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Doctor of Health Administration Virtual Info Session
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National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach Training & Education
book_2 Learning Mode: Hybrid
Program Overview
The National Board-Certified Health Coach Training & Education program at MUSC is a pioneering collaboration between the MUSC Health and Wellness Institute and the College of Health Professions. As the only health coach training in South Carolina accredited by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) and sponsored by a comprehensive academic health sciences system, this comprehensive program integrates evidence-based curriculum with hands-on training. Participants are equipped with the knowledge and skills to empower clients in achieving their health and wellness goals.
Application Timeline
Spring 2026
Sep. 2025 – Dec. 1, 2025
Length: 21 weeks
Cost: $5,500
Application Fee: $25
Learning Experience
Gain expert training, hands-on experience, and mentorship through MUSC’s hybrid Health & Wellness Coach Certificate—graduate ready for NBHWC certification.
Inside the Program
Our accredited, 5-month comprehensive program is designed to equip individuals with the knowledge and practical skills needed to become competent and compassionate health coaches. Whether you're a healthcare professional seeking to broaden your expertise or someone passionate about guiding others toward healthier lifestyles, this program offers an enriching pathway to becoming a certified health coach.
Our program is meticulously designed to equip you with the essential skills and knowledge required to excel as a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach. By the end of this program, you will have mastered:
- Client-Centered Coaching: Hone your ability to build effective, empowering coaching relationships. You'll practice deep listening, open inquiry and other communication techniques that foster client motivation, autonomy and lasting behavior change. Your approach will be enhanced by incorporating mindfulness practices and principles of positive psychology.
- Behavior Change Theory: Develop a deep understanding of evidence-based strategies for facilitating behavior change. You'll learn how to set actionable goals, employ motivational interviewing and assess self-efficacy, while also recognizing and overcoming barriers to change across different stages of the client's journey.
- Ethics and Legal Considerations: Gain critical knowledge in navigating the legal and ethical dimensions of health coaching. You'll learn to uphold client confidentiality, manage records in compliance with HIPAA and understand the nuances of legal practice, including making referrals when situations fall outside your scope of practice.
- Chronic Disease Management: Equip yourself with the ability to recognize and manage chronic diseases through a holistic approach. You'll integrate evidence-based strategies that encompass nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep and social connections, ensuring comprehensive care for your clients.
- Nutrition Education: Build a solid foundation in nutritional principles and dietary guidelines, learning to assess and improve clients' dietary habits. You'll be prepared to offer personalized nutrition advice that supports clients in achieving their health and wellness goals.
- Exercise Science: Understand the critical role of physical activity in maintaining and improving health. You'll explore exercise prescription, the benefits of movement and how to integrate physical activity into clients' daily lives to prevent disease, manage weight and enhance overall wellbeing.
- Health Coaching Landscape: Familiarize yourself with the various professional settings where health coaches operate and develop a clear understanding of the field's scope of practice. You'll also learn the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the appropriate circumstances for client referrals.
Curriculum
Our program is designed to equip future health coaches with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to excel in a growing field. By combining evidence-based curriculum, expert instruction, and immersive training experiences, we ensure that every learner is supported on their journey from the classroom to professional certification. The features below highlight the core elements that set our program apart and prepare graduates to make a meaningful impact in health and wellness coaching.
- Immersive Curriculum: Our curriculum, guided by best practices and industry standards, covers a broad spectrum of essential topics for health coaching success.
- Expert Faculty: Learn from seasoned instructors who are leaders in the field of health coaching, bringing a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience to the classroom.
- Balanced Learning: Adapt your learning to your lifestyle with our hybrid course format. Asynchronous modules and assignments are supplemented with virtual interactive lectures, peer feedback groups, coaching mentor sessions and practical skills assessments. The program also includes a required intensive weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, scheduled for the third weekend of the course.
- Practical Training: Gain hands-on experience through interactive workshops, case studies, coaching practical skills development and simulated client sessions, preparing you to coach individuals from a wide range of backgrounds effectively.
- Small Class Sizes: Our small class size ensures personalized attention, fostering an engaging and supportive learning environment that accommodates all learning styles.
- National Board Certification: Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) certification exam, enhancing credibility and career opportunities.
Requirements
Participation
- Actively participate in case studies, role-plays, presentations and other learning activities during in-person and online sessions.
- Contribution quality and completion will be evaluated.
Attendance
Attendance is critical to meet the standards set by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). Students may not miss more than two live classes. Students may be dismissed from the program if they do not meet the NBHWC attendance requirements.
For any missed class—whether excused or unexcused—students are required to make up the missed hours and content, and all unexcused absences will result in penalization to your attendance/participation grade. This includes watching recorded sessions and scheduling a follow-up meeting with instructors to review material and complete any additional assignments. Schedule will show which classes require meeting with the instructor during office hours and which watching the recording is suitable. Office hours to be announced.
Excused Absences
Excused absences are limited to situations such as jury duty, medical emergencies (documented by a medical professional), or the death of an immediate family member. Even for excused absences, students must complete all make-up work as required to fulfill NBHWC attendance standards.
Hybrid Course Structure and Intensive Weekend
This course includes both online and in-person components. A mandatory intensive weekend session will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, from January 24–26 (week two of the course). Attendance at this in-person session is required and cannot be made up.
Failure to adhere to this policy may jeopardize a student’s ability to complete the course and qualify for certification under NBHWC standards. Students are encouraged to communicate in advance with faculty about any potential conflicts to discuss potential solutions.
Coaching Triad Groups
- Weekly meetings with coaching triad groups for practice and feedback.
- Attend a minimum of three Mentored Triad Sessions throughout the program.
- Mandatory attendance for all Mentored Triad Sessions; schedules will be posted after the course begins.
Journal Entries
- Weekly reflection journal: share a bulleted list of 5 important experiences in a discussion post.
- Reflect on course content and triad group experiences.
- Journal entries are due on Sundays; grade based on completion.
Practical Skills Assessments
- Complete 3 practical skills assessments, each coaching session must be at least 20 minutes.
- Faculty will evaluate and grade using practical skills assessment rubrics.
- The third assessment is pass/fail; passing all assessments is required to complete the course and be eligible for the national board exam.
- Schedule a 20-30 minute feedback meeting with faculty after each assessment.
Asynchronous Modules
- Complete weekly asynchronous modules, including learning objectives, tasks, resources and assignments.
- Recommended completion by Friday to allow time for the quiz and journal entry by Sunday.
Weekly Quizzes
- Complete weekly quizzes covering required readings, live classes and asynchronous modules.
- Each quiz allows for 3 attempts, requiring an average score of 80% to pass.
- Quizzes consist of 5-10 questions and take approximately 30 minutes.
- Quizzes are due on Sundays to allow time for content absorption.
Certificate Eligibility
To earn your eligibility certificate/letter of eligibility, learners must
- Pass each weekly quiz with at least 80%
- Pass the course with at least 70%
- Complete all 3 Practical Skills Assessments (PSAs)
- Pass the 3rd PSA
- Attend live, synchronous classes (or makeup up to 2 classes)
- Attend intensive weekend (attendance mandatory)
Engage with our community
Connect through virtual information sessions, on-campus events, service outreach, and seminars that enrich both student learning and clinical networking.
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Residential Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Virtual Info Session
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Hybrid Doctor of Physical (Hybrid DPT) On- Campus Info Session
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Eligibility Requirements
Our program welcomes individuals from varied backgrounds, including healthcare professionals, wellness enthusiasts and those aspiring to pursue a career in health coaching.
Applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree in any field or a background in health care, wellness, or related fields. We encourage individuals from varied career backgrounds to apply, including registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists and registered dietitians.
Career Outlook
A Growing Career in Health Coaching
Health coaches are in demand across health care, corporate wellness, and community settings—helping individuals achieve lasting lifestyle changes and improve overall well-being.
Program Instructors
Our program is led by Kaitlin F. DaPore, NBC-HWC, the MUSC Health and Wellness Coach Program Director with over a decade of health coaching experience in both clinical and non-clinical settings. Under her leadership, our faculty includes a distinguished group of instructors who are leaders in their respective fields. This talented team comprises:
- Lifestyle Medicine Physicians: Experts in preventive healthcare, focusing on the use of lifestyle interventions to optimize health.
- Registered Dietitians: Specialists in nutrition who provide evidence-based dietary guidance tailored to individual needs.
- Exercise Physiologists: Professionals who design and implement exercise programs that enhance physical health and fitness.
- Clinical Psychologists: Experts in mental health who integrate psychological principles into health coaching to support behavior change and overall wellbeing.
This program is distinguished by its faculty of renowned instructors, who collectively bring decades of experience in optimizing health and wellbeing across a wide variety of populations and settings. This unparalleled expertise ensures that our students receive the highest quality education and practical training, preparing them to excel in the dynamic field of health and wellness coaching.
Frequently Asked Questions
The program consists of 80 hours of virtual and in-person learning. Sessions are designed to be both synchronous and asynchronous to accommodate schedules.
No. Financial aid is not currently available for this program.
Yes. The program includes an onsite weekend in Charleston, South Carolina. This immersive experience provides an opportunity to engage in hands-on activities, network with peers and deepen your understanding of health coaching in a vibrant setting.
Participants are expected to attend all scheduled sessions, both virtual and in-person. We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and make-up sessions will be provided on a case-by-case basis to ensure that all trainees successfully complete the program.
Participants will need access to a computer with internet and basic software applications. Specific hardware and software requirements will be outlined in the program materials.
At this moment, the program does not offer continuing education opportunities but provides connections to resources to help you stay current in the health coaching field.
Yes. Homework assignments are an integral part of the learning process and help reinforce concepts covered in class. Expect to dedicate additional time outside of scheduled sessions to complete assignments and readings. Trainees should expect to spend approximately 4 hours weekly on assignments and triad work outside of synchronous course time.
Yes. A list of required textbooks and materials will be provided upon enrollment. These resources are essential for completing assignments and mastering course content.
Participants will receive a certificate of completion from MUSC Health and the College of Health Professions, serving as recognition of your achievement and enhancing your credentials in health coaching.
To be eligible for the NBHWC Board Exam you will need to complete 50 coaching sessions that meet the eligibility requirements listed on the NBHWC Coaching Log. These sessions, which must occur after you pass a skills assessment within your training program, allow for skill development, competence in client interaction, and preparation for certification.
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Accreditation & Recognition
Our health coach education program is nationally recognized and accredited, offering quality assurance and a respected credential that reflects its high academic standards.
The National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach Training & Education at the Medical University of South Carolina is an approved health and wellness coach training and education program by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for the HWC Certifying Examination to become a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).