HWC Admissions

Visit this page to learn more about requirements related to vaccines, licenses and other requirements upon admission.

Admission Requirements

You must meet the following criteria to qualify for admission to the Health and Wellness Coaching certificate:

Completed bachelor's or higher degree in a health-related discipline or minimum of 1 year wellness-related field experience

Degree Requirements
Your degree must be from an accredited degree program. The health and science majors we have accepted in the past include, but are not limited to the following programs: 

• Athletic Training 
• Biology 
• Dietetics 
• Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
• Kinesiology
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Nutrition
• Physical Therapy
• Psychology
• Public Health
• Social Work
• Human Development and Family Science
• Applied Behavior Analysis

If your degree is not listed above, please email nursing@osu.edu to confirm your educational background will satisfy the admissions requirements for this certificate. 

Students may apply to the certificate while their bachelor's degree is still in progress, but must receive their degree prior to beginning enrollment in the program.

Field Experience Requirements

On a case-by-case basis individuals who have completed a non-health related degree, but have one or more years of work or volunteer wellness-related experience, may be considered for admission. Review of this experience will occur during the application review process and applicants should submit a CV/Resume including relevant work or volunteer experience.

Below are examples of what relevant field experience may look like:

• Allied Healthcare Facility experience (Social & Human Services, Retirement Homes, Nursing Homes or Hospitals)
• Police, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Services
• Fitness Trainers
• Personal Trainers
• Coaches of Sports/Athletic teams
• Communication Specialists
• Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Special Education Specialists
• (Counseling individuals with physical or communication impairments)
• Experiences with leadership of support groups

This list is not exhaustive. Field experiences beyond the list above can also be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale in the last degree earned that is relevant to the program of study

GPAs are reviewed by Ohio State’s Graduate and Professional Admissions office. Applicants whose GPAs fall below 3.0 may still apply and be considered for admission.

Reside in an authorized state

To participate in the Health and Wellness Coaching certificate, you must reside in an authorized state. Please visit the state authorization website to find out if your state of residence is authorized.

Resume

You are required to submit a CV or resume of no more than two pages on the online application. 

How to Apply

To apply for the Health and Wellness Coaching certificate, you must complete the following by the application deadline:

1. Apply online

You can complete an application online on Ohio State’s Graduate and Professional Admissions website. A $60 application fee is required at the time of submission.

Apply online

2. Submit all college transcripts

Applicants must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities that you have previously attended at both either the undergraduate or graduate levels. This includes transcripts for any post-secondary courses taken during high school or of coursework that appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Transcripts from The Ohio State University do not need to be submitted.

Transcripts should be submitted directly by the sending institution by mail or electronic transfer to be considered official. Please request your transcripts be sent early so they arrive before the deadline. Transcripts can be sent to:

The Ohio State University
Graduate Admissions Office
P.O. Box 182004
Columbus, OH 43218-2004

or

gpadocs@osu.edu

Applicants may upload a copy of an official transcript at the time of application or after by way of the Admissions Uploader. However, documents submitted in this manner are considered unofficial, but will suffice for the purposes of application. Web based documents, online grade reports, and related materials are not acceptable. If an applicant is admitted, they will be required to supply official transcripts sent direct from your previous institutions.

For details regarding these methods of submitting transcripts, please visit The Ohio State University Graduate and Professional Admissions office’s website. Please direct all transcript related questions to the Graduate and Professional Admissions office at 614-292-9444 or to gpadmissions@osu.edu.

3. Submit a current resume/CV

Your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) should use a similar format to what you would use for a job application. You should include any relevant work or volunteer wellness-related field experience, especially if you do not meet the degree requirement to apply to the certificate program. You may submit this document at the time of application or after by way of the Admissions Uploader.

4. Supplemental application for current or former Ohio State graduate students

If you are currently or have been previously enrolled in a degree granting graduate program at Ohio State for any length of time, you would be considered a Graduate Intra-University Transfer Student. Be sure to choose the appropriate application for "current or former" Ohio State students after following this application link. In addition to that online application, you must complete a Supplemental Application. This separate application can be submitted at the time of your online application or after by using the Admission Uploader. 

Choose any of the following options to access this application: 

MS Word Document: Supplemental Certificate Application (To download, select "Save") 

PDF: Supplemental Certificate Application

5. Test of English Proficiency - International Applicants Only

Details regarding what English Proficiency tests are acceptable, the scores required, and how to submit scores may be found on The Ohio State University Graduate and Professional Admissions office’s website.

Failure to complete all required steps of this application process by 11:59 pm EST on the day of the posted deadline will result in your application not being considered for admission, with no exceptions.

Most applicants may review the status of their application anytime at appstatus.osu.edu. If you are currently or have been previously enrolled in a degree granting graduate program at Ohio State for any length of time, you are considered a Graduate Intra-University Transfer and can contact nursing@osu.edu to review your application status. 

Admission Timeline & Deferrals

All required materials listed above must be received by the posted application deadline to be considered for admission. Please allow up to five business days for the status of materials to be updated on your application status webpage. Any item still marked as incomplete by the deadline will result in your application being removed from consideration.  

Applications for certificate programs are not reviewed until after the application deadline. 

You can download an overview of the admissions timeline here. This admissions timeline covers what you can expect throughout the application process, including an anticipated timeline for when admissions decisions will be released and next steps if you are offered admission. 

You are not able to defer admittance. If you are unable to begin your studies in the term to which you applied, you will be required to reapply in the future.

Apply now

For questions regarding our admissions process or requirements, please contact our Student Affairs team at nursing@osu.edu.

In accordance with the non-discrimination policy of The Ohio State University and the College of Nursing, we strictly prohibit any discrimination based upon age, color, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, religion, pregnancy, or veteran status in its application, admission, or enrollment practices.  

Ohio State is committed to treating applicants fairly and with dignity and respect. Please click here to review Ohio State’s post-admissions policy.