Major in Health Education and Promotion
Department website: https://www.towson.edu/chp/departments/health-sciences/undergrad/health-science/
The field of Health Education and Promotion (HEP) explores the complexities of human behavior and identifies ways to promote healthy behaviors. Health Education and Promotion prepares students to educate and empower the public to understand their health, to make healthy choices, to improve their quality of life, and to reduce disease and disability. Health educators design, market, implement and/or evaluate health education and health promotion programs. The settings in which community health educators work include, but are not limited to health departments, voluntary health agencies, hospitals, universities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and schools.
The Health Education and Promotion major gives students the foundation needed to be effective health professionals based on principles from the behavioral, biomedical and social sciences. Through coursework and a 12-unit internship, students will graduate with a solid foundation in a variety of health topic areas including public health, health education theory and practice, and program planning and evaluation.
Students in the Health Education and Promotion major must complete 64 units of required courses, 12 units of health electives, 14 units of electives in any discipline and University Core Requirements. The competency-based curriculum provides the content and practical experience to prepare you to become a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC.)
Internship/Capstone
The Health Education and Promotion Internship is a supervised integrative educational experience in a community setting and is the culmination of the student's study. As such all degree requirements must be successfully completed prior to the internship semester. Interns commit to a 15-week, 12-unit, full-time (approximately 40-hour work week) placement in a university approved setting and are supervised by a site Preceptor, and academically, by a Health Education and Promotion program faculty supervisor. No specific sites are guaranteed as the individual internship site has the right to accept or reject students based on a competitive interview.
Health Education and Promotion majors must complete 81 units of required courses (21 units of prerequisites, 48 units of professional courses, and a 12-unit internship).
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Courses/Prerequisites | ||
| BIOL 191 & 191L | INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONS [LECTURE] and INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONS [LAB] | 4 |
| CHEM 121 & 121L | ALLIED HEALTH CHEMISTRY I LECTURE and ALLIED HEALTH CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY | 4 |
| BIOL 220 | ESSENTIALS OF HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 1 | 4 |
| PSYC 101 | INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| COMM 131 | PUBLIC SPEAKING | 3 |
| PSYC 203 | HUMAN DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| or PSYC 201 | EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY | |
| or SCED 305 | ADOLESCENT LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND DIVERSITY | |
| Professional Courses | ||
| HLTH 101 | WELLNESS FOR A DIVERSE SOCIETY | 3 |
| HLTH 207 | HEALTH CARE IN THE U.S. | 3 |
| HLTH 222 | FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTH EDUCATION AND HEALTH BEHAVIOR | 3 |
| HLTH 310 | INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| HLTH 311 | CHRONIC AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASE | 3 |
| HLTH 315 | CURRICULUM AND PLANNING | 3 |
| HLTH 402 | HEALTH COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| HLTH 425 | INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS IN HEALTH EDUCATION | 3 |
| HLTH 430 | ORGANIZATION, IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAMS | 3 |
| HLTH 432 | MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION IN HEALTH EDUCATION | 3 |
| HLTH 435 | INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
| HLTH 451 | INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select minimum of four courses from the list below: | 12 | |
| EMC, FIRST AID AND SAFETY | ||
| INTERNATIONAL HEALTH | ||
| NUTRITION AND WEIGHT CONTROL FOR THE CONSUMER | ||
| MENTAL HEALTH, STRESS MANAGEMENT, AND CRISIS INTERVENTION | ||
| WOMEN'S HEALTH | ||
| SEXUALITY IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY | ||
| WEIGHT CONTROL: THEORY AND PRACTICE | ||
| NUTRITION FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS | ||
| FOOD SAFETY SCIENCE | ||
| URBAN FOOD SYSTEMS | ||
| TEACHING ABOUT DRUGS AND SEX | ||
| DRUGS IN OUR CULTRE | ||
| VIOLENCE PREVENTION FOR HEALTH EDUCATORS | ||
| Internship | ||
| HLTH 422 | FIELD WORK IN COMMUNITY HEALTH | 12 |
| Total Units | 81 | |
Suggested Four-Year Plan
Based on course availability and student needs and preferences, the selected sequences will probably vary from those presented below. Students should consult with their adviser to make the most appropriate elective choices.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| BIOL 191 & 191L (Core 7) | 4 | CHEM 121 & 121L (Core 8) | 4 |
| HLTH 101 (Core 11) | 3 | COMM 131 (Core 5) | 3 |
| Core 1 (or Core 2) | 3 | HLTH 222 | 3 |
| Core 3 | 3 | PSYC 101 (Core 6) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Core 2 (or Core 1) | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| HLTH 207 | 3 | PSYC 201, 203, or SCED 305 | 3 |
| BIOL 220 | 4 | Core 4 | 3 |
| HLTH 310 | 3 | Core 12 | 3 |
| Core 13 (recommended HLTH 220) | 3 | Required Elective | 3 |
| Required Elective | 3 | Required Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| HLTH 311 | 3 | HLTH 402 | 3 |
| HLTH 315 (Core 9) | 3 | HLTH 432 | 3 |
| HLTH 451 | 3 | Core 13 or Elective | 3 |
| Core 10 | 3 | Core 14 | 3 |
| Required Elective | 3 | Required Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| HLTH 425 | 3 | HLTH 422 | 12 |
| HLTH 430 | 3 | ||
| HLTH 435 | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Total Units 120 | |||
- Using technology, students will identify, analyze and evaluate major and micro influences (e.g. demographic, social and political), and how these affect individual and population health behaviors and outcomes.
- Students will write clearly, logically and succinctly in standard professional prose with well-referenced developmental detail appropriately cited according to APA standards.
- Students will demonstrate professional and ethical behaviors in the field of health education exhibiting appropriate intrapersonal and interpersonal social skills with management, staff or students in ways that promote effective work and/or learning environments.