Health & Wellness Degree Programs
Johnson & Wales University
Accelerated Second Bachelor’s Degree Programs
Accelerated B.S. in Nursing (A.B.S.N.)
Master’s Programs
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
M.S. in Addiction Counseling
M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
M.S. in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics
M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.P.A.S.)
Doctoral Programs
Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.)
Occupational Therapy Doctorate (O.T.D.)
Whether obtaining an accelerated second bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree or a doctoral degree, you will find the preparation and support that you need to chart a path in the fast-growing healthcare industry.
Whether your chosen field involves counseling, nutrition, athletic training, healthcare administration, nursing, occupational or physical therapy or community health work, JWU’s integrative, multidisciplinary approach will prepare you to help people improve their health and well-being.
Why further your education at
• Faculty with clinical experience
• Curricula provide a holistic view of how to improve lives and empower multiple populations
• Industry partnerships for experiential opportunities
• Combined degree programs allow undergraduates to complete graduate work for less time and money
• Network with our 1,000+ university graduate population and 126,000+ alumni worldwide
• 25% tuition discount for JWU alumni*
• Graduate student housing and free parking available
*The JWU alumni tuition discount for graduate programs excludes the Physician Assistant Studies program.
• physical therapist
• physician assistant
• sports dietitian
• operating room nurse
• community health worker
• emergency room nurse
• epidemiologist
• occupational therapist
• pediatric nurse
• registered dietition nutritionist
• clinical supervisor or professor
• health education specialist
• private practice therapist
• clinical, school or community dietitian
• health program coordinator
• medical/health services manager
• addiction/substance use counselor
• mental health nurse or counselor
If you’ve already earned your bachelor’s degree in any non-nursing subject, you could enter the nursing field in just 16 months through our accelerated bachelor of science in nursing (A.B.S.N.) degree program, getting equipped to deliver safe and efficient patient care. Your handson experience will include areas of practice in medical/surgical nursing, pediatrics, obesity, psychiatric mental health nursing and community/public health nursing.
Choose to earn your A.B.S.N. on JWU’s Providence Campus in Rhode Island or Charlotte Campus in North Carolina, where both programs access clinical facilities at partners such as Brown University Health, Atrium Health and Novant Health.
Structure
• 16-month, full-time program
• 120 credits
• Several courses are taken online for a flexible schedule
• See JWU’s catalog for program admission requirements; equivalent courses from other universities will be reviewed for admission acceptance by JWU
SAMPLE COURSES
Health Assessment and Lab
Pharmacology
Leadership in Nursing
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
Whether in our full-time 2-year program or part-time 4-year program, you will earn 45 credits in this hybrid graduate program, gaining the training you need to solve 21st-century public health problems and make immediate impacts on the public’s health after graduation.
Undergraduates can get a head start on their M.P.H. through JWU’s combined degree programs, where in five years students can earn their bachelor’s of science degree in Biology, Data Analytics, Healthcare Administration, Health Science, Psychology, Public Health or (coming soon) Hospitality Management in combination with a Master of Public Health degree.
• Two-year, full-time and four-year, part-time program options
• 45 credits, with evening and online classes for maximum flexibility
• Designed to meet the Council on Education for Public Health’s accreditation standards
SAMPLE COURSES
Healthy Planet
Advocating for Healthier Diets
Chronic Disease Prevention and Control
Master of Science (M.S.) in Addiction Counseling
In this 18-month, full-time graduate program, you will be equipped with the positive client interaction and intervention skills to succeed in serving the community as an addiction counselor. You will experience practicum and internship experiences supervised by clinical professionals in order to gain the skills you’ll need to address a wide range of issues and serve a variety of populations.
Structure
• 18-month, full-time program
• 60 credits, including 12 credits for a 600-hour internship prescribed over two semesters
• Designed to align with the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics
SAMPLE COURSES
Psychopathology and Treatment Planning
Advanced Co-Occurring Disorders and Addictions Counseling
Research and Theories in Addiction Counseling
In this 18-month, full-time graduate program, you will obtain counseling skills that integrate theoretical foundations of professional counseling into positive client interaction and intervention skills, while completing practicum and internship experiences supervised by clinical professionals. You will gain a foundation in counseling individuals, groups and families while obtaining a solid understanding of multiculture issues for working with diverse clients.
• 18-month, full-time program
• 60 credits, including 12 credits for a 600-hour internship prescribed over two semesters
• Designed to align with the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics
SAMPLE COURSES
Health and Wellness Counseling
Multicultural Counseling: Theories and Techniques
Mental Health Counseling for Families
Master of Science (M.S.) in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics
In this 16-month hybrid program, you will build upon your nutrition and dietetics knowledge through coursework and hands-on experience that includes at least 1,000 hours of supervised and alternative experiential learning. Upon completion of the program, you will be eligible to take the Commission on Dietetic Registration credentialing exam to become a Registered Dietitian/Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD/RDN).
Structure
• 16-month, full-time, cohort model program
• 48-54 credits, depending on whether you will be required to complete introductory courses
• Combines online and in-person courses for maximum flexibility
SAMPLE COURSES
Nutritional Counseling and Education Experience
Current Topics in Nutrition Seminar
Advanced Clinical Nutrition
Find this program’s latest accreditation status here.
Johnson & Wales University’s Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics (MSCND) program is a candidacy program seeking accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995, 800-877-1600 ext. 5400, eatrightpro.org/acend. The program is an ACEND Future Education Model (FEM) Graduate Program (GP).
ACEND Future Education Model Graduate Programs integrate didactic coursework with supervised experiential learning in a competency-based curriculum designed to prepare nutrition and dietetics practitioners for future practice. Program graduates will be eligible to take the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) credentialing exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).
JWU’s award-winning Center for Physician Assistant Studies is one of the country’s few facilities dedicated entirely to the education of physician assistants. In your didactic year, you will dissect cadavers to build your knowledge of anatomy while expanding your knowledge of clinical medicine, diagnostic skills and pharmacology in coursework.
Your second year will consist of nine clinical rotations, grounding you in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatric medicine, women’s health, behavioral and mental health, emergency medicine, surgery and more.
Structure
• 24-month, full-time, cohort model program
• 104 credits, including nine 4.5-credit clinical rotations
• Prepares you for the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE) as well as for clinical practice
SAMPLE COURSES
Applied Anatomy
Train for entry-level clinical practice in JWU’s two dedicated PT labs, cadaver lab, pediatric lab, human performance lab and assessment lab as well as in our simulated hospital, ICU, emergency room, labor and delivery rooms and our occupational therapy home setup with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. You will learn to develop and implement an effective PT exam, diagnosis, prognosis and care plan for preventive, rehabilitative and functional patient care. You will have opportunities for service learning, providing physical therapy services to underserved communities, and working with adaptive athletes of all ages.
JWU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program will prepare you to take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) and to practice as a doctor of physical therapy.
• 30-month, 8-semester, cohort model program
• 122 credits, including an elective and clinical outreach to underserved populations
• Includes 40 weeks of full-time clinical education, 90 hours of Integrated Clinical Experiences (ICE) and a research capstone
SAMPLE COURSES
Diagnostic Imaging
Essentials of Rehabilitation Technology
Pain Neuroscience and Psychosocial Wellness for Physical Therapy Practice
Find this program’s latest accreditation status here.
Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), capteonline.org, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org; is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.Johnson & Wales University is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. On May 1, 2024, the program submitted an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the [professional/technical] phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in [professional/technical] courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.
Learn to create solutions so clients can increase their independence and ability to engage in the activities they want and need to do. You will help people of all ages and abilities maximize their health and quality of life.
Unique features include individualized attention in our small classes, participation in more than four dozen clinical simulations to prepare for fieldwork and the real world, and interprofessional experiences with other JWU health programs plus our culinary, design and equine programs.
Upon completion of the program, you are eligible to take the national OT certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), which you must pass to become an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR).
• 36-month, full-time, cohort model program beginning in June
• 115 credits, including fieldwork and capstone work in our local communities or around the country during the third year
SAMPLE COURSES
Leadership and Advocacy
Occupational Perspective on Health
Technology & Innovation in Occupational Therapy
“Collaborating with other professions at the university, such as Nutrition or Engineering & Design, gave us a good perspective on how vast the occupational therapy profession is, and how we can work with anyone to find client-based solutions using our OT toolkit. And not only does JWU have incredibly talented, intelligent, creative faculty, but we have teachers that advocate for us and care about us.”
– Molly Gould, ’24 O.T.D.
Complete your online application to your program of choice.
What you’ll need beyond your completed application:
• Official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended
• Letters of recommendation
• Statement of Purpose
Each program may require additional documents for completion.
800-DIAL-JWU (800-342-5598) ext. 1015, or 401-598-1015
gradpvd@admissions.jwu.edu
“JWU’s mission puts the patient first, so you learn to be empathetic and how to work to build that trust. Some people are skeptical of medicine or doctors or feel as if they’re not being heard, so JWU has taught how to give a good interview and be personable as well as doing physical exams, maintaining a sterile field and other skills we need.”
– Aris Degaitas ’22, ’24 M.S.P.A.S.
8 Abbott Park Place
Providence, RI 02903
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION: JWU does not illegally discriminate on the basis of any protected class, including age, ancestry, color, disability, familial status, gender or gender identity, genetic information, military service, national origin, pregnancy and related conditions, race, religion, sex, veteran status, and any other protected class, and prohibits all illegal discrimination, including illegal sex discrimination, in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and other law, including in admission and employment. Inquiries about Title IX/Section 504 may be referred to JWU’s Title IX Coordinator at titleix@jwu.edu . JWU’s nondiscrimination policy and grievance procedures can be located at catalog.jwu.edu
The university reserves the right to make changes to any of its activities, courses, facilities, modalities, offerings, programs and services as it deems appropriate.
Individual states may require specific licensing or professional certification in addition to earning a degree in order to practice in the field.