Bachelor of Science in Lifestyle Medicine

Wellness & Movement Sciences
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About

The Lifestyle Medicine bachelor of science prepares students for the future of healthcare in the U.S. It emphasizes a comprehensive approach to health and offers valuable knowledge and skills.

This degree focuses on holistic health and well-being. It’s based on six pillars of health: a plant-based diet, exercise, quality sleep, stress management, avoiding risky substances, and positive social connections. Lifestyle medicine is a growing field, especially for chronic disease management. Research shows that 80% of chronic diseases can be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices.

Consider pursuing a BS in Lifestyle Medicine if you have career goals in Public Health, Health Care, or Wellness.

For more information, or to declare your major, contact the Lifestyle Medicine Program Director, Chris Cindric, at ccindric@ewu.edu or 509.359.4535

Curriculum & Requirements

 

Curriculum & Requirements

Lifestyle Medicine Major, Bachelor of Science (BS)

Students with career goals in Public Health, Health Care, and Wellness should consider pursuing the BS in Lifestyle Medicine.

The BS in Lifestyle Medicine allows students to pursue a degree path that looks holistically at health and well-being.  Lifestyle medicine is founded upon six pillars of health – a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections.  These pillars are the foundation of the Lifestyle Medicine degree. 

Current research indicates that lifestyle medicine is a growing field, particularly related to the health care of individuals with chronic diseases.  Research has shown that up to 80% of chronic diseases can be prevented through adherence to four key healthy lifestyle factors – never smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, adhering to a healthy diet, and participating in physical activity. The BS in Lifestyle Medicine is a holistic approach to healthcare that prepares students for the future trajectory of health care in the U.S.

Required Core Courses
ADST 300SURVEY OF ALCOHOL/DRUG PROBLEMS4
ADST 308CULTURAL ISSUES IN ADDICTION TREATMENT AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH4
ADST 480WHERE SUICIDE AND MENTAL HEALTH MEET4
LMED 201INTRODUCTION TO LIFESTYLE MEDICINE2
LMED 350PHYSIOLOGICAL KINESIOLOGY4
LMED 388LIFESTYLE MEDICINE PRACTICUM3
LMED 390PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAM DESIGN3
LMED 401APPLIED LIFESTYLE MEDICINE3
LMED 411PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MENTAL HEALTH, AND COGNITION3
LMED 420PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAM DESIGN FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS4
LMED 440EXERCISE COUNSELING AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE3
PHED 256MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY2
PHED 372APPLIED NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL FITNESS3
PSYC 231SCIENCE OF STRESS AND COPING3
PSYC 440HAPPINESS AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY5
PUBH 321HEALTH PROMOTION & RISK REDUCTION5
RCLS 220LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN RECREATION EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT3
RCLS 333FACILITATION AND GROUP DYNAMICS IN RECREATION MANAGEMENT4
Supporting Courses
BIOL 232HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY NON-BIOL MAJORS5
BIOL 233HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY NON-BIOL MAJORS5
BIOL 234HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY NON-BIOL MAJORS5
Elective Courses8-15
Tier A: Professional Practice - choose at least one course from the following:
RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY
INTRODUCTION TO GRANT WRITING
Tier B: Holistic Well-being - choose at least one course from the following:
GLOBALLY SPEAKING: WHAT ABOUT DRUGS?
PHYSIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY OF ADDICTIONS
BIOLOGY OF AGING
PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMAN RELATIONS
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
CROSS CULTURAL PRACTICES IN HEALTH
Tier C: Healthy Lifestyles - choose at least one course from the following:
ANTHROPOLOGY OF FOOD AND NUTRITION
NUTRITION IN SPORT AND EXERCISE
WALKABLE COMMUNITIES
OUTDOOR LIVING SKILLS
Track Options9-20
Option A: Practitioner
FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP
Option B: Pre-Clinical
ELEMENTARY MEDICAL MICROBIOLOG
GENERAL CHEMISTRY FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES
and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES
BIOCHEMISTRY FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES
and BIOCHEMISTRY LAB FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES
Required Senior Capstone
LMED 490SENIOR CAPSTONE IN LIFESTYLE MEDICINE4
Total Credits98-116

Catalog Listing

General Education

University Competencies and Proficiencies

English 
Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning
Placement and Clearance 
Prior Learning/Sources of Credit AP, CLEP, IB

General Education Requirements (GER)

  • Minimum Credits—180 cumulative credit hours 
    • 60 upper-division credits (300 level or above)
    • 45 credits in residence (attendance) at Eastern, with at least 15 upper-division credits in major in residence at Eastern
  • Minimum Cumulative GPA ≥2.0

Breadth Area Core Requirements (BACR)

Humanities and Arts 
Natural Sciences 
Social Sciences

University Graduation Requirements (UGR)

Diversity Course List
Foreign Language (for Bachelor of Arts)
Global Studies Course List
Minor or Certificate
Senior Capstone Course List

Application for Graduation (use EagleNET) must be made at least two terms in advance of the term you expect to graduate (undergraduate and post-baccalaureate).

Use the Catalog Archives to determine two important catalog years.

Degree Works calculates based on these two catalog years.

  1. The catalog in effect at the student's first term of current matriculation is used to determine BACR (Breadth Area Credit Requirements) and UGR (Undergraduate Graduation Requirements).
  2. The catalog in effect at the time the student declares a major or minor is used to determine the program requirements.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully earn a Bachelor of Science in Lifestyle Medicine from EWU should be able to:​

  • examine core principles of lifestyle medicine;
  •  explain relationships between pillars of lifestyle medicine and chronic diseases;
  •  design lifestyle medicine-based interventions to reduce disease burden;
  •  assess measurable health-related behaviors of lifestyle medicine;
  •  apply behavior change strategies to facilitate improvements in health;
  •   evaluate strategies to promote lifestyle medicine in community health care.