Wellness Education

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 will count towards completion of the Wellness Education requirement as will new Wellness Education offerings as approved by the appropriate administrative body, which includes representatives from Athletics, Student Wellness Center, the Registrar’s Office, and faculty committee representation.

The Wellness Education (WE) program requires completion of three Wellness Education (WE) credits. Credit in Wellness Education courses is awarded dependent 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 16-class, term-long, full-credit WE 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 and workshops: This option consists of multiple sessions where skills and knowledge are obtained and built over several class periods. The time frame can be less than a term or extend beyond a single term. These experiences receive partial credit scaled to the amount of time participation requires. Mini-courses and workshops are assigned a number of sessions out of a total of twelve (12), where twelve (12) sessions equal one WE credit.
• 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.