Nutrition and Community Wellness, Certificate of Achievement

The Nutrition and Community Wellness certificate prepares the student for jobs in the field of nutrition education and coaching. This is a valuable supplemental certificate to a personal training or group exercise certification and health coaching certifications.

The Certificate of Achievement Nutrition and Community Wellness is designed to prepare students for careers in health, nutrition, and wellness coaching. Emphasis is placed on providing students with effective communication strategies for explaining and applying the basic principles of nutrition and health, as well as community wellness. Students create and implement safe and effective healthy eating strategies and exercise recommendations based on individual needs. Students also demonstrate effective approaches to modifying behavior-change programs to promote program adherence and knowledge based on individual needs.

Award Notes

EXERCISESCIENCE CLASSES/INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS DISCLAIMER: Participation in all sports and exercise science activities involves certain inherent risks. Risks may include, but are not limited to, neck and spinal injuries that may result in paralysis or brain injury, injury to bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and other aspects of the musculoskeletal system, and serious injury, or impairment, to other aspects of the body and general health, including death. The San Diego Community College District, its officers, agents, and employees are not responsible for the inherent risks associated with participation in exercise science classes/intercollegiate sports. Students are strongly advised to consult a physician prior to participating in any exercise science activity.

To be eligible for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) in Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC), students need to complete the following:

●      Completion of a prescribed NASM learning program;

● Pass the Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC)examination within a designated enrollment period.

The NASM-CNC certification must be renewed every two years. To renew the NASM-CNC, students must purchase and pass the NASM-CNC renewal exam.

To be eligible to take the American Council on Exercise National Certification Examination in Health Coaching, students need to complete one of the following:

● Pass an accredited certification exam through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA);

●    Obtain a license in fitness, nutrition, healthcare, wellness, human resources or a related field;

●     Earn an associate's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in fitness, exercise science, nutrition, health care, wellness, human resources or a related field;

●  Complete at least two years of comparable work experience in any of the industries specified above.

Students planning to transfer to a four-year institution should consult the Counseling Department and a Nutrition Advisor for assistance in the student's nutrition educational plan.

Career Goals

Some careers in the nutrition and wellness field include nutrition coach, health and wellness coach, life coach, family coach, pregnant and nursing individuals' coach, adult and seniors coach, weight loss coach, nutritional health coach, and behavior change coach. These careers can be found in fitness centers and health clubs, community outreach programs, corporation sand businesses, hospitals, health clinics, and doctor's offices.

(A) Enrollment Data

Annual Number of Sections (SECT) and Enrollment (ENRL)Total

*Limited enrollment experienced during the 2020-2022 pandemic.

+New course to San Diego City College

Source: https://www.sdcity.edu/about/institutional-effectiveness/research/enrollment-dashboard.aspx

(B) Completer Projections

Based on enrollment data, the estimated completer projection of students to earn the award annually is 5 students.

Program Goals and Objectives

The Health and Exercise Science program at San Diego City College (SDCC) offers certificates of performance and achievement, and associate degrees in the field of health, exercise science, nutrition, and fitness. The program’s mission is to provide a research-based practical approach to the multi-dimensional study of human movement, while engaging students in hands-on experiences to promote critical thinking, effective communication, and a comprehensive understanding of the health and exercise science discipline. The program meets this mission by offering a variety of exercise science and health classes that can help meet the needs of our diverse community. The Health and Exercise Science program teaches students to lead by example in promoting a healthy lifestyle. It enables students to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities in exercise planning, participation, and behavior change not only for themselves, but also to the campus and community. The program embraces both the challenge to inspire our students to be individual improvement of health and wellness, and encourages our students to share their information and experience within the community.

Program Learning Outcomes

●    Demonstrate the ability to prescribe safe and effective exercise.

●    Develop and implement group and individual exercise programs.

●    Possess an applied understanding of human anatomy, physiology and nutrition as it applies to physical fitness.

● Develop specialized fitness programs to meet the needs of the targeted individual.

San Diego City College seeks to provide its student population the opportunity to learn more about nutrition and earn a certificate in the field of nutrition with an emphasis on community education. There is a significant increase in student interest at San Diego City College as the college offers insufficient nutrition educational opportunities for our students. The marriage between Fitness Trainer, Nutrition, Foods and Culinary Arts, and Community Health Care Worker TOP Codes to develop a Nutrition and Community Wellness Certificate of Achievement provides students a pathway to explore nutritional education with public and preventive health in global and community perspectives in mind.  With the approval of the certificate, students at San Diego City College can pursue a certificate program that combines health, fitness, nutrition, and human services (social work) courses.  The focus is to generate candidates to advocate in creating and maintaining healthy communities. Proposal for a new certificate is supported by the advisory board. Labor market information supports job opportunities in this field.

COURSES REQUIRED FOR THE MAJOR:

COMPLETE THREE (3) UNITS FROM THE FOLLOWING:

*Course offerings are subject to change. Refer to the SDCCD Online Class Schedule for the most updated course offerings for the semester.

TOTAL UNITS:      21