Within our graduate programs, we offer two specialized online graduate certificate programs: Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Applied Sport Psychology.
At University of Western States, we offer a whole-person approach to health sciences. Within our graduate programs, we offer two specialized online graduate certificate programs: Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Applied Sport Psychology. There are many different reasons to pursue a graduate certificate, as it can be helpful in career advancement and gaining specialized knowledge within your desired field.
How a Graduate Certificate Can Be Beneficial in Health Sciences
There are many beneficial reasons to pursue a continuing education program within the field of health sciences, such as a graduate certificate. As a clinician or health professional, the main goal of pursuing one of the certificate programs at UWS is to expand your education into a specific focus that can be integrated into your current practice or into a new area of practice.
Learn Specialized Knowledge in the Field. Depending on your doctoral degree, you may feel that your area of expertise is not specialized enough for the field you’re looking to pursue. Because there are so many areas within health sciences, a certificate program is a great way to gain advanced knowledge in the specific field you are interested in. For clinical nutrition, the UWS Certificate Program in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine is designed to prepare clinicians to incorporate whole-person functional medicine approaches to their practice framework. This allows the graduates to provide more expansive care options for patients and clients. For sports psychology, the Certificate Program in Applied Sports Psychology prepares sport and performance scientist-practitioners to improve the performance and mental well-being of patients or clients by implementing evidence-based interventions and affirming the individualism of each case.
Become Proficient in Emerging Trends. For health science professionals who have been in the industry for years, a graduate certificate program is a great way to stay up to date with any new trends within the field. It’s important for you to be able to adapt to any new evidence-based approaches or techniques in the field, and it’s assuring to your clients to know that your expertise is always evolving. At UWS we understand that students pursuing our graduate certificate programs are professionals already, which is why these programs are designed to provide an elevated level of predominant theories and emerging trends within the respective disciplines of each program.
Advance Your Career. A certificate program is a great distinction to add to your portfolio to attract clients looking for health science professionals with specialized knowledge. This can help advance your career further by opening the pool for potential clients looking for a clinician that caters to their individualized needs. The UWS graduate certificate programs in health sciences are 100% online and are great for working professionals.
Online Graduate Certificate Programs at UWS
Nutrition Certificate Program
The Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine Graduate Certificate online program at UWS is designed for health professionals with a master’s or doctoral degree to expand their knowledge and expertise within the field of nutrition and functional medicine. Certificate students will learn effective, evidence-informed wellness approaches that utilize nutrition and lifestyle changes with a functional medicine framework. With required coursework in evidenced-based nutrition, gastrointestinal, immune system, and hormone imbalances, autoimmune diseases, and meal planning, there is a wide range of specialized topics to gain knowledge from this nutrition certificate program. There are also many elective options to choose from depending on what specialized field students are most interested in having a deeper understanding of, such as mind-body medicine, botanical medicine, plant-based nutrition, for example. Graduates can incorporate this knowledge to treat patients with the whole-person approach to understand their history and provide a broader range of personalized care options.
Current clinicians and health care professionals looking to advance their careers in functional medicine could benefit from this nutrition graduate certificate. Whether you’re pursuing a career as a nutritionist, wellness coach, educator, or want to become an author or expert in the field of functional nutrition, a graduate certificate program is a great way to expand your knowledge in the field and bolster your resume.
Sports Psychology Certificate Program
The Applied Sport Psychology program at UWS is an excellent choice for those looking to expand their knowledge within the sports psychology field or for those looking to pursue a career as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). This program can be completed in less than a year and is conveniently offered 100% online. Students will learn about emerging trends within the field of sports psychology and specialized curricula targeting ethics and professional identity, psychological preparation, and mental skills training. Depending on your desired career path, there are also several electives designed to provide specialized knowledge, such as Exercise Physiology, Evidence-Based Concussion Management and Care, Psychology of Performance Excellence, and more. Graduates will be equipped to implement evidence-based interventions to improve the performance and mental well-being of individuals and groups within the sport landscape.
For clinicians who run or plan to open their own practice, the elective Business Basics for Clinicians and Consultants provides essential knowledge for building a successful business in sport and performance psychology. For coaches or athletic directors pursuing the sport psychology graduate certificate at UWS, the elective Foundations of Positive Leadership offers key insights into effective leadership strategies.
Sport and Performance Psychology professionals are typically leaders and coaches in the sports, exercise, and wellness fields. Graduates of the online Applied Sport Psychology certificate program can pursue a career as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, coach professor, athletic director, or a sport program administrator.
Pursue a Continuing Education Degree at UWS
Whether you’re about to enter the workforce or have been a working professional for years, a health sciences graduate certificate program can be beneficial in expanding your knowledge, strengthening your resume, and pushing you forward in your career. Explore the health sciences certificate programs that UWS offers today. Take the next step towards reaching for your career goals, and request more information about our online certificate programs.