Improving health and well-being requires understanding and caring for the whole person. PLNU’s M.S. iWell program will provide you with an interdisciplinary learning experience to understand and address the multiple interconnected factors that influence both health and disease — as well as to improve well-being through evidence-based lifestyle changes.

The integration of lifestyle medicine within healthcare systems is not just effective, but powerful and life-changing for individuals and communities. Our program uniquely brings together practicing and aspiring health and wellness professionals from across the interdisciplinary care team to provide holistic care.

Through this program, you'll become a confident, innovative professional within lifestyle medicine, health and wellness coaching, health education, and other health-related sectors.

Specialized Experience

Take courses that pair an applied learning approach with the latest industry research and trends, giving you the real-world experience today to be successful tomorrow. Core courses include lifestyle medicine, integrative health, health equity and social justice. Elective courses include areas such as culinary medicine, wellness entrepreneurship, and lifestyle of longevity.

Professional Preparedness

Foster relationships with industry leaders and learn from faculty and professional colleagues through a robust, flexible curriculum. Benefit from clinical placements and internships with [top-tier] healthcare organizations, both in San Diego and around the nation.

Purposeful Care

Develop a deeper understanding of how to faithfully apply your work to the wellness of the whole person — body, mind, and spirit.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

When you complete the program, you will be prepared to:

• Apply evidence-based coaching strategies and behavior change techniques to facilitate meaningful lifestyle changes and improved health outcomes.
• Evaluate the influence of biopsychosocial factors on health, healing, and well-being to design lifestyle interventions to prevent and manage chronic diseases.
• Qualify for national board certification in health and wellness coaching (NBC-HWC credential through the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching).
  • M.S. Integrative Wellness is an NBHWC-approved training and education program
• Qualify to earn a lifestyle medicine certification (DipACLM) through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
  • M.S. Integrative Wellness is a full academic pathway program through ACLM

Program Start Date(s):

• Fall 2025 — September 2, 2025

Application Deadline(s):

• Fall 2025 — August 15, 2025

Start Application

The Selection Process

The educational context at PLNU will challenge you to live a full life that integrates the pursuit of knowledge with beliefs, values, and actions. While honoring diverse perspectives and beliefs, Christian values and principles are woven into the educational experience. We understand your application is not only a reflection of you as a student; it reflects you as a person. At PLNU, we holistically evaluate your academic history, work and life experience, background, and circumstances to determine admission into a graduate program. Your undergraduate GPA is an important piece of your application, but if you do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of a 3.0, you may still be eligible for admission based on your application package as well as the exceptions policy per your particular program.* Therefore, we strongly encourage you to contact your enrollment counselor, who will advise you regarding your qualifications and provide specific information about the admission under exceptions process.

To be admitted into PLNU's M.S. iWell program, no prerequisite courses are required. However, a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution in a health, wellness or fitness related program OR a non-health related baccalaureate degree and a reputable health, fitness, or wellness certification (or equivalent) and a minimum of three years of professional experience in the field of health, wellness, or fitness is required. If you have any questions about your qualifications or the program in general, we encourage you to contact your enrollment counselor. 

Application Checklist

Note: The application is completed entirely online with the exception of transcripts, which can be submitted electronically or directly to PLNU, and test scores, which should be submitted electronically.

1. Submit an online application for admissions (including $50 non-refundable application fee, which is waived for PLNU alums, current or former military and their dependents, and PLNU employees).
2. Submit official transcripts with proof of earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.* (If you are a PLNU alumnus, please notify your counselor to have your transcripts retrieved. You do not need to request transcripts from the PLNU Office of Records.)
   
   Official transcripts must be sent to:
   Point Loma Nazarene University
   Office of Graduate Admissions
   3900 Lomaland Dr.
   San Diego, CA 92106
   
   Official electronic transcripts must be emailed to:
   gradprocessing@pointloma.edu
   
   *Please note, official transcripts must be sent directly from the regionally accredited institution.
3. Submit a personal essay. Specifically state how you would like to use your master’s degree from PLNU to further your career. Make sure you clearly touch on the three points below:
   1. Clarify what job setting you see yourself pursuing upon completing the Integrative Wellness M.S. and specify how this degree program will help you in that setting.
   2. Describe what wellness means to you and explain how you intend to provide a whole-person approach to health in your professional practice.
   3. State how your previous education and work experiences have uniquely prepared you for success in this program.
4. Submit a resume/vita.
5. Once you have submitted your admissions application, your three selected professional recommenders will automatically be sent the auto-generated document to complete on your behalf. If you'd like to include a written letter in addition to this required document, you may do so, but it's unnecessary.

*Exceptions Policy: If you have below a 3.0 GPA in your baccalaureate degree you will need to speak with your enrollment counselor for more information on the exceptions materials needed for your particular program.

Start Application

State Authorization

State authorization is a formal determination by a state that Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is approved to conduct activities regulated by that state. In certain states outside California, PLNU is not authorized to enroll students in online (distance education) courses and/or offer internships within that state. Student location is based on where a student is physically located while taking courses. Students taking face-to-face courses are located in California, regardless of their home state at the time of application.

If a student moves to another state after admission to a program and/or enrollment in an online course, continuation within the program and/or course will depend on whether PLNU is authorized to offer distance education courses in that state. If a student wishes to conduct an internship outside California, they must select a state where it is permitted. It is the student's responsibility to notify PLNU of any change in their physical location, other than incidental travel. Refer to the State Authorization map to view which states allow online (distance education) and/or internships outside California.

Professionals in integrative wellness provide clients with holistic approaches to health and well-being. By gaining your integrative wellness degree at PLNU you’ll learn how to care for others by focusing on the relationship between the provider and client and working toward the goal of achieving optimal health and rehabilitation. 

PLNU’s M.S. iWell program will prepare you for leadership in a variety of fields:

• Health coaching
• Dietetics and nutrition
• Corporate wellness
• Nursing
• Health education
• Exercise science
• Health promotion

What do integrative wellness jobs look like post graduation?

Integrative health is an $82 billion global industry. As our world continues to become more physically active and medically advanced, the market share of this field is expected to grow at a rate of 22% annually between 2021 to 2028, with more and more individuals seeking this type of integrative health care. 

The following are some career paths you can take with an integrative wellness degree: 

Director of Wellness

2023 Median annual salary: $110,680
Projected growth: 29% from 2023-33

Wellness directors are responsible for a company’s or organization’s planning and execution of programs centered around health, safety, and well-being. You’d be the go-to person for promotion of overall health — mental and physical wellness — of all staffers, and ultimately save your company money. At its root, integrative wellness aims to apply evidence-based practices into lasting behavioral changes.

Exercise Physiologist

2023 Median annual salary: $54,860 (Upper 10% Median, $77,680)
Projected growth: 10% from 2023-33

The main job of exercise physiologists is to analyze patients’ fitness and create a health plan to improve or maintain their health. Some exercise physiologists also help patients who have heart disease and other chronic conditions, working to rehabilitate and help them regain their health as they relearn control over their bodies. Exercise physiologists may also work with amateur or professional athletes hoping to increase their health and enhance their athletic performance.

Health Education Specialist

2023 Salary: $62,860 (Upper 10% Median, $107,920)
Projected growth: 7% from 2023-33

Health Education Specialists (health coaches) work alongside their clients to develop an understanding of their own health and how to achieve their health goals – from dietary, strength and conditioning, cardiovascular, sport performance, and more! Health coaches meet with their clients to discuss goals, progress, and challenges. They also act as support and accountability for their clients as they work toward difficult and demanding goals.

Personal Trainer

2023 Median annual salary: $48,060 (Upper 10% Median, $80,780)
Projected Growth: 39% from 2020-30

Personal trainers work with individuals or small groups to instruct and implement exercise and general fitness plans. They develop exercise regimens for clients, teach clients how to use complex equipment, and also help develop dietary plans for some clients with specific fitness goals in mind. 

Scholarships

Scholarships ranging from $500-2500 are available to those who qualify. Please contact your Enrollment Counselor for further information.

What inspires me most about working in the field is the privilege of faithfully serving others physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually — it's what fuels my passion. This whole-person approach to wellness is not only the cornerstone of the integrative wellness program but it’s the key to positively transforming the health of individuals and society as a whole.

Jessica Matthews, M.S. 
Adjunct Professor of Kinesiology

For information about the courses required for the Integrative Wellness, M.S. program, view the PLNU Catalog. 

Course Information