MHW FAQs

Students admitted to the MHW program are assigned a designated faculty advisor through the College of Nursing’s Academic Dean and Graduate Studies Chair. All graduate students have an individual advisor assigned for 1:1 mentorship.  

You will have access to your curriculum plan as soon as you accept your offer of admission. Once you register for classes, which you need to do in advance of the MHW Orientation, you may purchase textbooks that are needed. You are welcome to buy books at the campus bookstores or visit online sites at a later time. 

You can apply for the MHW program through the Online Application via Graduate and Professional Admissions. You must apply by March 1 in order to be eligible for admittance in the next academic school year. The MHW admits a new cohort every autumn semester.  

Your application will be reviewed using a holistic approach, meaning all aspects of who you are as a candidate will be considered. Faculty reviewing candidates will consider your GPA, undergraduate degree program, purpose and goals statement, letters of recommendation, and recorded online video interview when selecting applicants to the program. The faculty will consider applicants with a minimum GPA of a 3.0 overall collegiate GPA. 

The curriculum of the MHW program is offered in a distance-learning format, designed to allow working adults to complete the program. There is a combination of online synchronous and asynchronous courses. The field experience can be hybrid or in-person.    

Some of MHW courses will include a synchronous component, which is a time during the week when you will be required to be logged in online for class. These classes are typically on a weekday and scheduled in Eastern time. There may be classes or times that differ from these norms. 

No, students are not required to come to the Ohio State campus for this program. MHW students are invited and strongly encouraged to attend convocation and graduation on campus, though not required. 

No, students will follow the established part-time curriculum plan until program completion. 

Yes, you may take classes as a “Graduate Non-Degree” (GND) student. You can find more information on how to do so on our Graduate Non-Degree page. You may apply up to ten credits of coursework taken as a GND student to the MHW program.  

Students who enroll in two graduate degree-granting programs concurrently are called Dual Degree students. Please review this information on the Graduate School website to learn more about the Dual Degree designation. 

Dual Degree students must satisfy the credit hour requirements for each degree program. There may be little overlap between the two sets of coursework, which can result in students being required to fully complete the degree requirements for both programs in order to graduate. This can extend time to graduation. Due to the rigorous nature of some of our graduate clinical programs, prospective students interested in a Dual Degree option with the College of Nursing are advised to closely examine the curriculum requirements of our programs before applying. For degree programs with clinical components, it is important to recognize that adjustments to the standard curriculum plan may not be possible. 

To learn more about the process for applying as a Dual Degree student, please visit the Graduate School’s website. After you have reviewed this information, please contact the director of the program in which you are interested for further discussion. The director’s name and contact information can be found by visiting the homepage of the program on the college’s website. This discussion should occur before you begin applying in order to gain a better understanding of program requirements. Applicants interested in applying to a College of Nursing graduate program as a Dual Degree student must follow the application process listed on the program admission webpage and adhere to all deadlines. Please email OnlineEnrollment@osu.edu if you have any questions about how to apply. 

A student’s field experience may take place in a worksite, hospital or clinic, community-based setting, school, or healthcare organization. The field experience provides a total of 112.5 clock hours within an organization over the course of one semester. The field experience is a 4-credit hour course that provides students with 3-credit hour field experiences and 1-credit hour didactic (lecture) experiences to enhance their skills and application of concepts learned throughout the curriculum.  Students will be matched up with an organization or setting that focuses on population health and well-being.   

Program co -directors and course faculty will work with the site where students will conduct their field experience and ensure that the student experience will meet the course goals and objectives. The College of Nursing works with many organizations to place students, and students are welcome to recommend sites and organizations from their respective area of the state/region.

While in the field experience, students will have the opportunity to implement and evaluate wellness program effectiveness through program feedback and quality improvement processes. Through de-identified, real-world programming data/outcomes from the field experience site, in the capstone, students will interpret, synthesize, and create best practice recommendations to the site based on the results from the capstone project. The capstone will help the student integrate theoretical concepts and program planning principles with knowledge gained from their field experience.  

Over 90% of organizations with over 50 employees now offer some type of health promotion programming and resources. Employers increasingly recognize their return on investment in health and wellness in terms of improved employee health outcomes, reduced costs, and other productivity benefits. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2021) description of ‘social and community service managers’ who coordinate and supervise programs and organizations that support public wellbeing are projected to grow 17% between 2019 to 2029, a rate much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is driven by efforts to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Employment opportunities will vary and may include settings such as a worksite, hospital and clinical health, insurance company, school, healthcare organization or community-based setting. A graduate of the MHW program will be considered a health promotion professional upon graduation.  

Possibly. Ohio State offers a Tuition Assistance program for employees, which you can learn more about here. Eligibility is based on your employment status. You should consult with your Human Resources representative if you have questions about the Employee Tuition Assistance program. 

The HW program is an undergraduate degree program and the MHW is a professional graduate degree program. A student who graduates from the HW program will support individuals across the lifespan in various health states. The person may work in organizations and settings as a coordinator, liaison, engagement specialist, prevention specialist, or health coach. An MHW student is a health promotion practitioner who is managing, directing, and leading organizational wellness efforts. The focus will be on systems, structure, and culture. Positions upon graduation may include director or chief wellness officer. 

Certifications with an MHW degree will vary, depending on the interests and goals of the graduate. Certifications may include health and wellness certifications. Certifications can include personal training, exercise, and nutrition certifications. Students will learn the knowledge in their academic career necessary to take and pass certifications in their area of interest.