(MPH) Degree Program in Health Education & Promotion (Main Campus & Online)

Program Description

The Department of Health Science offers a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program in Health Education & Promotion. The program is offered both on campus and through a distance education format (online). The 42 credit hour MPH program provides a high-quality, student-oriented, and health equity focused curriculum developed to deliver core public health competencies that emphasize the application of health education & promotion. The curriculum offers education in the foundational areas of public health (health behavior, environmental health, epidemiology, biostatistics, and health services administration) and is tailored to train health promotion professionals to plan, implement, and evaluate programs to promote individual and population-based health. For more information, contact the MPH Program Coordinator: Dr. Leah Tompkins, letompkins@ua.edu, (205) 348-8366.

Program Formats

Students may apply to complete the MPH in Health Education & Promotion program through one of two formats.

• Campus (traditional face-to-face format)
• Online (distance education format)

Application Deadlines

• Fall semester deadline: July 15th
• Spring semester deadline: November 15th
• Summer semester deadline: April 15th

Required Courses (36 Credit hours)

• HES 509: Research Methods
• HHE 512: Advanced Foundations of Public Health
• HHE 515: Advanced Foundations of Health Promotion
• HHE 520: Theories of Health Behavior
• HHE 521: Basic Epidemiology
• HHE 526: Biostatistics
• HHE 530: Health Promotion Techniques
• HHE 565: Planning Health Promotion Programs
• HHE 566: Program Evaluation in Health Promotion
• HHE 580: Applied Practice Experience I
• HHE 581: Applied Practice Experience II
• HHE 586: Environmental Health Promotion
• HHE 587: Health Disparities

Elective Courses* (6 Credit Hours)

• HHE 570: Critical Issues in Global Health
• HHE 588: Sex Ed: Theory & Practice
• HHE 589: Women and Health
• HHE 590: Certified Health Education Specialist Study
• HHE 596: Independent Study
• *Other courses with approval

Applied Practice Experience

Master of Public Health students must complete an experiential learning requirement known as the Applied Practice Experience (APE) in order to graduate. The APE is intended to provide students with the opportunity to gain real-world public health experience at the public health organization of their choice under the guidance of a public health professional.

The APE consists of two courses:

• HHE 580 Applied Practice Experience I (1 hour)
  • In HHE 580, students locate the site where they want to complete their APE and a professional employed at the site to serve as their Preceptor (site supervisor). Students complete a planning process, including product and competency selection, to establish their APE for the next semester while enrolled in HHE 581. HHE 580 also requires completion of several preparatory assignments to ensure students are set to start HHE 581 in the following semester.
• HHE 581 Applied Practice Experience II (2 hours)
  • In HHE 581, students fully engage in their APE and begin their 75 hours of hands-on experiential learning and their two approved products. Students must complete related assignments as well as receive evaluations of their APE performance from their Preceptor as part of HHE 581.

Certifications

Upon program completion, students are eligible to take two national exams for professional certification: Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam and the Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam.

Graduation Requirements

MPH students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, complete and pass the Applied Practice Experience requirements, and pass all courses (36 credit hours of required courses and 6 credit hours of elective courses).

Admission Criteria

An applicant to the program should have an undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, or a GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework, or a GPA of 3.0 in a graduate program. Applicants will also need to submit three letters of recommendation, a resume, a statement of purpose, and a video. Additional graduate school requirements may apply. Please review the criteria specified by the Graduate School (https://graduate.ua.edu/) and reach out to the Graduate Program Coordinator at letompkins@ua.edu for more details on applying.

Program Accreditation