MPH Health Education
The Health Education Program emphasizes educational, interpersonal, community, and legislative factors that promote positive health behaviors. The curriculum emphasizes interventions based on scientific data and established behavioral and learning theories that promote public health through the processes of education and community organization.
Graduates of this 66-unit degree program may function as community-health educators in a variety of settings, both public and private. They are academically prepared to conduct community assessments; design, implement, and evaluate health-education interventions; organize health-promotion efforts; and assist individuals and communities to better utilize techniques of health-behavior change.
Coursework for the Health Education program may be pursued in the following formats:
- a traditional, on-campus program
- online with two on-campus summer sessions
Learner outcomes
Graduates of the program in health education will have the skills necessary to:
- Design, develop, implement, market, and evaluate health promotion and education programs utilizing appropriate principles from human learning, motivation, communication, organizational behavior, and health-behavior change theories.
- Collaborate with other professionals in using resources to educate the public about health.
- Evaluate and appropriately apply public health research findings to the practice of health education.
- Serve as consultants to provide leadership or technical assistance for public health projects in selected settings.
- Meet didactic and professional-practice requirements for certification as health education specialists.
Indicators of Education Effectiveness
- Discussion threads
- Tests and examinations
- Assignments and major papers
- Field practicum report
- Comprehensive examination
- Professional portfolio
- Capstone project
- Exit interview
Prerequisite
Demonstrate college-level conceptualization and writing skills
Professional license in a medical or health-related discipline, or a minimum of two years of public health experience
Corequisite
(May be taken during first two quarters of program, in addition to units required for degree)
Anatomy and physiology or physiology (one course or course sequence)
Behavioral science (two courses, one of which is an introductory psychology course)
Public health core – 29 units
- ENVH 509 Principles of Environmental Health (3)
- EPDM 509 Principles of Epidemiology I (3)
- GLBH 524 Cultural Competence and Health Disparities: A Public Health Perspective (2)
- HADM 509 Principles of Health Policy and Management (3)
- HPRO 509 Principles of Health Behavior (3)
- HPRO 536 Program Planning and Evaluation (2)
- NUTR 505 Public Health Biology (2)
- PHCJ 501 Introduction to Online Learning* (1)
- PHCJ 605 Overview of Public Health (1)
- PHCJ 675 Integrated Public Health Capstone (2)
- REL 534 Ethical Issues in Public Health (3)
- STAT 509 General Statistics (4)
* online program only
Health education core – 25 units
- HPRO 535 Health Education Administration Leadership (3)
- HPRO 537 Community Programs Laboratory (2,2)
- HPRO 538 Health Education Program Development 3
- HPRO 539 Policy and Issues in Health Education 3
- HPRO 553 Addiction Theory and Program Development 3
- HPRO 584 Aging and Health 3
- HPRO 589 Qualitative Research Methods 3
- NUTR 509 Public Health Nutrition 3
- OR
- NUTR 534 Maternal and Child Nutrition 3
Selected electives (from the list below) – 9 units
- HPRO 524 Adolescent Health 3
- HPRO 526 Lifestyle Diseases and Risk Reduction 3
- HPRO 527 Reproductive Health 3
- HPRO 573 Exercise Physiology 1 3
- STAT 515 Grant and Contract Proposal Writing 3
- STAT 549 Analytical Applications of SPSS 2
Note: Other HPRO courses as may become available
Field experience – 3 units
- HPRO 798 Community Practicum (100 hours) 3
Total Units 66
Students select coursework from each of several practice and content areas to enhance the applied portion of the curriculum. Professional practice is addressed during the laboratory and field-experience portions of the curriculum. Students may develop skills while working in community agencies and in medical care, school, and work/site settings.
Graduates are eligible to sit for the credentialing examination in health education-Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) offered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc., 944 Macon Boulevard, Suite 310, Allentown, PA 18103.
Culminating activity
Students are required to demonstrate the ability to integrate the specified areas of public health: administration, epidemiology, statistics, environmental health, and health behavior during their culminating activity experiences. The culminating activity includes a written comprehensive examination, a field experience (upon completion of all core classes), professional portfolio to be submitted, and an exit interview with the department chair (at the conclusion of the program).
Students who do not meet the minimum standards of performance on the comprehensive examination are subject to remedial coursework to address deficiencies in preparation.
Contact Information - Department of Health Promotion & Education
Website: www.llu.edu/llu/sph/hproE-mail: hprodept@llu.edu
Phone: (909) 558-4741
