Program Overview

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Introduction to the Health Behavior and Health Education Master's Program

The Health Behavior and Health Education master's degree programs are designed to prepare researchers and practitioners for leadership roles in a variety of careers. Students are prepared to work in industries such as higher education, public schools, community health care settings, business and industry, government agencies, and non-profit health agencies.

Program Overview

Health promotion combines health education with related organizational, economic, or political interventions. These programs are designed to create behavioral or environmental changes that result in improved public health. Research and practice in health promotion may occur in a variety of settings such as school, community, worksite, or health care.

Focus Areas

The focus for health education can be on young children, adolescents, adults, and senior adults. This program also studies the effects of health education research on organizational and community contexts. Students' courses emphasize a multidisciplinary, bio-behavioral, and developmental approach to health promotion.

Program Structure

A diverse faculty, coupled with research and applied opportunities within and outside the university, provides an excellent environment to explore these areas of curriculum and research. Students will graduate with a unique set of skills that will make them ready for their careers, or further research.

Master's Programs

Our program offers two Health Behavior and Health Education master's programs:

• Master of Science (M.S.) with a thesis
• Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Prerequisites

A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university and the completion of a minimum of 3 hours of course work from each of the following areas (total of 9 hours):

• Theory & Methods of Health Behavior and Health Education and/or Health Promotion
• Statistics
• Behavioral Sciences

Sample Curriculum

Year 1

• Fall:
  • HED 395: Theories of Health Behavior
  • HED 386: Research Methods
  • EITHER HED 311: Introduction to Health Promotion and Behavioral Science (ONLY for students who do not have a Health Promotion prerequisite) OR any Faculty Advisor-approved HED course (for students who have met the HED prerequisite)
• Spring:
  • HED 395: Foundations of Epidemiology
  • Elective Course
  • Elective Course
• Summer:
  • Elective Course (for students who enrolled in the Introduction to Health Promotion and Behavioral Science prerequisite)

Year 2

• Fall:
  • HED 395: Planning Health Promotion Programs
  • EITHER Elective OR HED 698A: Thesis
  • Elective Course
• Spring:
  • EITHER HED 697P: Internship OR HED 698B: Thesis
  • Elective Course

Research

Health Behavior and Health Education graduate programs focus on theory-driven research utilizing a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. Students in this program participate in research and applied opportunities within and outside the university. Content areas include research on:

• Tobacco Prevention
• HIV Risk Reduction
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention
• Successful Aging
• Coping with Chronic Illness
• Aggression Prevention
• "Best Practices" of Prevention Activities in Medical Care Settings
• Women's Health
• Wellness and Resiliency
• Child and Adolescent Health
• Worksite Health Promotion
• Delivery of School-Based Interventions

Master of Science

The Master of Science (M.S.) program is research-oriented and offers the student an opportunity to identify and focus on specific problems related to health promotion. It also provides preparation for doctoral work in health behavior and health education.

Program Structure

This program consists of four main areas of study:

• Health Behavior and Health Education Concentration Area (15 hrs)
• Electives in Health Behavior and Health Education (9 hrs)
• Supporting Work Outside the Department (6 hrs)
• Thesis: HED 698A and HED 698B (6 hrs)

Health Behavior and Health Education Concentration Area (15 hrs)

• HED 395 Theories of Health Behavior*
• HED 395 Foundations of Epidemiology*
• HED 395 Planning Health Promotion Programs
• HED 386 Research Methods: Applied Research Techniques*
• HED 395 Faculty Advisor-Approved Course

Electives in Health Behavior and Health Education (9 hrs)

Students will select three electives such as those courses indicated below. The student's Faculty Advisor must approve selections. The following courses are indicated as examples.

• HED 395 Child and Adolescent Health Psychology
• HED 395 Adult Development, Aging and Health
• HED 395 Impact of Marketing on Public Health
• HED 395 Risk and Resilience in Children and Adolescents
• HED 395 Social Determinants of Health
• HED 395 Physical Activity & Public Health Practice
• HED 395 Exercise and Mental Health
• HED 395 Cognitive Exercise Across the Lifespan
• HED 395 Research Ethics

Supporting Work Outside the Department (6 hrs)

One of the elective courses must be a graduate statistics course which should be selected with the guidance of the student's Faculty Advisor. Depending upon the student's background, an undergraduate statistics course or a prerequisite course may be necessary.

Thesis (6 hrs): HED 698A and HED 698B

The Master's of Science degree requires students to focus on research in the form of a thesis. The research project for a master's thesis should be of the highest quality and contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of investigation. Students must enroll in HED 698A and HED 698B across the final two semesters of the program. HED 698A and 698B cannot be taken during the same semester.

Master of Education

The M.Ed. degree program is a practical degree in Health Behavior and Health Education. This program focuses on coursework and a student internship that prepares students for a career when they graduate. This program consists of four main areas of study:

• Health Behavior and Health Education Concentration Area (15 hrs)
• Electives in Health Behavior and Health Education (9 hrs)
• Supporting Work Outside the Department (6 hrs)
• Graduate Internship: HED 697P (6 hrs)

Health Behavior and Health Education Concentration Area (15 hrs)

• HED 395 Theories of Health Behavior*
• HED 395 Foundations of Epidemiology*
• HED 395 Planning Health Promotion Programs
• HED 386 Research Methods: Applied Research Techniques*
• HED 395 Faculty Advisor-Approved Course

Electives in Health Behavior and Health Education (9 hrs)

Students will select three electives such as those courses indicated below. The student's Faculty Advisor must approve selections. The following courses are indicated as examples.

• HED 395 Child and Adolescent Health Psychology
• HED 395 Adult Development, Aging and Health
• HED 395 Impact of Marketing on Public Health
• HED 395 Risk and Resilience in Children and Adolescents
• HED 395 Social Determinants of Health
• HED 395 Physical Activity & Public Health Practice
• HED 395 Exercise and Mental Health
• HED 395 Cognitive Exercise Across the Lifespan
• HED 395 Research Ethics

Supporting Coursework Outside the Department (6 hrs)

Students will also take classes outside of the department to achieve a multidisciplinary approach to Health Education. Ideally, the two courses should represent a sequence in one department or a sequence in a specific content area (e.g., demography, organization change, survey research and evaluation, child and adolescent development, nutrition, and adult learning).

Graduate Internship: HED 697P (6 hrs)

The 20-hour-per-week internship is taken in the final semester after the completion of all coursework. This experience gives students the opportunity to apply their cumulative knowledge and skills from their program. The internship provides a supervised practical opportunity to work in a community, school, worksite, or health care setting.

After Graduation

Graduates of the Health Behavior and Health Education master's degree programs (M.S. and M.Ed.) enjoy a variety of job opportunities at health departments, worksite health promotion programs, government agencies, voluntary health agencies, health care organizations, and other settings.

Faculty

• Erin Benton
• J. Mark Eddy
• Esbelle M Jowers
• Lara Latimer
• Alexandra Loukas
• Charles Martinez
• Pablo Montero-Zamora
• Keryn E Pasch
• Miguel Pinedo
• Deborah Salvo
• Seth Schwartz
• Mary A Steinhardt

Labs and Research Areas

• CHeRISH Lab
• Exercise & Sport Psychology Laboratory
• Migration and Health Lab
• Prevention Research Lab
• Stress Adaptation and Health Resilience
• Tobacco Research and Evaluation Team

Program Details

• Program Starts: Fall
• Deadline to Apply:
  • Priority: December 1
  • Final: May 1
• Credit Hours Required:
  • M.S with thesis: 36 hours
  • M.Ed.: 36 hours
• Program Location: On Campus
• GRE Required?: No
• Program Director: Miguel Pinedo
• Graduate Program Administrator: Phillip Salazar