• An Associate Degree or higher in any field (including Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate); or
• A licensed healthcare professional, including those in complementary health fields (such as chiropractic and naturopathic medicine); or
• At least 4,000 hours of relevant work experience; or
• Current University of Houston student in good standing in a Bachelor's degree program

Week 1 and 2:

Preliminary Module
Welcome and Orientation Session
Three-day Intensive

Week 3-12:

Weekly asynchronous modules
Synchronous sessions every other week
Introduction to health coaching fundamentals
Health promotion and wellness principles and behavioral change theory
Ethical and legal issues
Ethical and legal issues.
Coaching Skills Practice

Week 13-22:

Weekly asynchronous modules
Weekly peer-coaching practice sessions
Synchronous sessions continue every other week
Practical Skills Assessment (PSA)
PSA must be passed before proceeding to Phase 2

Week 1 and 2:

Preliminary Module
Welcome and Orientation Session
Pre-Planning Session
Marketing and recruitment of client volunteers, health coaching, and
Process for health coaching session and mentoring
Self-evaluations and self-reflections

Week 3-14:

Client work begins
Coaching logs every other week
One-on-one mentoring sessions with faculty
Complete 50 coaching sessions
Final Coaching Assessment (FCA)

Week 15:

Online graduation ceremony

Applicants who have special circumstances may receive special consideration for Phase 1 only.

Those accepted under these conditions are classified as Special Admission students After completing Phase 1, these students will receive a Verification of Attendance and will not be able to apply for national board certification If a student has finished Phase 1, they can reapply through regular admission to proceed with Phase 2 within one year of completion.

For inquiries regarding the special admission application and fees, please email UHIHWC@central.uh.edu
The fees for Special Admission Phase 1 vary from year to year

Admission Requirements

The UH Integrative Health and Well-being Coaching (UH IHWC) online certificate program is offered via a continuing education mechanism (e.g., not a degree or academic credit) and is designed at the graduate level.

Applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

Licensed Healthcare Professional, including complementary health fields such as Chiropractic Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, etc., or
A bachelor's or associate’s degree in any field, or
4000 hours of work experience in any field, or
A University of Houston (UH) student in good standing in a bachelor’s degree program.  
Application, Acceptance, and Deferment Policy

Admission into the UH Integrative Health and Well-being Coaching Certificate Program is by application only, and registration is limited. There is no fee to apply to the UH IHWC program.

The application is available here. Applicants are asked to submit a current resume or curriculum vitae (CV) and provide a statement of interest and information about any degree(s) and license(s) earned or, if applicable,work experience (4000 hours). Applications may also be requested by email at UHIHWC@central.uh.edu.

Please allow up to ten (10) business days for UH IHWC to review your application and notify you of the acceptance decision via the email address provided on the application. Receipt of a signed copy of the acceptance letter is required before official enrollment in the program. Acceptances may be deferred for up to 18 months.

Payment Policy

Once an applicant is accepted, a payment link will be provided for the program fee. Payment in full is required for all programs, and it can be provided by credit card at the time of registration. Payments cannot be made by check or credit card over the phone. Payment must be received by the Registration Deadline for regular fees or the Early Registration Deadline for a 10% discount.

Space is limited, so students are encouraged to pay their fees as soon as possible to reserve a place on the program. After payment is processed, applicants will be administratively enrolled in the program.

Cancellation  and Refund Policy

Cancellation requests received at least 7 days before the start of the program, will be granted a refund of the payment minus an administration fee equal to 10% of the full registration cost. If you request a cancellation fewer than 7 days before the program start date or do not attend on your scheduled start date, your payment will be forfeited. Transferring payment fees to other students is not permitted.

If you are entitled to a refund, please note the following. Allow a minimum of 15 business days for a refund to appear on your credit card account

Cancellation Request Form

Click here to access the Cancellation Request Form.

Attendance Policy

The UH IHWC is an online certificate program designed to meet the rigorous standards of the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). Modules, webinars, and assignments are intended to be sequential. Assignments and instructional hours are designed to meet NBHWC requirements for certification. Attendance of all online synchronous sessions as scheduled and weekly completion of tasks are required. Program weeks run Monday through Sunday. 

Under extenuating circumstances, a student may miss one (1) online synchronous session during Phase 1 and one (1) online synchronous session during Phase 2. Students must make up the session by viewing a recording, completing a specific make-up assignment, and completing any other assignments missed. To receive a Certificate of Completion (or a Certificate of Attendance for students enrolled in Phase 1 only), the student must complete all online training components.

Student Evaluation Policy

There are multiple components for evaluating student progress. These include participation and community engagement, as well as completion of all required written assignments, scored quizzes, and skills assessments. Total work must be completed with the acquisition of 80% of points.

There are developmental assessments to build coaching skills before a final assessment, called a Practical Skills Assessment (PSA), at the end of Phase 1 – Core Knowledge and Skills Building. The PSA must be passed with a minimum score of 80% before a student can continue to Phase 2- Skills Application and Community-Based Practice. Students who fail to pass the final PSA will get feedback and mentoring and be allowed to redo it once. A second failure requires students to pay the program fee to repeat the program. There is no oral exam. Knowledge exams are all written, and the skill demonstration for the final PSA is recorded and then reviewed.

Program Evaluation Policy

Students will receive a program evaluation form at the end of Phase 1 and a second one at the end of Phase 2. The Certificate of Completion will be released to the student after both program evaluations have been submitted.

Mentoring Policy

During Phase 2 – the program's Skills Application and Community-based Practice, students will work with clients and receive four (4) one-on-one mentoring sessions with an assigned faculty member. Students are expected to keep their online appointments with mentors and be on time for the mentoring session. If a student misses a mentoring session and the mentor is not notified within 24 hours of the appointment, the student will be required to reschedule the missed session and pay a missed session fee of $75. If a student is late for more than 10 minutes to a mentoring session, the instructor may cancel and reschedule the session after the student pays a $75 fee.

Extension Policy

Students who require additional time to complete all requirements by the end of the program (at the end of Phase 2) can request a 60-day extension no later than two weeks before the program's official end.  If the request is approved, a $150 extension fee is required. A second 60-day extension may be requested for an additional extension fee of $150.  Approval of extensions is not guaranteed.  After the extension period (s), students with incomplete requirements must repeat the program at the full program price applicable to that cohort to earn a Certificate of Completion.

Students must complete all required faculty-mentoring sessions and submit a final recording for their Final Coaching Assessment (FCA) before the end of the regular program. The program will not provide faculty mentoring or the FCA during the Extension Period(s).

Accommodations Statement

Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodation or have questions about related technology should contact UHIHWC@central.uh.edu before the start of the program.

The UH IHWC Program reserves the right not to award a certificate of completion, a certificate of attendance, or continuing education credits if applicable if the student does not complete all components of the training.