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Health Education

Department of Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

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Program Description

Welcome to the Program in Health Education at Teachers College

The Program in Health Education includes three degree programs:

M.A. in Health Education (32 points)

M.S. in Community Health Education (42 points)

Ed.D. in Health Education (75 points, 30 of which may be transfer credits)

Our interdisciplinary degree programs are designed to prepare students to pursue impactful research and practice that will positively shape the health and well-being of communities across the life span in a wide range of occupational settings.  All of our degree programs focus on a common theme of reducing health disparities through public health education and health promotion for individuals, families, and communities, and through the development and implementation of evidence-based programs, policies, and practices. 

Our approach to professional preparation is predicated on informed decision making, self-determination, and environmental changes that advance population health and health equity.  Students learn about data-informed approaches and  practice-based evidence to help ensure that educational approaches are acceptable to their intended audience, feasible to implement, scalable, and effective.  Rooted in the social and behavioral sciences, the Health Education faculty have prepared generations of local, national, and global leaders working in governmental, public and community based organizations; research institutions and centers; academia; school systems; hospital and health care systems; and policy institutes.

The Program in Health Education specializes in preparing the leaders needed to address some of the most pressing social crises and public health issues  of our time, including chronic disease prevention, reproductive health, mental health, gun violence,and other forms of aggression such as in-school and cyber bullying, HIV/AIDS, climate science, pandemic preparedness, adverse childhood experiences, and many other salient topics.  Uniquely situated within a school of education, our programs support students to pursue the links between health and learning, to engage in collaborative research directly with teachers and school leaders, and to lead evidence-informed advocacy efforts that advance policies that foster positive outcomes for children.  . 

The majority of advanced graduate seminars feature small class sizes with accessible faculty.  Ongoing academic support helps ensure high rates of timely degree completion and active support for students as they pursue internship and job opportunities. Our program features faculty with a significant and consistent record of external research grant funding, publications in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, and who are providing national and global leadership in their respective fields.

Mission and Vision

The mission of the Program is to address the health of the public through the preparation of specialists in health promotion and education. Our program  actively seeks to prepare students to promote  health, prevent  disease, reduce injury, and advance health equity. We do this work in direct partnerships with institutions, organizations, and agencies in New York City, the surrounding region, nationally, and globally —including in schools, hospitals, clinics, worksites, governmental agencies, and in collaboration with numerous nonprofit organizations.

  • Our vision is to create a world-class learning environment that attracts, retains, and graduates leaders who share, with faculty, a deep commitment to health promotion, disease prevention, and health equity for local , national and international communities. 

Goals for Achieving Our Program Mission

In order to achieve our mission, the Program has identified goals that fall within the broader categories of education, research, service, and via our collective commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.  

Educational Goals

One of the fundamental purposes of the Program is to deliver education that provides a firm foundation rooted in knowledge of the behavioral and social sciences that guide effective community-based education—including methods of analysis, assessment, program planning, evaluation, and research. We provide classroom instruction, advanced seminars, colloquia and statistical laboratory instruction that ensure training in core competencies essential for addressing public health through community health education.

The Program’s educational goals are:

  1. Prepare exceptional community health practitioners and public health researchers equipped with foundational knowledge and practical skills.

  2. Provide students with an engaging inclusive, and supportive learning environment.

  3. Provide students with individualized  support to complete their studies in a timely fashion and facilitate their professional development.

Research Goals

The Program strives to advance and disseminate the evidence-base for behavioral and social science serving as the foundation for public  health and education. We foster exposure to rich and varied programs of research and using multiple types of data and varied research designs (e.g., efficacy, effectiveness, epidemiological, public health, ethnographic, naturalistic, case-studies, process-outcome studies, meta-analyses).

The Program’s research goals are:

  1. Advance and disseminate evidence-based research that addresses public health in diverse regional, national, and international communities.

  2. Engage students in the advancement and dissemination of evidence-based research that addresses public health in diverse regional, national, and international communities.

Service Goals

The Program provides opportunities for engagement in internship, practice, and service activities that reflect collaboration with varied institutions, organizations, and agencies in the community setting—including schools, hospitals, clinics, work- sites, governmental agencies, and non-profits—thereby providing a firm grounding in the practical application of knowledge in the real-world, as well as reinforcing and extending the knowledge base gained through education. We promote the sharing of expertise, learning, and working collaboratively with program peers, faculty, other professionals, community stakeholders, and community members—whether via service on advisory boards, institutional committees, advocacy groups, trans-disciplinary groups, or other organizational groups.

The Program’s service goals are:

  1. Engage in collaborative work with varied institutions, organizations and agencies to promote public health.

  2. Provide continuing education and workforce development opportunities to a national and global audience of public and community health practitioners.

Commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion  

Our program - through our collective scholarship, teaching, mentoring, curricula, and service - is deeply committed to facilitating a community that prioritizes justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.  Our program seeks to recruit and retain a diverse student body, faculty, and staff as the multicultural setting for accomplishing our  goals—ensuring diversity across race, gender, immigrant status, geography, discipline, disability status, among others.. In addition and to ensure our students are as well-supported as possible, all TC students have the option of engaging in a confidential disclosure of their disability status to our Office of Access and Services for Students with Disabilities. 

Student support and development 

Our Program is committed to fostering and supporting the preparation and careers of our incredibly talented students.  To accommodate our growing and diverse student body, our Program offers numerous courses in an online or “hybrid” format, so that students may have the option of attending in-person or online. In addition, our Program’s core courses are often offered multiple times per year to support timely degree completion. And our program faculty work closely with each student to identify potential sources of funding, research, internship, and job opportunities, providing letters of recommendation, among many other opportunities for support and professional development.

Degrees

  • Master of Arts

    • Points/Credits: 32

      Entry Terms: Spring, Summer, Fall

      Degree Requirements

      The program of study leading to the degree of Master of Arts (M.A.) in Health Education is a 32-credit program of study designed for those who wish to develop the skills necessary to plan and implement health education programs for a variety of populations and in a range of practice settings. Successful completion of the program provides students with comprehensive understanding of the theory and practice of health education and health promotion. Students develop the critical thinking skills that are necessary to apply the principles of behavioral and social sciences that are the foundation of health promotion and  education to program development and implementation.

      The program of study enables students to prepare for professional practice as a health education specialist or public health practitioner in numerous settings including community-based organizations, hospitals, research institutes, institutes of higher education, government agencies, and many others. The M.A. degree can also  serve to prepare qualified students to go on for more advanced professional study in health promotion and education or other related fields.

      Completion of the degree program currently makes graduates eligible to qualify for certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. The credit hours available through this degree program may also be utilized to make one eligible to sit for the examination for the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)..

       

      Students must receive advisement from their advisor before registering for classes each semester in order to ensure the proper selection of courses. The selection of courses is guided by the individual needs of the student, and is not limited to those courses listed below.

      Courses and Requirements

      MAJOR (21 Points)

      Required Core Courses (18 Points)

      • HBSS 4100 Behavioral and Social Science Foundations of Health Education (3)

      • HBSS 4102 Principles of Epidemiology in Health Promotion (3)

      • HBSS 4118 Principles of Health-Related Behavioral & Social Change: Initiation to Maintenance (3)

      • HBSS 5110 Determinants of Health Behavior  (3)

      • HBSS 5111 Planning Health Education Programs (3)

      • HBSS 5112 Social Marketing and Health Communications (3)

      Elective Courses (3 points)

      (Select 1 course for 3 points from among the options listed below. There is variability with regard to the courses actually being offered within an academic year.)

      • HBSS 4001 Health Provider Communications and Health Promotion (3)

      • HBSS 4110 Children and Adolescents: School Health Issues (3)

      • HBSS 4111 Addictions and Dependencies (3)

      • HBSS 4112 Social Policy and Prevention (3)

      • HBSS 4113 Human Sexuality Education  (3)

      • HBSS 4114 Competency with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice (3)

      • HBSS 4115 Health Promotion for Aging Adults (3)

      • HBSS 4116 Health Education for Teachers (3)

      • HBSS 4117 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology and Education (3)

      • Various topics in Health Education (See the course schedule for topics covered) (3)

      • HBSS 4121 Death Education (3)

      • HBSS 4122 Women's Health (3)

      • HBSS 4123 Violence and “All Hazards” Preparation (3)

      • HBSS 4130 Alcohol and Health (3)

      • HBSS 4140 Developing Workplace Health Promotion Programs (3)

      • HBSS 4141 Health and Illness in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3)

      • HBSS 5113 Community Health Analysis (3)

      • HBSS 5116 Social Relations, Emotions, and Health (3)

      • HBSS 5408 Practicum in Individual Health Advisement (3)

      • HBSS 5410 Practicum in Health Education (1-6)

      • HBSS 5551 Bioethics (3)

      • HBSS 5800 Health Disparities Research Conference (1)

      • HBSS 6100 Program Evaluation (3)

      • HBSS 6145 Health Psychology (3)

      • HBSS 6500 Grant Writing (3)

      BROAD AND BASIC AREAS OF PROFESSIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AND PRACTICE (6 Points)

      Nature of Education, Persons, and Learning Processes (3 Points required ): Students should take one course approved by their advisor in learning theory, human development, or counseling pertaining to a population group of interest, such as the child, adolescent, adult, or older adult.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to, those offered by the Departments of:

      • Organization & Leadership (e.g., Program in Adult Learning and Leadership)

      • Counseling & Clinical Psychology (e.g., Program in Counseling Psychology)

      • Human Development (e.g., Developmental Psychology Programs)

      Communications, Computing and Instructional Technology and Media (3 Points required ) Students should take one course approved by their advisor in communications, computing or instructional technology and media.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to, those offered by the Department of:

      • Mathematics, Science & Technology (e.g., Programs in: Communication, Media and  Technologies Design; or Computing in Education; or Instructional Technology and Media)

      Note on Options: Depending upon an individual student’s needs, the student’s advisor may approve a course selection from another Department.

      Potential Departments include:

      • Education Policy & Social Analysis

      • International & Transcultural Studies

      RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP AND INQUIRY (3 points)

      One required course in research methods, evaluation, measurement, or statistics. The recommended course is listed below, while another course may be approved by the student’s advisor if deemed an acceptable substitution:

      • HBSS 5040 Research Methods in Health and Behavior Studies I (3)

      CAPSTONE PROJECT FOR RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP AND INQUIRY (2 points)

      One required course for 2 points that permits close supervision by the student’s advisor of the Capstone Project for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry.

      The recommended courses to be taken for 2 points include:

      • HBSS 4901 Research and Independent Study in Health Education (2) (up to 4 points is possible)

      • HBSS 5410 Practicum in Health Education

  • Master of Science

    • Points/Credits: 42

      Entry Terms: Spring, Summer, Fall

      Degree Requirements

      The mission of the 42-point M.S. degree program in Community Health Education is to address the health of the public through the preparation of specialists trained to focus on the health of community members in varied community settings. Our graduates will be able to engage in the tasks of addressing community and public health via analysis, assessment, program planning, program implementation, intervention, evaluation, and research. And our This mission includes promoting health, preventing disease, reducing injury, and advancing health equity locally, nationally, and globally. , while training exceptional leaders for the delivery of outstanding contributions to diverse regional, national, and international communities through teaching, research and service. Varied structures, institutions, organizations, and agencies in the community setting -- including schools, hospitals, clinics, work-sites, and non-profits -- are engaged in collaborative relationships for purposes of fulfilling the mission. 

      The vision of the M.S. degree program in Community Health Education is to advance a world-class learning environment that attracts, retains, and graduates diverse leaders who share with faculty a deep commitment to health education, health promotion, disease prevention, and health equity for diverse regional, national and international communities; and, work collaboratively with both faculty and community members through educational, service, and research endeavors. We also value and emphasize the acquisition of cultural competence with multicultural populations, as well as a focus on health disparity reduction and elimination. Our collective work advances and disseminates the behavioral and social science serving as the foundation for effective community health education.

      Completion of the M.S. degree program makes graduates eligible to qualify for certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. The credit hours available through this degree program may also be utilized to make one eligible to sit for the examination for the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) -- also available through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

      The Progression of Courses & Requirements for the 42 Point M.S. Degree

      Public Health Core Knowledge (21 Points):

      • HBSS 4100 Behavioral and Social Science Foundations of Health Education (3)

      • HBSS 4102 Principles of Epidemiology in Health Promotion (3)

      • HBSS 4112 Social Policy and Prevention (3)

      • HBSS 4118 Principles of Health-Related Behavioral & Social Change: Initiation to Maintenance (3)

      • HBSS 4160 Introduction to Biostatistics for Community Health Educators (3)

      • HBSS 4161 Environmental Health (3)

      • HBSS 6100 Program Evaluation (3)

      Community Health Core Knowledge (9 Points):

      • HBSS 4114 Competency with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice (3)

      • HBSS 5111 Planning Health Education Programs (3)

      • HBSS 5112 Social Marketing and Health Communications (3)

      Broad and Basic Areas of Professional Scholarship and Practice (6 Points):

      Students should take two 3-point courses approved by their advisor, while selecting courses offered by another department (i.e. Non-HBSS) at the college.

      Elective Course (3 Points):

      Students should take one HBSS Elective Course: Select one from the List of Options, above, under the M.A. degree description. There is variability with regard to the courses actually being offered within an academic year, so check the current semester’s course offerings.

      PRACTICAL SKILLS [FIELDWORK] (3 Points):

      • HBSS 5410 – Practicum in Health Education (3)

      Culminating Project for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry (0 Points)

      The Culminating Project for Research Scholarship and Inquiry (0 points) involves an opportunity for students to work closely with their advisor and to integrate what they have learned throughout the program (e.g., major research paper; community health education curriculum; design a health promotion, disease prevention, or health education program; research project; grant application; or, an approved alternative). Students are expected to meet with their advisor and receive approval, in advance, for various types of projects.

      CAPSTONE PORTFOLIO (0 Points):

      The Capstone Portfolio is a requirement for graduation (0 points). Students are expected to meet with their advisor and receive instructions and approval for the plan to compile this portfolio, as a collection of items (e.g., papers, etc.) reflecting their work in the degree program.

  • Doctor of Education

    • Points/Credits: 75

      Entry Terms: Spring, Summer, Fall

      Degree Requirements

      The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Degree Program in Health Education requires students to complete a minimum of 75 points of course work with (up to 30 transfer credits), a Certification Examination, and a dissertation project that can be successfully defended. The objective of the program is to prepare professionals from a broad array of backgrounds for leadership roles in research, teaching, and service that can be directed toward improving population health and achieving health equity throughout various community settings, including healthcare, schools, workplaces and community, governmental and nonprofit agencies. To achieve this objective, students in the program are prepared to develop, implement and evaluate interventions and policies that can influence health at the individual, group, and societal levels. 

       

      Upon completion of the program, a graduate of the doctoral program in health education will demonstrate: 

       

      • A broad understanding of the history and value of theoretical knowledge found in the behavioral and social sciences that underlies the study of health behavior and health education, as well as the scientific basis of public health more broadly and the role that health education plays in achieving national public health goals and objectives (Healthy People 2030); 

       

      • The ability to critically evaluate scientific literature and evidence, and synthesize and apply scientific knowledge in the development of new conceptual models and testable research hypotheses that have potential to contribute to new knowledge to inform effective practice; 

       

      • A critical understanding of and ability to apply the principles of scientific method, mixed-methods research and evaluation, including quantitative and qualitative methods, to the study of pressing health problems or the evaluation of interventions designed to improve human health at the individual, group, and societal levels; and 

       

      • The professional skills of scientific writing and oral presentation to communicate the results and implications of the dissertation research with professional clarity, as well as those of grant-writing, teaching, ethical practice and service to the field. 



      Courses and Requirements

      1. Major (30 points) 

      a. Basic Core Courses (Required 9 points) 

      • HBSS 4100 Behavioral and Social Science Foundations of Health Education (3)

      • HBSS 4102 Principles of Epidemiology in Health Promotion (3)

      • HBSS 4160 Introduction to Biostatistics for Community Health Educators (3)

      b. Advanced Core Courses (Required 12 Points)

      • HBSS 5110 Determinants of Health Behavior (3)

      • HBSS 5111 Planning Health Education Programs (3)

      • HBSS 5112 Social Marketing and Health Communications (3)

      • HBSS 6100 Program Evaluation (3)

      c. Elective Courses (Required 9 points from among the following): 

      • HBSS 4012 Eating Disorders (3) 

      • HBSS 4110 Health Promotion for Children & Adolescents (3)

      • HBSS 4111 Addictions and Dependencies (3) 

      • HBSS 4112 Social Policy and Prevention (3) 

      • HBSS 4113 Human Sexuality Education (3) 

      • HBSS 4114 Competency with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice (3)

      • HBSS 4116 Health Education for Teachers (3)

      • HBSS 4117 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology and Education (3)

      • HBSS 4118 Principles of Health Related Behavioral and Social Change: Initiation to Maintenance (3)

      • HBSS 4122 Women's Health (3)

      • HBSS 4161 Environmental Health (3) 

      • HBSS 5113 Community Health Analysis (3)

      • HBSS 5408 Practicum in Individual Health Advisement (3) 

      • HBSS 5410 Practicum in Health Education (3)

      • HBSS 6145 Health Psychology (3)

      • Another course approved by your advisor (3)

       

      2. Broad and Basic Areas of Professional Scholarship and Practice (9 Points to be taken out of the Program and Department that have been approved by your advisor)

      3. Research, Scholarship and Inquiry: Methods of Evaluation, Statistics, and Dissertation Research (30 Points)

      a. Courses in Research Methods (Required 6 points from among the following, with the recommendation of the Faculty to take one qualitative methods course and one quantitative methods course)

      • EDPS 5020 Survey Research Methods (3) 

      • HBSS 5040 Research Methods in Health and Behavior Studies (3) 

      • HUD 4120 Methods of Empirical Research (3)

      • ORL 6500 Qualitative Research (3) 

      • ORLJ 4009 Understanding Behavioral Research (3) 

      • Another course approved by your advisor (3)

      b. Courses in Statistics, Measurement, and Evaluation (Required 9 points from among the following)

      • EDPS 5646 Evaluation of Educational and Social Programs (3) 

      • HUDM 4050 Introduction to Measurement (3)

      • HUDM 4122 Probability and Statistical Inference (3)

      • HUDM 5122 Applied Regression Analysis (3) 

      • HUDM 5123 Linear Models and Experimental Design (3)

      • HUDM 6026 Computational Statistics (3)

      • Another course approved by your advisor (3)

      c. Research Seminar and Preparation of the Dissertation (Required 12 Points)

      • HBSS 6510 Research Seminar in Health Education (2 terms: 6 points) 

      • HBSS 7501 Dissertation Seminar in Health Education (2 terms: 6 points)

      • HBSS 8900 Dissertation Advisement in Health Education (0)

      d. Preparation for the Oral Defense of the Dissertation (Required 3 points)

      • HBSS 6520 Advanced Seminar for Doctoral Dissertation Data Analysis (3)

       

      4. Elective Courses, Additional Research or Independent Study (6 Points)

      • HBSS 6901 Research and Independent Study in Health Education (3)

      • Another course approved by your advisor (3)

Faculty

  • Faculty

    • John P Allegrante Charles Irwin Lambert Professor of Health Behavior and Education
    • Charles E Basch Richard March Hoe Professor of Health and Education
    • Jennifer W. Cadenhead Executive Director/ Assistant Research Professor
    • Pamela Ann Koch Mary Swartz Rose Associate Professor of Nutrition and Education
    • Sonali Rajan Professor of Health Education
    • Randi L. Wolf Ella McCollum Vahlteich Professor of Human Nutrition

  • Visiting Faculty

    • Michelle Lisa Odlum Visiting Professor

  • Emeriti

    • Kathleen Ann O'Connell Isabel Maitland Stewart Professor Emerita of Nursing Education
    • Barbara C. Wallace Professor Emerita of Health Education

  • Adjunct Faculty

    • Ellyce Michelle Dipaola Adjunct Assistant Professor
    • Robert E Fullilove Adjunct Full Professor
    • Katherine Jean Roberts Adjunct Full Professor

Courses

  • HBSS 4100 - Behavior & Social Science Foundations of Health Education
    Determinants of health; relationship between health and human behavior; the role of health education as a strategy in health promotion and disease prevention; selected issues and problems.
  • HBSS 4102 - Princip Epidemiology Hlth Prom
    Principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation; application of epidemiologic to prevention and control of disease, using health education.
  • HBSS 4110 - Children and Adolescent Health Issues
    Basic topics in promoting child and adolescent health; relationships between school, family, and community in promoting the health status of school-age children.
  • HBSS 4111 - Addictions and dependencies
    Social-Psychological, cultural, clinical, and pharmacological factors associated with the use of psychoactive drug s and other compulsive behaviors.
  • HBSS 4112 - Social policy and prevention
    Analysis of current national health policy, its social, economic, and political determinants, and implications for health education.
  • HBSS 4113 - Human sexuality education
    Explore human sexuality from a variety of perspectives; explore students' own attitudes about human sexuality and how they affect them personally and professionally; examine methods of teaching and designing sexuality education programs.
  • HBSS 4114 - Competence with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice
    Health status, needs, and problems of multicultural populations in urban environments and sensitivity to these issues in effective programs.
  • HBSS 4116 - Health Education for Teachers
    This course reviews the critical health issues that affect the well-being of youths today, emphasizing the practical aspects of child health that are mandated for teaching certification, including the following: reporting child abuse; preventing school violence; and promoting respect and dignity for all students. Students who take an online section of this course must also take an additional three-hour in-person workshop to meet the Dignity For All Students Act (DASA) requirement for teacher certification.
  • HBSS 4117 - HIV/AIDS epidemiology and education
    The role of schools, parents, and communities in educating youth about AIDS and human sexuality; review of methods and resource materials for providing such education; consideration of controversial issues surrounding these topics.
  • HBSS 4118 - Principles of Health Related Behavioral and Social Change: Initiation to Maintenance
    The course covers numerous principles to guide health related behavioral change, as well as social change--including on the individual, organizational, national and global levels. Introductory principles are covered that are rooted in theory and techniques for initiating and maintaining change for a variety of addictive and problem behaviors, including a focus on the stages of change, motivational interviewing, and relapse prevention. Additional principles are key to guiding social change, for designing leadership, resolving conflicts, and collaborating with partners on strategies for change.
  • HBSS 4121 - Death education
    Designed to increase awareness/insight of the multidimensional aspects of death, dying, and bereavement. Gain skills as health care professionals in dealing with death, its causes, treatment of life-threatening illness, including AIDS, suicide, and violent death. Explore customs across cultures, afterlife beliefs, near-death experiences, and ethical issues.
  • HBSS 4122 - Women's health
    Explore biologic and environmental influences on women's health risks and disease. Additionally, students will acquire knowledge to evaluate clinical studies in the literature and gain basic understanding of the process of planning and developing women's health promotion programs.
  • HBSS 4123 - Violence Prevention and "All Hazards" Preparedness
    This course covers the nature and prevention of invisible and covert, as well as visible and overt violence, including intrapersonal, interpersonal, family, community, gang, school, societal, and international manifestations.
  • HBSS 4160 - Introduction to Biostatistics For Community Health Education
    This course provides an introduction to the field of biostatistics and the application of statistics to health education and community health data. This course covers the collection, storage, retrieval, analysis, and interpretation of health data; design and analysis of health-related surveys and experiments; concepts essential to statistical data analysis; and the practice of statistical data analysis. Details on hypothesis testing, normality, and types of error are incorporated into several of the lessons. Research methodology (i.e., study design, data collection) and data management skills are also taught. Applications of these concepts to health education and community health data are used throughout the course. The overall goals of this course are to foster a comprehensive understanding of basic data collection and analysis methods used in health education and community health research and to help students become more comfortable working with and managing data in SPSS.
  • HBSS 4161 - Environmental Health
    This course provides an introduction to the field of environmental health, while focusing upon those environmental factors that affect the health of communities - including biological, physical, and chemical factors. The relationship between the natural and built environments on human health are focused upon. In addition, the course incorporates the use of case studies and current peer-reviewed literature in the field of environmental health to promote knowledge acquisition. Health education curriculum and program development processes are incorporated into the course as well.
  • HBSS 4901 - Research and independent study in health education
    Permission required. Research and independent study under faculty direction. Proposals must have prior approval of a faculty member.
  • HBSS 5000 - Health promotion in higher education
    This course will explore the complex issues and challenges facing those working to enhance the quality of student health and student learning at college and universities.
  • HBSS 5040 - Research methods in health and behavior studies I
    Introduction to research, study designs, and data collection methods in research in health and behavior studies, including nursing, nutrition, and health education with emphasis on reading and understanding research literature.
  • HBSS 5110 - Determinants of health behavior
    Theory-based analysis of the cultural, social-psychological, and social-structural determinants of health-related behaviors; implications for planned change at individual, small-group, and community levels.
  • HBSS 5111 - Planning health education programs
    Process of developing social, epidemiological, behavioral, and educational diagnoses; principles of planning, implementing, and evaluating health education interventions.
  • HBSS 5112 - Social marketing and health communications
    This course provides a detailed study of social marketing and health communication efforts and their role at facilitating behavior changes at both an individual and community-wide level. Students in this course will learn how to use peer-reviewed research and key social marketing principles to develop a comprehensive and effective social marketing campaign; learn how to target health communication efforts towards specific audiences and via varied channels of distribution; understand the role of social media and technology in facilitating/influencing behavior changes; study current examples of successful social marketing initiatives; use data analytic tools to inform changes to a campaign; discuss the ethics surrounding health communication and social marketing efforts. The course incorporates reviews of current research being conducted on social marketing and health communication efforts on a range of health issues and across different communities.
  • HBSS 5113 - Community health analysis and intervention
    Survey and analysis of concepts, issues, strategies, and methods relevant to community health analysis and intervention.
  • HBSS 5408 - Practicum in individual health advisement
    Individual and small group practice in the application of basic principles of counseling in the area of health problems.
  • HBSS 5410 - Practicum in health education
    The course meets requirements of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) by providing an opportunity for students to gain practical skills via field work or internships. This practicum course provides students with a culminating experience that is central to our mission. More specifically, the mission of the M.S. Degree Program in Community Health Education is to address the health of the public through the preparation of specialists in health education who focus on the community as the setting for analysis, assessment, program planning, intervention, evaluation, and research. Varied structures, institutions, organizations, and agencies in the community setting--including schools, hospitals, clinics, worksites, and non-profits--are engaged in collaborative relationships for the purposes of fulfilling the mission. Thus, the practicum course specifically ensures that students have a supervised experience in a community setting where they are engaged in a collaborative relationship with a supervisor, staff, and selected consumers within that setting. The intention is to ensure that M.S. degree students have received well rounded preparation for professional careers as health education specialists through a supervised experience across 180 hours within a setting of their choice; this may be a setting aligned with their goals for professional development and future employment. Of note, M.A. degree students are also welcome to participate in optional fieldwork vis this course.
  • HBSS 5710 - Supervised teaching in health education
    Permission required. Advance registration required in the semester prior to taking the course. Supervised health teaching in a school. Essay required at end of teaching experience.
  • HBSS 5800 - Health Disparities Research Conference
    This two day, spring semester, weekend conference event exposes participants to 1) potentially new knowledge with regard to the variety of evidence-based approaches to reducing health disparities; 2) attitudes/beliefs so multicultural sensitivity/competence begins to replace socially conditioned stereotypes that threaten interpersonal communication/interaction during service delivery/research/teaching; and, 3) skills for deployment of culturally appropriate behaviors that aim to reduce disparities.
  • HBSS 6100 - Program Evaluation
    Theory, methods, and problems of measurement and evaluation; standards for evaluation of health, education, and related social programs; skills in critical evaluation of research and evaluation reports.
  • HBSS 6145 - Health psychology
    Topics include social learning theory, attribution, and attitudes as they apply to health promotion, disease prevention, reactions to illness, and adherence to treatment regimens.
  • HBSS 6500 - Doctoral Certification Preparation

    No Description Found in Banner

  • HBSS 6510 - Research seminar in health education
    Permission required. Review of research literature, methods, and problems in health education.
  • HBSS 6901 - Research and independent study in health education
    Permission required. Open to matriculated doctoral students. Research and independent study under faculty direction. Proposals must have prior approval of a faculty member.
  • HBSS 7501 - Dissertation seminar in health education
    Permission required. Open to certified doctoral candidates only. Development and presentation of doctoral dissertation proposals.
  • HBSS 8900 - Dissertation advisement in health education
    Permission required. Doctoral candidates only. Individual advisement on doctoral dissertations.
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