Program Overview
Help others get on the path to wellness. At the intersection of health and human behavior, UNE’s Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies degree will teach you how to work with diverse individuals and populations to assess their wellness and guide them toward healthier lives. We offer an optional specialization in Assistive Technology that will broaden your career horizons as you learn how to equip clients with tools that will enhance their independence. Combining health sciences, wellness promotion, and human occupation, this major is a perfect foundation to a health professions graduate degree or for careers in the health and wellness industry.
Why UNE for Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies
You’ll earn your Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies degree in a uniquely interprofessional educational environment. With more than a dozen health professions programs and a robust Education Department, UNE situates this major within a web of innovative, interdisciplinary University partnerships.
- Meaningful service learning in the community
- Undergraduate research opportunities
- Optional Assistive Technology specialization
- Optional Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician Certification
- Flexibility to pursue a minor
- GradVantage option for UNE’s Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy graduate programs
Academics
The following are some examples of the exciting courses that the Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies major offers:
- Holistic Health
- Stress Management
- Equine-Assisted Therapy and Wellness
- Foundations of Assistive Technology
- Substance Misuse and Prevention
- Disability Studies
- Occupational Science
- Introduction to Occupational Therapy
Assistive Technology Specialization
As a Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies major, you may opt to pursue an Assistive Technology specialization. Assistive technology refers to devices, equipment, software, and apps that help people live with more independence. It includes communication devices for people who cannot communicate verbally, software for those with learning disabilities, smart home apps that allow older adults to live independently, computer access for people with physical disabilities, and many other tools that help people perform meaningful tasks.
An assistive technology professional (ATP) assesses clients who have disabilities or other challenges to determine if they would benefit from an assistive device. The ATP then selects the appropriate equipment and trains the clients to use the technology.
Our Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies Assistive Technology specialization provides:
- Five specialized courses
- Assistive technology internship (3 credits)
- Preparation for certification as an assistive technology professional through RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America)
To learn more about the program, see the Curriculum, visit the Catalog, or read our Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies student handbook (PDF).
Careers
Through training in occupational science, motivational interviewing, assistive technology, wellness assessment, stress management, and health education, you will develop the technical and analytical skills needed for a rewarding career helping others reach their health goals.
- Occupational Therapist
- Physical Therapist
- Assistive Technology Professional
- Health Educator
- Wellness Coordinator/Director
- Guidance Counselor
- Special Educator
- Benefits Coordinator
- Disability Advocate
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
- Health Care Administrator
- Case Manager
Growing Fast
The health care and social assistance industry is one of the largest industries in the country and jobs in the field are increasing at more than double the national average. Nearly 22 million jobs are projected by 2022 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Career Advising
Whether you have a specific career goal in mind or a vague idea of the field that interests you, Career Advising is here to help you plan your next step.
Student Success By The Numbers
of graduates employed or enrolled in grad school within one year of graduation
in Maine for getting a job
Student Financial Services
One of the most important considerations when committing to a college or university is cost. We work with you and your family to help make your education affordable by pricing our tuition competitively and offering financial assistance.
Experiential Learning
With a focus on skills development, the Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies major provides opportunities for hands-on learning through collaborative projects, undergraduate research, service learning, internships, and extra-curricular activities that complement coursework.
Activities and Opportunities
- Run a summer camp for children with autism spectrum disorder
- Research adaptive sports, holistic health methods, and stress management
- Earn certification as a Peer Health Educator
- Organize Boys and Girls Club festivals
- Mentor youth in empowerment programs
- Implement community-based health interventions
- Engage older adult cognition through creative arts
- Design disability advocacy programs
Finding the Pieces Camp
The University of New England, City of Biddeford, and Autism Society of Maine partnered to develop the Finding the Pieces Camp. The camp, designed for children in York County who have autism, is staffed by undergraduate UNE students from the Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies program and the Education program, all of whom have studied autism. Campers attend free of charge thanks to the support of generous sponsors.
Internships
A wide array of enriching internship opportunities exist at sites including:
- Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation
- Maine Medical Center Research Institute
- Carlisle Academy Integrative Therapy and Sports
- My Place Teen Center
- St. Louis Child Development Center
- St. Joseph's Rehabilitation & Residence
Contact HWOS Internship Coordinator, Collyn Baeder, M.P.H., to learn more about your internship experience.
Global Education
See the world
Immerse yourself in a new culture for a semester by studying abroad in Spain, France, Iceland, or at UNE’s own campus in Morocco. Or, you may choose from several shorter travel courses. Learn about health and community development in Kenya, for example, or volunteer on an organic farming co-op in Cuba. Other courses take you on adventures in exciting locations such as Costa Rica, Mexico, Italy, and Ireland.
Interested in studying abroad? Make a plan with your advisor.
