The University of North Texas Health Science Center

The Master of Science in Lifestyle Health Sciences and Coaching (MSLS) is a graduate program designed to equip healthcare professionals—especially nurses and nurse practitioners—with the knowledge and skills to practice lifestyle medicine and coaching within clinical care. As healthcare continues to shift toward prevention, chronic disease management, and whole-person care, this program provides a practical, evidence-based pathway to expand your role and impact at the point of care.

A central feature of the program is the Healthcare Clinical Track, which focuses on integrating lifestyle medicine and coaching directly into patient interactions. This track prepares clinicians to move beyond traditional education and advice-giving toward structured, patient-centered behavior change. You will learn how to assess key lifestyle factors—including nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, and substance use—and translate that information into personalized, actionable care plans supported by coaching strategies.

The curriculum is grounded in the core pillars of lifestyle medicine while emphasizing the art and science of coaching. Courses cover topics such as cardiometabolic health, exercise and nutrition science, behavior change theory, and motivational interviewing. At the same time, you will build coaching competencies such as active listening, evoking intrinsic motivation, goal setting, and accountability. This dual focus ensures that you are not only knowledgeable about what patients should do, but also highly skilled in helping them actually do it.

For nurses and nurse practitioners, this combination is particularly powerful. You are already on the front lines of patient care, often spending more time with patients than other providers. The MSLS program enhances those interactions by giving you a structured framework for lifestyle medicine and the coaching skills to make those conversations more effective. Instead of repeating recommendations that patients struggle to follow, you will be equipped to guide meaningful, sustainable behavior change—improving outcomes in conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

The program is delivered in a flexible, online format, allowing working clinicians to immediately apply what they are learning in real time. Whether in primary care, specialty clinics, or hospital systems, students often see an immediate impact in patient engagement, adherence, and satisfaction. Many also report increased professional fulfillment as they shift from reactive care to a more proactive, empowering model. Graduates of the Healthcare Clinical Track are prepared to lead lifestyle medicine initiatives, enhance clinical services, or integrate coaching into their current roles.

The program also prepares students to pursue national board certification in health and wellness coaching, further strengthening their ability to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care. Ultimately, the MSLS program is ideal for nurses and nurse practitioners who want to practice differently—to combine lifestyle medicine and coaching in a way that addresses the root causes of disease and supports lasting change. It offers a clear, clinically relevant pathway to elevate your practice and make a deeper impact on the health and lives of your patients.