Health Promotion professionals strive to assist individuals, groups, organizations, and communities to increase control over and improve their health and well being. Our masters program in Health Promotion examines the various factors responsible for the adoption and maintenance of health-related behaviors and the identification and implementation of best practices to bring about positive results.

Career Opportunities

Graduates will be able to design, manage, and evaluate responsive and innovative health promotion programs in a variety of settings, including federal, state, and local governmental agencies, HMOs, hospitals, public and private schools, colleges and universities, voluntary health agencies (e.g., American Heart Association), and private enterprise such as business and industry. Our graduates have accepted positions as program directors at private and government agencies, senior research assistants in hospitals and education arenas, and corporate and community fitness and wellness leaders.

Background of Candidates

As an interdisciplinary discipline, Health Promotion students have a wide variety of undergraduate degrees including medicine, nursing, nutrition, exercise physiology, health education, communications, public relations, nutrition, sociology, psychology and other behavioral/social sciences. The common interest of this diverse group lies in three essential prongs of health promotion: behavior change, health promotion, and health science. We invite applications from students who wish to emphasize either research or applied work in health promotion. Applicants must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree and some coursework in the biological and behavior/social sciences. Applicants will be selected for admission to the program on the basis of grade point average, graduate record examination (GRE)scores earned within the past five years, narrative statement and career goals, letters of reference, and prior experience.

The Curriculum

The master’s degree in Health promotion is a 36-credit hour program which emphasizes the practical application of health promotion methods supported by relevant research and best practices. The coursework stresses recognition of and intervention on the various factors that influence health behavior. Opportunities for practical experiences and collaborative research are available and usually fulfill internship and thesis requirements. Students in health promotion must complete either a special project grounded in the practical application of health promotion methods or a thesis with approval from the graduate adviser and an oral examination.

• Degree Sheet