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General Health & Wellness

Types of Degrees General Health & Wellness Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Health & Wellness can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	56
Associate’s Degree	823
Bachelor’s Degree	3,466
Master’s Degree	1,192
Doctor’s Degree	60

What General Health & Wellness Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Health & Wellness build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Health & Wellness graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Health & Wellness emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a General Health & Wellness program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Health & Wellness careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Health & Wellness graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.7 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Health & Wellness professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Client databases	Data base user interface and query software	—
Apple macOS	Operating system software	—
SmugMug Flickr	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Google Workspace software	Office suite software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Health & Wellness graduates include:

• Community Health Worker (CHW)
• Public Health Outreach Worker
• Health Advocate
• Contact Tracer
• Community Health Advocate
• Promoter
• Public Health Worker
• Field Based Community Health Worker
• Community Development Coordinator
• Community Navigator
• Community Health Outreach Worker
• Community Liaison
• Lay Health Advocate
• Wellness Coach
• Community Outreach Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Health & Wellness graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	43.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	37.7%
Master’s degree	10.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.6%
Some college courses	1.6%
Doctoral degree	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Health & Wellness?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 77.9% of General Health & Wellness degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,371	77.9%
Men	1,240	22.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Health & Wellness graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,746	48.9%
Asian	330	5.9%
Hispanic or Latino	1,083	19.3%
Black or African American	875	15.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	78	1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	15	0.3%
Two or More Races	250	4.5%
Race Unknown	181	3.2%
International Students	53	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Health & Wellness Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Health & Wellness graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$40,203
4 years	$49,234
5 years	$57,884

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $57,884 — roughly 44% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Health & Wellness Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for General Health & Wellness. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	16	2
Bachelor’s	23	17
Master’s	22	4
Doctoral (Research)	3	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Health & Wellness Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Health & Wellness graduates earn a median of $49,234 four years after completion — roughly 30% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General	51.00
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General	51.0000
Behavioral Aspects of Health	51.2212
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	51.1504
Maternal and Child Health	51.2209
Public Health Education and Promotion	51.2207
Public Health, General	51.2201
Arts in Medicine/Health	51.3206
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	51.2208
Dental Public Health and Education	51.0504
International Public Health/International Health	51.2210

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.