Wellness Education and Credits
The credit-bearing pathway that brings performance, well-being, and leadership into the undergraduate experience, and the Center’s role in supporting it.
Every Dartmouth undergraduate must earn three Wellness Education credits to graduate, regardless of major or varsity status. This past year, administrative responsibility for that requirement moved into the Teevens Center.
Wellness Education and Credits Program
The Wellness Education program mirrors the liberal arts philosophy that encourages student exploration and self-discovery beyond the classroom to provide students opportunities to enhance their own health and well-being based on self-knowledge, learning, and growth. Throughout this program, students will hone their self-awareness and gain the lifelong skills of utilizing internal and external resources while effectively implementing practices that tend to all parts of their well-being. This process provides students with a foundation for academic and personal success during and after their time at Dartmouth.
Beginning with those who matriculated with the class of 2026, students must complete three Wellness Education (WE) credits. Courses offered through the Physical Education (PE) department also count towards completion of the Wellness Education requirement, as will new Wellness Education offerings as approved by the appropriate administrative body (the WE Subcommittee), which includes representatives from Athletics, Student Wellness Center, the Registrar’s Office, and faculty committee representation.
The current members of the WE Subcommittee are:
- Caitlin Barthelmes - Executive Director of the Student Wellness Center
- Serena Creary - Wellness Education Credit Coordinator, Project Manager
- Anna Hall - Co-Interim Associate Dean for Student Life
- Michelle Kermond - Associate Director of the Undergraduate Deans Office, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Students
- Lauren Mackey - Assistant Athletics Director for Recreation Administration
- Duncan Simpson - Director of the Kirsten and Eugene F. “Buddy” Teevens ’79 Center for Peak Performance
Program Requirements
The Wellness Education (WE) program requires completion of three (3) Wellness Education (WE) credits. Credit in Wellness Education courses is awarded based on participation and skill development. All students are expected to fulfill their Wellness Education requirement before the end of their final term at Dartmouth.
Wellness Education (WE) credits may be earned by a combination of the following options:
Full-term courses: Students may earn one WE credit by participating in a traditional 12-hour (or greater), term-long, full-credit WE course. A student will receive one (1) WE credit should they pass the course.
Full-term participation in approved clubs and activities: Students may earn one WE credit by participating in a full season of intercollegiate varsity or approved club sports.
*Mini-courses, clinics, and workshops: This option would consist of modules comprised of multiple sessions where skills and knowledge are obtained and built over several class periods. The time frame of each module can be less than a term or extend beyond a single term. Each individual module must total at least six (6) credit hours; the equivalent of one half (0.5) credit. Students may choose to build one or more credits by participating in multiple modules within a single term or may accumulate credit(s) by participating in one or more modules over multiple terms.
*Single-Session classes: Single-session classes/experiences that last 1-3 hours via a “Drop In” model. Students engage in 12 of any combination of single-session experiences to accumulate one WE credit.
* = Currently in development.