Health Education and Promotion (M.S.)
This program prepares new and current health promotion practitioners to plan, implement, and evaluate health promotion and wellness programs in a variety of settings: hospitals, corporations, health maintenance organizations, community health agencies, health clubs, government agencies, and academic campuses. The program’s coursework provides the knowledge and skills needed by health promotion professionals, as defined by the Society for Public Health Education, the American Association for Health Education, and the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
Upon successful completion of the health education and promotion program, students will be able to
- exhibit the knowledge to function as competent graduate-level health educators;
- apply theories and/or models to the process of needs assessment and planning health education and promotion strategies, interventions, and programs;
- apply ethical standards to the development and implementation of health education and promotion programs;
- utilize resource materials, equipment, industry tools/inventories, and/or other practical "hands-on" applications used in health education and program programming;
- interpret research related to health education and promotion; and
- communicate about and promote health and health education/promotion.
Admission Requirements: In addition to the universitywide requirements for graduate admission applicants must also:
- present acceptable scores from either the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (see Note on Test Scores);
- provide two letters of recommendation from educators or employers who can attest to the applicant’s potential for graduate work; and
- interview with the department chair.
NOTE: The testing requirement is waived for students who have earned a master’s degree from an accredited college or university. Students with significant professional experience in the field and a record of outstanding undergraduate or graduate performance may petition the chair for a waiver of the standardized test requirement.
Nondegree Admission: Students may enroll in health education and promotion classes as nondegree students. No more than nine (9) credits may be taken without being admitted to the health education and promotion degree program.
Minimum Grade Requirement: A grade of B- or better is needed to pass core courses. No course may be repeated more than once. Students who receive a grade below B- in three or more graduate courses are dismissed, even if courses were repeated for a higher grade. Students are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Degree Requirements — Health Education and Promotion
36 credits
| HPR 501 | Foundations of Health Education and Health Promotion | 3 |
| HPR 502 | Introduction to Public Health and Preventive Medicine | 3 |
| HPR 520 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 |
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| HPR 534 | Topics in Nutrition and Weight Management | 3 |
| OR | |
| HPR 500 | Exercise Physiology | 3 |
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| HPR 540 | Designing and Evaluating Health Promotion Programs | 3 |
| HPR 555 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HPR 591 | Research Methods in Health Education | 3 |
| HPR 598 | Internship | 3 |
Six (6) credits of HPR elective courses
Six (6) additional credits of graduate coursework