits.

Financial Aid
Keuka College scholarships, state and federal grants, employer tuition remission, and military benefits are financial aid options available to you. Our financial aid team is here to help you navigate the process and find as many opportunities as are available to you.

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Transferring Credit
 

Transfer Your Credits

The healthcare industry is growing faster than almost any other. That growth is projected to continue for the next decade. 

Those who work in Health and Human Services might find jobs in a community health center or the Department of Health. Their work in patient care will consist of connecting people, often in ethnically diverse communities, with health services such as social workers or government assistance programs.

They might enable an elderly person to remain safely in their home. Or, they might help them find primary care, long-term care, or other social services. Job titles might include:

  • Community Health Outreach Worker
  • Community Health Program Coordinator
  • Family Advocate
  • Patient Navigator
  • Peer Counselor
  • Public Health Aide
     

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in community and social service occupations is projected to grow 12 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 348,600 jobs.

And according to the BLS, human services professionals earn a median salary of $40,360 in 2019. Employment prospects in New York state are very favorable.

Experienced human services professionals can earn more than $66,710 per year in New York state.

Health services managers and administrators are responsible for managing the “behind the scenes” elements of the healthcare industry.

As a graduate with a concentration in Health Administration, you can work in a variety of settings from behavioral health centers to nursing homes, depending on your interests and preferences. Job titles might include:

  • Nursing Home Administrator
  • Healthcare Executive
  • Hospital Administrator
  • Health Information Manager
  • Medical Office Administrator
  • Human Service Assistants

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics overall employment of healthcare administrators is projected to grow 32 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average, thanks to an increasingly complex healthcare system.

And according to the BLS, healthcare administrators earn a median salary of $100,980 in 2019. Employment prospects in New York state are very favorable.

Experienced healthcare administrators can earn more than $126,780 per year in New York state.

What Our Community Health & Wellness Graduates Say

Julianna Dejesus-Breese '24

A Bachelor of Science in Community Health and Wellness at Keuka College prepares you to become a leader in educating patients directly, regarding their personal health, in non-clinical environments. You have plenty of opportunities, whether you go the human services or health administration route, after graduating with your degree. I have never been happier with a decision I’ve made.

Julianna Dejesus-Breese '24

Your CHW professors are accomplished academics and seasoned clinicians. They'll combine theoretical concepts and clinical expertise to give you the best education possible.

You’re bound to have questions as you research the Community Health & Wellness programs. Here are some of the most common questions we get from students like you.

You can also get additional information by downloading a program guide, contacting your admissions counselor, or applying for admission today!

Community health and wellness means working to ensure the physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of people who live in a specific geographic area. It can be as small as a neighborhood or as large as a city or region. 

Health and wellness professionals help communities prevent disease and promote healthful living by examining and changing neighborhood structures or government policies. They might advocate for healthy eating, community building, or shared outdoor spaces like parks or community gardens that would encourage exercise. Alternatively, they might provide essential healthcare services in hospitals and clinics. They work in any way they can to make sure that people in a specific area can live their best possible lives.

The short answer is LOTS of things. Depending on your skills and preferences for careers and work environments, a degree in Community Health and Wellness can equip you to work directly with people in neighborhoods, towns, and regions, helping them access healthcare and improving their quality of life in various ways. You can also choose to work in management and supervisory positions, coordinate programs, and ensure the smooth delivery of services to community members. The sky's the limit!

As Keuka College President Amy Storey pointed out, “The Finger Lakes region continues to suffer from a shortage of healthcare professionals and health sector workers – a challenge that is especially critical during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.” That shortage will be true not just in our local region but globally, as well. Experts predict that in 2030 there could be a shortage of 15 million healthcare professionals. That means there will be plenty of jobs, and the more educated you are, the greater your opportunity and the higher your salary. It all adds up to job security and financial stability.

Yes! If you are interested in pursuing an advanced degree, both the Human Services concentration and the Healthcare Administration concentration will prepare you for graduate programs in a variety of fields.

Launched in the Spring of 2020, the Dual Admission and General Transfer Agreement formalized a partnership that will see graduates from FLCC’s Health Care Studies associate degree program move seamlessly into Keuka College’s Community Health & Wellness bachelor’s program. Students may apply for entrance to the Dual Admission Program when they submit their applications for admission to Finger Lakes Community College, at any time during their first year, or upon the completion of up to 30 credits at FLCC. They will then complete the bachelor’s degree program over four semesters of full-time study, taking one class for four hours each week on the FLCC campus and fulfilling homework and course readings online. 

Your Keuka College family supports you every step of the way. In addition to caring faculty members committed to your success, there are several other resources for you to draw upon. Experienced and knowledgeable librarians can meet with you one-on-one to assist you with research and help you learn to use their many virtual and in-person resources. Faculty and staff at the Writing Center can help you with your writing projects. And tutoring services are available upon request. 

There’s lots to consider when thinking about furthering your education. We are here and ready to help you with any questions you may have about the program and the enrollment process. All you have to do is reach out, and an admissions counselor will be ready to partner with you as you start your journey toward success!