Academic/Curriculum

Health Education & Health Promotion (HE/HP) Track
(Formerly Social & Behavioral Sciences)
Torrance Stephens, PhD- Track Coordinator

Goal & Course Offerings

The Health Education & Health Promotion Track prepares graduates for positions in the private and public sectors as developers and managers of programs designed to prevent disease and promote healthy behaviors. Upon completion of the interdisciplinary curriculum, students will demonstrate the ability to implement behavior change strategies, design and evaluate of health messages, identify and use information sources, assess community needs and evaluate programs.

Required courses for all HEHP Track Students.

MPH 530. Community Health Promotion I (3 credit hours) This course examines methods of community health assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Students learn to develop or adapt a health promotion program that reflects cultural competence, analyze types of program evaluations that can be used for a health promotion program and create written materials to support a health promotion program.

MPH 531. Community Health Promotion II (3 credit hours) This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge skills, and abilities that are required to assess, organize, and prepare communities for public health emergencies. Building on the core competencies of public health, the course will include team-building, lectures, small group work, interacting with community emergency responders, community organizing, community service and program evaluation.

MPH 532. Methods of Program Evaluation (3 credit hours) This course introduces students to quantitative, qualitative and ethnographic methods of quality measurement and improvement in public health. Students will learn formative and summative program evaluation methods and explores public health standards for conducting program evaluation

MPH 534. Health Communications for Public Health (3 credit hours) This course will address key considerations for constructing effective health communications including the application of behavior change theories and general marketing principles.  This course is designed to provide professional and graduate students with an overview of theory and research into the role of mass media as they affect public health.