Personal Health and Well-Being Minor
This minor is open to all UGA undergraduates and majors.
The minor in personal health and well-being is a joint offering from the departments of Educational Psychology and Kinesiology. Students will learn about the scientific foundations of personal health, happiness, and well-being and will implement evidence-based practices designed to develop skills, habits, and practices to support personal health and well-being.
Students also choose from a wide range of elective courses that relate to a holistic approach to health and well-being, such as nutrition, art appreciation, and personal finance. The personal health and well-being minor is a natural complement for students interested in education, positive youth development, human services (e.g., social work, psychology, health promotion and behavior, human development and family sciences), and pursuing various therapeutic and professional careers (e.g., medicine, prison ministries).
Students must meet all university requirements for minors:
- A minor must contain at least 9 hours of upper division coursework.
- Courses taken to satisfy Core Areas I through V may not be counted as coursework in the minor.
- Courses taken in Core Area VI may be counted as coursework in the minor.
Curriculum
For some classes, students will observe a statement during registration that says “Students must be enrolled in a professional program to register for this course.” If this is a concern during registration, please contact the program director for assistance.
Required Courses: 9 hours
- EPSY 3500: Psychology of Habit (3 hours) – offered Fall and Spring terms
- EPSY 3600-3600L: Science and Practice of Health and Well-Being (3 hours) – offered Fall and Spring terms
- KINS 2500-2500L: Exercise is Medicine (3 hours) – offered Fall, Spring, and Summer terms
Elective Courses: 6 hours
Choose 6 elective credit hours from the following course groups. Please be aware that you can only choose 3 credit hours from each group.
- KINS 4450E Initiating Motivation for Change in Health, Exercise, and Sport
- SOCI 3710 The Science of Happiness
- ANTH 3540 Multicultural Health Care
- SOCI(AFAM) 4600 Health Among Black Americans
- ARED 4010/6010 Art Criticism and Aesthetic Understanding
- ARST 2205 Introduction to Photography and Image Culture
- AND ARST 2205L Introduction to Photography and Image Culture Laboratory
- ARST 2100 Introduction to Painting and Visuality
- ARST 2210 Introduction to Photography and Image Culture
- ARST 2500 Introduction to Ceramics
- ARST 2550 Ceramics - Introductory Pottery
- ARST 2600 Jewelry and Metals: Design and Construction
- ARTS 2000 Art Appreciation
- DANC 2010 Dance Appreciation
- MUSI 2020 Introduction to Music
- COMM 2600 Communicating and Relationships
- ECHD 4020/6020 Interpersonal Relationships
- DANC 2020 Practicing Wellness
- DANC 2030 The Pilates Method I
- DANC 2040 Yoga: Asana Practice I
- ECHD 4380/6380 Human Development and Mental Health
- PSYC 3810 Psychology of Health
- FHCE 3100 Consumer Decision Making
- FHCE 3200 Introduction to Personal Finance
- FHCE 4100/6100 Consumer Well-Being
- IDIS(NUTR) 4200/6200 We Are What We Eat! How Your Gut Influences Your Overall Health
- NUTR 2100 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition
- NUTR 3100 Macronutrients and Energy Balance
Application Procedure
Please refer to the UGA Bulletin for course requirements. Minors can be added to programs of study through Athena under the “My Programs” menu item.Testimonials
The health and well-being class offered informed knowledge about how to be successful in academic goals, interpersonal relationships, and even in the workplace. Along with skills in communicating with others, the class also taught me different methods on how to manage everyday stress in a healthy and productive way. I would recommend the well-being class for both first-year students as well as those who need help navigating life after college.
K.B., Class of '21 | B.S. Biology, B.S. Psychology
The health and well-being class helped me better understand happiness in a realistic sense. The practices we learned are things I continue to implement in my work and everyday life to manage daily stress. It helped me increase my overall positivity by changing my outlook on life.
B.A., Class of '21 | Communication Sciences and Disorders
I took Science and Practice of Health and Well-Being the Spring of my senior year, and it was especially helpful before transitioning out of college to postgraduate school and work. This class was very practical, engaging, and beneficial - the research and content we studied helped me develop healthier habits, better emotional awareness, and a long-term plan to improve and sustain my health. These lessons extend far beyond the classroom and into my personal life and career, and I would highly recommend this course of study to any student at UGA!
A.C., Class of '21 | B.B.A. Management Information Systems, A.B. Cognitive Science
I didn’t know what to expect from the course, but it ended up being one of my favorite classes I’ve taken in college. Throughout the course, you learn about increasing life satisfaction and flourishing in your life, and that’s exactly what the course did for me. I found it to be one of the most interesting and insightful courses. I came to realize that I’m particularly fascinated and passionate about the area of positive psychology, and I want to go on to do research in the field. The interest I discovered helped me to decide the direction of my future higher-educational pursuits, and I have decided to pursue a master’s in positive psychology along the way of getting my PsyD. I think it’s a great class that any college student—not just psychology majors—would enjoy.
M.F., Senior | Psychology