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Health Education

Department of Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology

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Program Description

The Program in Health Education includes three degree programs:

M.A. in Health Education (32 points)

M.S. in Community Health Education (42 points)

Ed.D. in Health Education (90 points, 45 of which may be transfer credits)

All of these degree programs focus on a common theme of reducing health disparities through public health education for individuals, families and communities, and environmental changes that prevent disease and improve health and well-being.  Our approach to professional preparation is predicated on informed decision making, self-determination, and environmental changes that bolster population health.  Students learn about twenty-first century evidence-based approaches as well as practice-based evidence to help ensure that educational approaches are acceptable to their intended audience, feasible to implement, and effective in helping people make informed decisions.   Rooted in the social and behavioral sciences, the Health Education faculty have trained generations of local, national, and global leaders working in governmental, public and community based organizations; research institutions and centers; academia; school systems; hospital and health care service delivery systems; and policy institutes.

The Program in Health Education  specializes in preparing the leaders needed to address contemporary health care challenges, health disparities, and epidemics (e.g., obesity, diabetes, bullying/violence, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases, etc.), as well as the links between health and academic achievement. The majority of our advanced graduate seminars feature small class sizes with accessible faculty.  Ongoing academic support helps ensure high rates of timely degree completion. Our program features faculty with a consistent record of research grant funding, publications in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, and providing national and global leadership in their respective fields.

Mission and Vision

The mission of the Program is to address the health of the public through the preparation of specialists in health education who focus on the community as the setting for needs assessment, program planning, evaluation, and research. This mission includes promoting health, preventing disease, and advancing health equity by preparing exceptional leaders. Varied structures, institutions, organizations, and agencies in New York City and the surrounding region—including schools, hospitals, clinics, worksites, and nonprofits—collaborate in fulfilling the mission.

The vision of the Program is to create a world-class learning environment that attracts, retains, and graduates leaders who share, with faculty, a deep commitment to health promotion, disease prevention, and health equity for diverse regional, national and international communities; and, work collaboratively with both faculty and community members through educational, service, and research endeavors, in order to advance and disseminate the behavioral and social science serving as the foundation for effective community health education.

Guiding Values

The Program in Health Education values:

  • Excellence. In order to magnify excellence as a Program, we value the importance of attracting and retaining graduate students who have demonstrated the capacity and/or potential for leadership, achieving at the highest levels academically, and successfully working collaboratively with program peers, faculty, other professionals, and community representatives.

  • Well-Rounded Preparation. In order to ensure that our graduate students have received well-rounded preparation for professional careers as health education specialists in varied community settings, we value the process of mentoring graduate students toward realization of their highest academic and professional potential through actively engaging students in instructional, colloquia, internship, practicum, service, and research endeavors.

  • Establishing the Evidence Base. We see great merit in training the next generation of professionals so they are capable of advancing and disseminating the behavioral and social sciences that establishes health education as evidence-based, doing so by ensuring involvement in relevant programs of research. At the same time, faculty embrace broad definitions of what constitutes evidence and support adapting evidence-based approaches so they are linguistically and culturally appropriate, being tailored for specific populations and individual clients.

  • Diversity, Health Equity, and Multicultural Competence. We value training that prepares professionals to function in diverse regional, national, and international communities, while advancing health equity, necessitating grounding in multicultural competency principles and practices that guide professional conduct as a health education specialist (i.e., working collaboratively with communities so they actively determine their own health, advancing the right to equity in health, ensuring empowerment, advocating for equal access to opportunities that support health, delivering education and interventions so they reflect cultural appropriateness, and co-producing knowledge with community members’ input to ensure research designs are culturally appropriate and produce findings of cultural relevance).

Goals for Achieving Our Program Mission

In order to achieve our mission, the Program has identified goals that fall within the broader categories of education, research, service, and diversity.

Educational Goals

One of the fundamental purposes of the Program is to deliver education that provides a firm foundation rooted in knowledge of the behavioral and social sciences that guide effective community-based education—including methods of analysis, assessment, program planning, evaluation, and research. We provide classroom instruction, advanced seminars, colloquia and statistical laboratory instruction that ensure training in core competencies essential for addressing public health through community health education.

The Program’s educational goals are:

  1. Prepare competent community health practitioners equipped with foundational knowledge and practical skills in core public and community health areas.

  2. Provide students with an intellectually stimulating learning environment.

  3. Provide students with adequate support to complete their studies in a timely fashion.

Research Goals

The Program strives to advance and disseminate the evidence-base for behavioral and social science serving as the foundation for community health education. We foster exposure to rich and varied programs of research that emphasize establishing the evidence base for community health education practices, using multiple types of evidence and varied research designs (e.g. efficacy, effectiveness, epidemiological, public health, ethnographic, naturalistic, case-studies, process-outcome studies, meta-analyses).

The Program’s research goals are:

  1. Advance and disseminate evidence-based research that addresses public health in diverse regional, national, and international communities.

  2. Engage students in the advancement and dissemination of evidence-based research that addresses public health in diverse regional, national, and international communities.

Service Goals

The Program provides opportunities for engagement in internship, practice, and service activities that reflect collaboration with varied institutions, organizations, and agencies in the community setting—including schools, hospitals, clinics, work- sites, and non-profits—thereby providing a firm grounding in the practical application of knowledge in the real-world, as well as reinforcing and extending the knowledge base gained through education. We promote the sharing of expertise, learning, and working collaboratively with program peers, faculty, other professionals, community stakeholders, and community members—whether via service on advisory boards, institutional committees, advocacy groups, trans-disciplinary groups, or other organizational groups.

The Program’s service goals are:

  1. Engage in collaborative work with varied institutions, organizations and agencies to promote public health.

  2. Provide continuing education and workforce development opportunities to a national and global audience of public and community health practitioners.

Diversity Goals

Finally, our Program seeks to recruit and retain a diverse student body, faculty and staff as the multicultural setting for accomplishing educational goals—ensuring the representation of racial/ethnic minorities and other under-represented groups such as immigrants and people with disabilities. Students have the option of engaging in a confidential disclosure of their disability status to our Office of Access and Services for Students with Disabilities. We provide an education that prepares students for engagement with diverse populations in regional, national, and international communities. The education we provide also prepares students to engage in health equity research aimed at reducing and eliminating health disparities and addressing the most vulnerable populations.

The Program’s diversity goals are:

  1. Recruit and retain a diverse student body, faculty and staff as a multicultural setting for accomplishing educational goals.

  2. Prepare students for engagement with diverse populations in regional, national, and international communities.

  3. Engage in health equity research aimed at reducing and eliminating health disparities and addressing the most vulnerable populations.

Course Flexibility 

To accommodate our talented, growing, and diverse body of students, our program offers numerous courses in an online or “hybrid” format. (A hybrid course is offered both online and in-person, permitting distance learning and accommodating the schedules of busy professionals, as well as severe weather, and absences related to illness, etc); in other words and for some courses, students have the option of attending in-person or online. 

In addition, our courses are offered with sufficient frequency (e.g., fall, spring and summer sessions, or 2-3 times per year) to support timely degree completion.

Degrees

  • Master of Arts

    • Points/Credits: 32

      Entry Terms: Spring/Summer/Fall

      Degree Requirements

      The program of study leading to the degree of Master of Arts (M.A.) in Health Education is a 32-credit program of study designed for those who wish to develop the skills necessary to plan and implement health education programs for a variety of populations and in a range of practice settings. Successful completion of the program provides students with comprehensive understanding of the theory and practice of health education and health promotion. Students develop the critical thinking skills that are necessary to apply the principles of behavioral and social sciences that are the foundation of health education and health promotion to program development and implementation.

      The program of study enables students to prepare for professional practice as a health education specialist in community, hospital, higher education, government agency, or other workplace settings. The M.A. degree may serve as an entry-level professional credential for a career in health education or may serve to prepare qualified students to go on for more advanced professional study in health education or other health-related fields.

      Completion of the degree program currently makes graduates eligible to qualify for certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. The credit hours available through this degree program may also be utilized to make one eligible to sit for the examination for the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)—also available through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

      No transfer credit is granted for work completed at other institutions. Major courses (21 points) provide a firm foundation in Health Education. There are also 6 points of courses addressing Broad and Basic Areas of Professional Practice; the purpose is to broaden the student’s background in education. These courses must be taken outside of the Program in Health Education, Department of Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology. One course is taken within the domain of Research, Scholarship and Inquiry for 3 points; the selected course may cover research methods, evaluation, measurement, or statistics. There is also a Capstone Project for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry (2 points); the goal is to provide the opportunity for students to work closely with their advisor and to integrate what they have learned through a final culminating Capstone Project. The Capstone Project for Research, Scholarship, and Inquiry may involve any of the following: completion of a major research paper; development of a curriculum potentially implemented and evaluated in a school or other setting; participation in a practice setting via an internship where students work with a population specific to that setting (e.g., schools and children, hospitals and chronically ill adults, community-based organization and community members, or workplaces and well adults interested in prevention or health promotion). Students’ Research, Scholarship and Inquiry may include engagement in any aspect of program planning, development, implementation, and evaluation.

      Students must receive advisement from their advisor before registering for classes each semester in order to ensure the proper selection of courses. The selection of courses is guided by the individual needs of the student, and is not limited to those courses listed below.

      Courses and Requirements

      MAJOR (21 Points)

      Required Core Courses (18 Points)

      • HBSS 4100 Behavioral and Social Science Foundations of Health Education (3)

      • HBSS 4102 Principles of Epidemiology in Health Promotion (3)

      • HBSS 4118 Principles of Health-Related Behavioral & Social Change: Initiation to Maintenance (3)

      • HBSS 5110 Determinants of Health Behavior  (3)

      • HBSS 5111 Planning Health Education Programs (3)

      • HBSS 5112 Social Marketing and Health Communications (3)

      Elective Courses (3 points)

      (Select 1 course for 3 points from among the options listed below. There is variability with regard to the courses actually being offered within an academic year.)

      • HBSS 4001 Health Provider Communications and Health Promotion (3)

      • HBSS 4110 Children and Adolescents: School Health Issues (3)

      • HBSS 4111 Addictions and Dependencies (3)

      • HBSS 4112 Social Policy and Prevention (3)

      • HBSS 4113 Human Sexuality Education  (3)

      • HBSS 4114 Competency with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice (3)

      • HBSS 4115 Health Promotion for Aging Adults (3)

      • HBSS 4116 Health Education for Teachers (3)

      • HBSS 4117 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology and Education (3)

      • Various topics in Health Education (See the course schedule for topics covered) (3)

      • HBSS 4121 Death Education (3)

      • HBSS 4122 Women's Health (3)

      • HBSS 4123 Violence and “All Hazards” Preparation (3)

      • HBSS 4130 Alcohol and Health (3)

      • HBSS 4140 Developing Workplace Health Promotion Programs (3)

      • HBSS 4141 Health and Illness in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3)

      • HBSS 5113 Community Health Analysis (3)

      • HBSS 5116 Social Relations, Emotions, and Health (3)

      • HBSS 5408 Practicum in Individual Health Advisement (3)

      • HBSS 5410 Practicum in Health Education (1-6)

      • HBSS 5551 Bioethics (3)

      • HBSS 5800 Health Disparities Research Conference (1)

      • HBSS 6100 Program Evaluation (3)

      • HBSS 6145 Health Psychology (3)

      • HBSS 6500 Grant Writing (3)

      BROAD AND BASIC AREAS OF PROFESSIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AND PRACTICE (6 Points)

      Nature of Education, Persons, and Learning Processes (3 Points required ): Students should take one course approved by their advisor in learning theory, human development, or counseling pertaining to a population group of interest, such as the child, adolescent, adult, or older adult.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to, those offered by the Departments of:

      • Organization & Leadership (e.g., Program in Adult Learning and Leadership)

      • Counseling & Clinical Psychology (e.g., Program in Counseling Psychology)

      • Human Development (e.g., Developmental Psychology Programs)

      Communications, Computing and Instructional Technology and Media (3 Points required ) Students should take one course approved by their advisor in communications, computing or instructional technology and media.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to, those offered by the Department of:

      • Mathematics, Science & Technology (e.g., Programs in: Communication, Computing, and Technology in Education; or Computing in Education; or Instructional Technology and Media)

      Note on Options: Depending upon an individual student’s needs, the student’s advisor may approve a course selection from another Department.

      Potential Departments include:

      • Education Policy & Social Analysis

      • International & Transcultural Studies

      RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP AND INQUIRY (3 points)

      One required course in research methods, evaluation, measurement, or statistics. The recommended course is listed below, while another course may be approved by the student’s advisor if deemed an acceptable substitution:

      • HBSS 5040 Research Methods in Health and Behavior Studies I (3)

      CAPSTONE PROJECT FOR RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP AND INQUIRY (2 points)

      One required course for 2 points that permits close supervision by the student’s advisor of the Capstone Project for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry.

      The recommended courses to be taken for 2 points include:

      • HBSS 4901 Research and Independent Study in Health Education (2) (up to 4 points is possible)

      • HBSS 5410 Practicum in Health Education

  • Master of Science

    • Points/Credits: 42

      Entry Terms: Spring/Summer/Fall

      Degree Requirements

      The mission of the 42-point M.S. degree program in Community Health Education is to address the health of the public through the preparation of specialists trained to focus on the health of community members in varied community settings. Our graduates will be able to engage in the tasks of addressing community and public health via analysis, assessment, program planning, program implementation, intervention, evaluation, and research. This mission includes promoting health, preventing disease, and advancing health equity, while training exceptional leaders for the delivery of outstanding contributions to diverse regional, national, and international communities through teaching, research and service. Varied structures, institutions, organizations, and agencies in the community setting -- including schools, hospitals, clinics, work-sites, and non-profits -- are engaged in collaborative relationships for purposes of fulfilling the mission. The vision of the M.S. degree program in Community Health Education is to advance a world-class learning environment that attracts, retains, and graduates diverse leaders who share with faculty a deep commitment to health education, health promotion, disease prevention, and health equity for diverse regional, national and international communities; and, work collaboratively with both faculty and community members through educational, service, and research endeavors. We also value and emphasize the acquisition of cultural competence with multicultural populations, as well as a focus on health disparity reduction and elimination. Our collective work advances and disseminates the behavioral and social science serving as the foundation for effective community health education.

      Completion of the M.S. degree program makes graduates eligible to qualify for certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. The credit hours available through this degree program may also be utilized to make one eligible to sit for the examination for the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) -- also available through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

      The Progression of Courses & Requirements for the 42 Point M.S. Degree

      Public Health Core Knowledge (21 Points):

      • HBSS 4100 Behavioral and Social Science Foundations of Health Education (3)

      • HBSS 4102 Principles of Epidemiology in Health Promotion (3)

      • HBSS 4112 Social Policy and Prevention (3)

      • HBSS 4118 Principles of Health-Related Behavioral & Social Change: Initiation to Maintenance (3)

      • HBSS 4160 Introduction to Biostatistics for Community Health Educators (3)

      • HBSS 4161 Environmental Health (3)

      • HBSS 6100 Program Evaluation (3)

      Community Health Core Knowledge (9 Points):

      • HBSS 4114 Competency with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice (3)

      • HBSS 5111 Planning Health Education Programs (3)

      • HBSS 5112 Social Marketing and Health Communications (3)

      Broad and Basic Areas of Professional Scholarship and Practice (6 Points):

      Students should take two 3-point courses approved by their advisor, while selecting courses offered by another department (i.e. Non-HBSS) at the college.

      Elective Course (3 Points):

      Students should take one HBSS Elective Course: Select one from the List of Options, above, under the M.A. degree description. There is variability with regard to the courses actually being offered within an academic year, so check the current semester’s course offerings.

      PRACTICAL SKILLS [FIELDWORK] (3 Points):

      • HBSS 5410 – Practicum in Health Education (3)

      Culminating Project for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry (0 Points)

      The Culminating Project for Research Scholarship and Inquiry (0 points) involves an opportunity for students to work closely with their advisor and to integrate what they have learned throughout the program (e.g., major research paper; community health education curriculum; design a health promotion, disease prevention, or health education program; research project; grant application; or, an approved alternative). Students are expected to meet with their advisor and receive approval, in advance, for various types of projects.

      CAPSTONE PORTFOLIO (0 Points):

      The Capstone Portfolio is a requirement for graduation (0 points). Students are expected to meet with their advisor and receive instructions and approval for the plan to compile this portfolio, as a collection of items (e.g., papers, etc.) reflecting their work in the degree program.

  • Doctor of Education

    • Points/Credits: 90

      Entry Terms: Spring/Summer/Fall

      Degree Requirements

      The degree of Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Health Education at Teachers College emphasizes broad preparation for advanced professional responsibilities through a program based upon extensive study in a specialized branch of the field of education or in an area of instruction. The program of study and research leading to the Ed.D. degree in Health Education is designed to prepare graduates who will assume positions of leadership as program development and evaluation specialists in health education in various educational, governmental, and human-service delivery settings.

      The program emphasizes the development of advanced competencies in: (1) assessing the cultural, psychological, social, economic, and political determinants of health and health-related behaviors; (2) developing and implementing educational and other interventions based on ecological models of health behavior and behavioral change that are appropriate to various educational practice settings ( communities, health care settings, schools, governmental agencies, and workplaces) and which have the potential to result in voluntary health-related behavioral and social change among individuals, groups, and populations, and their communities; and (3) conducting program evaluation and applied research in health education and health promotion.

      The Doctor of Education degree program requires a minimum of 90 post-baccalaureate graduate points and the preparation and defense of a dissertation. Up to 45 graduate-level points taken at other institutions may be transferred toward doctoral requirements for courses in which the grade of “B” or better has been obtained. Of note, many students who excel in M.A. or M.S. degree programs have enjoyed admission into the doctoral program; indeed, all of the courses in the 32-point M.A. and 42-point M.S. can be applied toward the 90-point Ed.D. degree. In addition to completing coursework, candidates for the Ed.D. degree are also expected to demonstrate satisfactory performance on a departmental certification examination and to prepare and defend an acceptable dissertation project. In addition to the College requirements, all candidates for the Ed.D. degree in Health Education must have fulfilled the equivalent of the requirements for the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Health Education. For those students entering the doctoral program with only a baccalaureate degree, the M.A. degree must be completed first. Those applicants who, at the time of admission to the program, do not present the equivalent of a master's thesis are required to prepare and present an acceptable essay or pre-doctoral project prior to, or during, the term in which 60 points of applicable graduate study have been completed.

      The program of study for the Doctor of Education degree in Health Education includes required courses, coursework in required areas, and elective courses. The exact program and sequence of study is determined by the previous academic preparation, professional experience, and professional career objectives of the student. A total of 90 points is required for the degree. Selection of courses that fulfill an area requirement in the program of study listed below is guided by the individual needs of the student and is not limited to those courses that are listed. A student who presents evidence of proficiency in those required courses or in an area of coursework required for the program may, at the discretion of the major advisor and upon approval of the department chair, select and substitute courses that represent more advanced study in the area in which the student has demonstrated competence, or additional preparation in other areas, in which the student’s preparation is less extensive. It should be noted that the point requirements indicated for each area of study given below are minimum requirements.

      Courses and Requirements

      MAJOR (45 Points)

      Introductory Core Courses (Required 15 Points)

      • HBSS 4100 Behavioral and Social Science Foundations of Health Education (3)

      • HBSS 4102 Principles of Epidemiology in Health Promotion (3)

      • HBSS 4118 Principles of Health-Related Behavioral and Social Change: Initiation to Maintenance (3)

      • HBSS 4114 Competency with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice (3)

      • HBSS 4160 Introduction to Biostatistics for Community Health Educators (3)

      Advanced Core Courses (Required 15 Points)

      • HBSS 5110 Determinants of Health Behavior (3)

      • HBSS 5111 Planning Health Education Programs (3)

      • HBSS 5112 Social Marketing and Health Communications (3)

      • HBSS 6100 Program Evaluation (3)

      • HBSS 6145 Health Psychology (3)

      Elective Courses (21 Points) to be selected from among:

      Select seven courses from the List of Options, above, under the M.A. degree description. However, note that for this degree HBSS 6100 and HBSS 6145 are required courses and not electives. There is variability with regard to the courses actually being offered within an academic year, so check the current semester’s course offerings.

      Broad and Basic Areas of Professional  Scholarship and Practice (9 Points)

      Nature of Education, Persons, and Learning Processes (6 points required): Students should take two courses approved by their advisor in learning theory, human development, or counseling pertaining to a population group of interest, such as the child, adolescent, adult, or older adult.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to, those offered by the Departments of:

      • Organization & Leadership (e.g., Program in Adult Learning and Leadership)

      • Counseling & Clinical Psychology (e.g., Program in Counseling Psychology)

      • Human Development (e.g., Developmental Psychology Programs)

      Communications, Computing and Instructional Technology and Media (3 points required): Students should take one course approved by their advisor in communications, computing or instructional technology and media.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to, those offered by the Department of:

      • Mathematics, Science & Technology (e.g., Program in Communication, Media, and Learning Technologies)

      Note on Options: Depending upon an individual student’s needs, the student’s advisor may approve a course selection from another Department.

      Potential Departments include:

      • Education Policy & Social Analysis

      • International & Transcultural Studies

      RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP AND INQUIRY: METHODS OF EVALUATION, STATISTICS, DISSERTATION PREPARATION (26 Points)

      General Research Methods (9 points required)

      Students should take courses selected in consultation with their advisor.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to:

      • HBSS 5040 Research Methods in Health and Behavior Studies I (3)

      • HUD 4120 Methods of Empirical Research (3)

      • ORLJ 4009 Understanding Behavioral Research (3)

      • ORLJ 5040 Research Methods in Social Psychology I (3)

      • ORLJ 5041 Research Methods in Social Psychology II (3)

      Measurement and Evaluation (6 points required)

      Students should take courses selected in consultation with their advisor.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to:

      • HUDM 4050 Introduction to Measurement (3)

      • ORL 5522 Evaluation Methods I (3)

      • ORL 5523 Evaluation Methods II--Seminar (3)

      • ORL 5524 Instrument Design and Validation (3)

      Statistics (6 Points required)

      Students should take courses selected in consultation with their advisor.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to:

      • HUDM 4122 Probability and Statistical Inference (3)

      • HUDM 5122 Applied Regression Analysis (3)

      • HUDM 5123 Linear Models and Experimental Design (3)

      • HUDM 6026 Statistical Treatment of Mass Data (3)

      Research Seminar and Preparation of the Dissertation (5 Points required)

      • HBSS 6510 Research Seminar in Health Education (3)

      • HBSS 7501 Dissertation Seminar in Health Education (2)

      • HBSS 8900 Dissertation Advisement in Health Education (0)

      Preparation for the Oral Defense of the Dissertation

      • HBSS 6520 Advanced Seminar for Doctoral Dissertation Data Analysis in Health Education (3)

      ELECTIVE COURSES, ADDITIONAL RESEARCH, OR INDEPENDENT STUDY (10 Points)

      Elective courses or additional research and independent study enable the student to develop a specialization in an area of interest pertaining to a practice setting and the populations specific to that setting (e.g., schools and children, hospitals and chronically ill adults, or workplaces and well adults), or may be used to develop additional preparation in a related professional area or one of the behavioral or social sciences underlying the practice of health education. Course work or other learning experiences are selected by the student in consultation with the major academic advisor, and may be taken in other departments at Teachers College or in other divisions of Columbia University with permission of the academic advisor.

      Recommended courses include, but are not limited to:

      • HBSS 6901 Research and independent study in health education (1-4)

      Note on Total Points/Credits for the Ed.D. Degree: Variability

      There may be variability in the total number of points/credits accumulated in each of the requisite categories shown above: i.e., 1) Major; 2) Broad and Basic Areas of Professional Scholarship and Practice; 3) Research, Scholarship and Inquiry: Methods of Evaluation, Statistics, Dissertation Preparation; and 4) Elective Courses, Additional Research, or Independent Study. This variability in points/credits in each of the requisite categories usually becomes apparent when the student and their advisor review and approve the student’s degree program plan, including approving any variability in the number of points/credits taken. The degree program plan is completed before the student takes the last 20 credits in the program and the Certification Examination. At the time of completion, the program plan will list all courses already taken at Teachers College, any credits transferred (up to 45 credits), and all courses to be taken (projecting into the future and up to the last semester of matriculation). Also, while the present document has listed (above) 45 points for the Major, on the program plan this number may vary (e.g. 50 credits) for Major, as well as for the other areas.For example, a student might accumulate 18, 22, 26 or more points for the category Research, Scholarship and Inquiry: Methods of Evaluation, Statistics, Dissertation Preparation. Thus, please consider the points indicated on the prior pages as a guide, given this variability.

      Additional Requirements

      In addition to the above minimum program requirements, students enrolled in the Program in Health Education are expected to fulfill requirements and achieve goals that transcend the completion of the requisite course work and other formal requirements for a degree. Although these additional requirements are difficult to precisely define, and the extent to which a student has fulfilled them equally difficult to evaluate, they are nevertheless recognized as being important in enabling the student to grow and develop both intellectually and professionally during the period of graduate study and afterward. These additional requirements include but are not limited to:

      • Demonstrating a willingness to attend and become actively involved in the breadth of departmental, college, and university functions (e.g., conferences, colloquia, centers, etc, which facilitate interaction with faculty and other students, and which have the potential to enrich the student’s intellectual and professional growth

        • For example, students may participate in the Center for Health Equity and Urban Science Education (CHEUSE). CHEUSE is co-directed by Professor Barbara Wallace, Director of the Program in Health Education and Dr. Christopher Emdin, Professor of Science Education (on leave). The CHEUSE is pioneering “HEALTH + HIP HOP”—as a new twenty-first century approach to school health, community health, and preparing youth for careers in the health sciences. CHEUSE advances multimedia education to foster health equity and academic achievement, including the dissemination of evidence-based curriculum content for purposes of disease prevention and health promotion, as well as to reduce/eliminate health disparities;

      • Developing the capacity to undertake the complex and challenging tasks associated with graduate study and other related learning experiences in such a manner that demonstrates the student’s intellectual discipline, including integrity, creativity, and innovativeness, as well as the student’s abilities to conceptualize at a high level, think critically, communicate effectively both orally and in writing, and provide leadership;

      • Demonstrating the ability to appreciate, relate to, and communicate with ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse individuals and groups of people who possess different personal, social, and cultural histories than one’s own;

      • Developing a strong sense of professional identity and commitment to professional affairs in or related to health education which are demonstrated through active membership in appropriate national, regional, or local professional organizations, and through participation in such activities as attending a professional meeting, presenting an abstract or a paper at professional meeting, or serving on a professional committee.

Faculty

  • Faculty

    • John P Allegrante Charles Irwin Lambert Professor of Health Education & Applied Educational Psychology
    • Charles E Basch Richard March Hoe Professor of Health and Education
    • Sonali Rajan Associate Professor of Health Education
    • Barbara C. Wallace Professor of Health Education
  • Emeriti

    • Kathleen Ann O'Connell Isabel Maitland Stewart Professor Emerita of Nursing Education
  • Lecturers

    • Ray Marks Lecturer
  • Adjunct Faculty

    • Ellyce Michelle Dipaola Adjunct Assistant Professor
    • Robert E Fullilove Adjunct Full Professor
    • Michelle Lisa Odlum Adjunct Assistant Professor
    • Katherine Jean Roberts Adjunct Full Professor

Courses

  • HBSS 4100 - Behavior & Social Science Foundations of Health Education
    Determinants of health; relationship between health and human behavior; the role of health education as a strategy in health promotion and disease prevention; selected issues and problems.
  • HBSS 4102 - Princip Epidemiology Hlth Prom
    Principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation; application of epidemiologic to prevention and control of disease, using health education.
  • HBSS 4110 - Children and Adolescent Health Issues
    Basic topics in promoting child and adolescent health; relationships between school, family, and community in promoting the health status of school-age children.
  • HBSS 4111 - Addictions and dependencies
    Social-Psychological, cultural, clinical, and pharmacological factors associated with the use of psychoactive drug s and other compulsive behaviors.
  • HBSS 4112 - Social policy and prevention
    Analysis of current national health policy, its social, economic, and political determinants, and implications for health education.
  • HBSS 4113 - Human sexuality education
    Explore human sexuality from a variety of perspectives; explore students' own attitudes about human sexuality and how they affect them personally and professionally; examine methods of teaching and designing sexuality education programs.
  • HBSS 4114 - Competence with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice
    Health status, needs, and problems of multicultural populations in urban environments and sensitivity to these issues in effective programs.
  • HBSS 4116 - Health Education for Teachers
    This course reviews the critical health issues that affect the well-being of youths today, emphasizing the practical aspects of child health that are mandated for teaching certification, including the following: reporting child abuse; preventing school violence; and promoting respect and dignity for all students. Students who take an online section of this course must also take an additional three-hour in-person workshop to meet the Dignity For All Students Act (DASA) requirement for teacher certification.
  • HBSS 4117 - HIV/AIDS epidemiology and education
    The role of schools, parents, and communities in educating youth about AIDS and human sexuality; review of methods and resource materials for providing such education; consideration of controversial issues surrounding these topics.
  • HBSS 4118 - Principles of Health Related Behavioral and Social Change: Initiation to Maintenance
    The course covers numerous principles to guide health related behavioral change, as well as social change--including on the individual, organizational, national and global levels. Introductory principles are covered that are rooted in theory and techniques for initiating and maintaining change for a variety of addictive and problem behaviors, including a focus on the stages of change, motivational interviewing, and relapse prevention. Additional principles are key to guiding social change, for designing leadership, resolving conflicts, and collaborating with partners on strategies for change.
  • HBSS 4121 - Death education
    Designed to increase awareness/insight of the multidimensional aspects of death, dying, and bereavement. Gain skills as health care professionals in dealing with death, its causes, treatment of life-threatening illness, including AIDS, suicide, and violent death. Explore customs across cultures, afterlife beliefs, near-death experiences, and ethical issues.
  • HBSS 4122 - Women's health
    Explore biologic and environmental influences on women's health risks and disease. Additionally, students will acquire knowledge to evaluate clinical studies in the literature and gain basic understanding of the process of planning and developing women's health promotion programs.
  • HBSS 4123 - Violence Prevention and "All Hazards" Preparedness
    This course covers the nature and prevention of invisible and covert, as well as visible and overt violence, including intrapersonal, interpersonal, family, community, gang, school, societal, and international manifestations.
  • HBSS 4160 - Introduction to Biostatistics For Community Health Education
    This course provides an introduction to the field of biostatistics and the application of statistics to health education and community health data. This course covers the collection, storage, retrieval, analysis, and interpretation of health data; design and analysis of health-related surveys and experiments; concepts essential to statistical data analysis; and the practice of statistical data analysis. Details on hypothesis testing, normality, and types of error are incorporated into several of the lessons. Research methodology (i.e., study design, data collection) and data management skills are also taught. Applications of these concepts to health education and community health data are used throughout the course. The overall goals of this course are to foster a comprehensive understanding of basic data collection and analysis methods used in health education and community health research and to help students become more comfortable working with and managing data in SPSS.
  • HBSS 4161 - Environmental Health
    This course provides an introduction to the field of environmental health, while focusing upon those environmental factors that affect the health of communities - including biological, physical, and chemical factors. The relationship between the natural and built environments on human health are focused upon. In addition, the course incorporates the use of case studies and current peer-reviewed literature in the field of environmental health to promote knowledge acquisition. Health education curriculum and program development processes are incorporated into the course as well.
  • HBSS 4901 - Research and independent study in health education
    Permission required. Research and independent study under faculty direction. Proposals must have prior approval of a faculty member.
  • HBSS 5000 - Health promotion in higher education
    This course will explore the complex issues and challenges facing those working to enhance the quality of student health and student learning at college and universities.
  • HBSS 5040 - Research methods in health and behavior studies I
    Introduction to research, study designs, and data collection methods in research in health and behavior studies, including nursing, nutrition, and health education with emphasis on reading and understanding research literature.
  • HBSS 5110 - Determinants of health behavior
    Theory-based analysis of the cultural, social-psychological, and social-structural determinants of health-related behaviors; implications for planned change at individual, small-group, and community levels.
  • HBSS 5111 - Planning health education programs
    Process of developing social, epidemiological, behavioral, and educational diagnoses; principles of planning, implementing, and evaluating health education interventions.
  • HBSS 5112 - Social marketing and health communications
    This course provides a detailed study of social marketing and health communication efforts and their role at facilitating behavior changes at both an individual and community-wide level. Students in this course will learn how to use peer-reviewed research and key social marketing principles to develop a comprehensive and effective social marketing campaign; learn how to target health communication efforts towards specific audiences and via varied channels of distribution; understand the role of social media and technology in facilitating/influencing behavior changes; study current examples of successful social marketing initiatives; use data analytic tools to inform changes to a campaign; discuss the ethics surrounding health communication and social marketing efforts. The course incorporates reviews of current research being conducted on social marketing and health communication efforts on a range of health issues and across different communities.
  • HBSS 5113 - Community health analysis and intervention
    Survey and analysis of concepts, issues, strategies, and methods relevant to community health analysis and intervention.
  • HBSS 5408 - Practicum in individual health advisement
    Individual and small group practice in the application of basic principles of counseling in the area of health problems.
  • HBSS 5410 - Practicum in health education
    The course meets requirements of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) by providing an opportunity for students to gain practical skills via field work or internships. This practicum course provides students with a culminating experience that is central to our mission. More specifically, the mission of the M.S. Degree Program in Community Health Education is to address the health of the public through the preparation of specialists in health education who focus on the community as the setting for analysis, assessment, program planning, intervention, evaluation, and research. Varied structures, institutions, organizations, and agencies in the community setting--including schools, hospitals, clinics, worksites, and non-profits--are engaged in collaborative relationships for the purposes of fulfilling the mission. Thus, the practicum course specifically ensures that students have a supervised experience in a community setting where they are engaged in a collaborative relationship with a supervisor, staff, and selected consumers within that setting. The intention is to ensure that M.S. degree students have received well rounded preparation for professional careers as health education specialists through a supervised experience across 180 hours within a setting of their choice; this may be a setting aligned with their goals for professional development and future employment. Of note, M.A. degree students are also welcome to participate in optional fieldwork vis this course.
  • HBSS 5710 - Supervised teaching in health education
    Permission required. Advance registration required in the semester prior to taking the course. Supervised health teaching in a school. Essay required at end of teaching experience.
  • HBSS 5800 - Health Disparities Research Conference
    This two day, spring semester, weekend conference event exposes participants to 1) potentially new knowledge with regard to the variety of evidence-based approaches to reducing health disparities; 2) attitudes/beliefs so multicultural sensitivity/competence begins to replace socially conditioned stereotypes that threaten interpersonal communication/interaction during service delivery/research/teaching; and, 3) skills for deployment of culturally appropriate behaviors that aim to reduce disparities.
  • HBSS 6100 - Program Evaluation
    Theory, methods, and problems of measurement and evaluation; standards for evaluation of health, education, and related social programs; skills in critical evaluation of research and evaluation reports.
  • HBSS 6145 - Health psychology
    Topics include social learning theory, attribution, and attitudes as they apply to health promotion, disease prevention, reactions to illness, and adherence to treatment regimens.
  • HBSS 6500 - Doctoral Certification Preparation

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  • HBSS 6510 - Research seminar in health education
    Permission required. Review of research literature, methods, and problems in health education.
  • HBSS 6901 - Research and independent study in health education
    Permission required. Open to matriculated doctoral students. Research and independent study under faculty direction. Proposals must have prior approval of a faculty member.
  • HBSS 7501 - Dissertation seminar in health education
    Permission required. Open to certified doctoral candidates only. Development and presentation of doctoral dissertation proposals.
  • HBSS 8900 - Dissertation advisement in health education
    Permission required. Doctoral candidates only. Individual advisement on doctoral dissertations.
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