HEALTH PROMOTION

 

Department of Health Behavior and Administration

Bernhard 225

704-687-2957

http://www.health.uncc.edu/dept/HBA

 

Degree

M.S., Graduate Certificate

 

Coordinator

Michael Thompson, Assistant Professor

 

Graduate Faculty

Linda Berne, Professor Emeritus

Larissa Brunner, Assistant Professor

Robert Buchanan, Professor

Jessica Hartos, Assistant Professor

Andrew Harver, Professor

William J. McAuley, Professor

Lutchmie Narine, Associate Professor

Gerald Pyle, Professor Emeritus

Michael Thompson, Assistant Professor

Jennifer Troyer, Assistant Professor

Jan Warren-Findlow, Assistant Pforessor

 

Adjunct Faculty

John E. Barkley, Adjunct Assistant Professor

Deborah S. Bosley, Adjunct Associate Professor

William Brandon, Adjunct Professor

Jacek Dmochowski, Adjunct Associate Professor

Ruth L. Greene, Adjunct Professor

Sonya R. Hardin, Associate Professor

Rosemarie Tong, Adjunct Professor

 

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN HEALTH PROMOTION

 

The Master of Science in Health Promotion enables students to become health promotion specialists by fulfilling the basic requirements of the MS along with specialty courses to match students' interests. The series of core courses and selection of a specialty (clinical exercise physiology or  community health promotion) provide experiences useful for employment in a variety of settings such as health related agencies and organizations, hospitals, health departments, worksite wellness programs, fitness centers, and insurance companies.

 

Additional Admissions Requirements

1)       Acceptable scores on the Miller Analogies Test or GRE.

2)       Undergraduate GPA that demonstrates potential for successful graduate work

3)       Undergraduate statistics course and a health-related course are required for all students.

 

Degree Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 42 semester hours of graduate credit including 18 hours of core courses, 9 hours from a chosen concentration (either practitioner or researcher), and 15 hours in a content specialty area.

 

Assistantships

Positions as a research assistant or teaching assistant may be available. Grant funded assistantships may be available as well. Students seeking assistantships should contact the Office Assistant assigned for the Department of Health Behavior and Administration.

 

Internships

Students needing field experiences may elect an internship course which provides 100 or more hours in a field placement.

 

Core Courses

HLTH6189    Epidemiology (3)

HLTH6120    Philosophy and Practice of Health Promotion (3)

HLTH6141    Health Promotion Administration (3)

HLTH6143    Behavior Change in Health Promotion (3)

HLTH6222    Health Promotion Analysis (3)

NURS6160     Research Methods in Nursing and Health Professions (3)

 

Concentrations (9 hours) (Select ONE concentration)

Practitioner Concentration

HLTH6145    Health Promotion Planning and Evaluation (3 credits)

HLTH6250    Methods of Health Promotion and Education (3 credits)

HLTH6886    Health Promotion Project (3 credits)

Research Concentration

HLTH6223    Advance Data Analysis in Health Promotion (3 credits)

HLTH6224    Health Promotion Measurement (3 credits)

HLTH6900    Research and Thesis in Health Promotion (3 credits)

 

Specialty Area Descriptions

Specialty Areas (15 hours) (Select ONE specialty area)

 

Community Health Promotion

HLTH6160    Community Health (3 hours)

HLTH5128    Environmental Health (3 hours)

HLTH5126    Adolescent Sexuality (3 hours)

HLTH5122    Drugs and Society (3 hours)

HLTH6279    International Health (3 hours)

 

Capstone Experiences

Near the completion of the program of study, each student is required to select either a health promotion project or research thesis that demonstrates a contribution to professional practice or knowledge through systematic evaluation or investigation. The student is responsible for organizing a committee of three faculty members (and an outside community person if appropriate) to supervise, monitor and evaluate the project or thesis.

 

Advising

Upon acceptance into the program, an academic advisor is assigned to each student. Students are expected to meet with their advisors on a regular basis to plan their progression through their program of study. Any course substitution must be approved by the academic advisor.

 

Research Opportunities/Experiences

A range of research opportunities exist in the Department of Health Behavior and Administration and in the Department of Kinesiology for qualified students.

 

Tuition Waivers

Tuition waivers are available with some grant-funded assistantships.

 

Financial Aid/Financial Assistance

A wide range of opportunities for financial aid/assistance is available to qualifying students, which may be accessed through the financial aid office.  See the financial information section of this graduate catalog for more information on the opportunities that are available, and how to contact the financial aid office.

 

Program Certifications/Accreditations

Completion of the clinical exercise physiology specialty qualifies the graduate to take the Clinical Exercise Physiology Registry Examination (RCEP) administered by the American College of Sports Medicine.

 

Upon completion of the degree in health promotion, graduates are eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) national certification examination administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

 

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION

 

The Graduate Certificate Program in Community Health Promotion contributes to the preparation of a range of community and public health practitioners to plan for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) national exam. It also serves to increase the skills and knowledge of public health practitioners in selected content areas and in emerging global health issues. Completion of this certificate does not provide admission to the M.S. program.

 

Admission Requirements

Students are admitted to the Graduate School in a special category for certificate programs. See general information on admission to graduate certificate programs elsewhere in this Catalog.

 

Certificate Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Community Health Promotion requires 15 hours in the following approved courses: HLTH 5122 (Drugs and Society), HLTH 5126 (Adolescent Sexuality and Family Life Education), HLTH 5128 (Environmental Health: A Global Perspective), HLTH 6160 (Community Health), and HLTH 6279 (International Health).

 

Transfer Credit

Transfer credits are not accepted in the Certificate program.

 

Courses in Health Promotion

HLTH 5120. Mental and Emotional Well-being. (3) Examines mental and emotional health from the perspective of the health educator’s role as facilitator of mental and emotional wellness (2 year cycle)

 

HLTH 5122. Drugs and Society. (3) Teaching methodology, knowledge and skills for affecting appropriate behaviors through the study of use, misuse and abuse of natural and synthetic chemicals in today’s society (On demand)

 

HLTH 5124. Safety Through the Life Span. (3) Prerequisite: Consent of the department. Introduction to accident/injury prevention emphasizing personal responsibility for health care with a focus on psycho-social development and a wellness approach to safety management (On demand)

 

HLTH 5126. Adolescent Sexuality and Family Life Education. (3) Designed for teachers, counselors, school nurses, administrators and others responsible for family life education programs in school, with focus on adolescent sexuality issues. (2 year cycle Summer)

 

HLTH 5128. Environmental Health: A Global Perspective. (3) Teaching methodology, knowledge and skills for affecting appropriate health behaviors through study of the causes and effects of contemporary environmental problems. (On demand)

 

HLTH 5130. Applied Nutrition for Today’s Consumer. (3) Principles of nutrition, dietary guidelines, dietary relationships to diseases and health, special populations, computerized dietary analysis. (2 year cycle) (Same as KNES 5130)

 

HLTH 5136. Health Product and Service Consumerism. (3) Teaching methodology, knowledge and skills for affecting appropriate health behaviors through emphasis on the individual consumer at the health marketplace. (On demand)

 

HLTH 5299. Epidemiology. (3) Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Traditional aspects of epidemiology, including practical disease concepts, epidemiological measures of health status, mortality and morbidity rates and ratios, descriptive statistics, research design, cohort studies, case-control studies, and prospective and retrospective analysis. (Fall)

 

HLTH 6120. Philosophy and Practice in Health Promotion. (3) Philosophies, modalities and arenas of practice in health promotion; role delineation, professional development, advocacy and ethics. (Fall)

 

HLTH 6141. Health Promotion Administration. (3) Management and leadership, strategic planning, grant proposal. (On demand)

 

HLTH 6143. Behavior Change in Health Promotion. (3) Assessment and modification of health behaviors. (Spring)

 

HLTH 6145. Health Promotion Planning and Evaluation. (3) Designing, implementing and evaluating health promotion/education programs within work site, school and community settings. (Fall)

 

HLTH 6151. Coordinating the School Health Education Program. (3) Examines the school health education program from the perspective of the school health education coordinator. (On demand)

 

HLTH 6153. Worksite Health Promotion. (3) Prerequisite: consent of the instructor. An exploration of the practices of promoting health in various settings for a variety of consumers. (Yearly)

 

HLTH 6155. Health Risk Reduction and Disease Prevention. (3) Personal/professional management of risk factors and lifestyle intervention processes for leading causes of mortality and morbidity. (On demand)

 

HLTH 6160. Community Health. (3) The nature and delineation of communities as social systems; principles and practices relevant to community health. (Yearly)

 

HLTH 6189. Community Epidemiology. (3) Principles and methods of epidemiology including definitions and models of health, illness and disease; modes of transmission of clinically important infectious agents; risk factors and chronic diseases; and insights into existing studies and paradigms of health promotion and disease prevention. (Same as HADM 6103) (Spring)

 

HLTH 6222. Health Promotion Analysis. (3) The purpose of this course is to teach students data analysis techniques used in the health professions. Students will understand data in terms of proper analysis techniques, perform various types of data analyses using various software applications, interpret results, and communicate results orally and in writing. (Spring)

 

HLTH 6223. Advanced Data Analysis in Health Promotion. (3) Prerequisite: HLTH 6222. The purpose of this course is to educate students on advanced statistical and data analysis techniques used in health professions. Additionally, this course is designed to increase students’ ability to use health related computer software. (Every 2 years)

 

HLTH 6224. Health Promotion Measurement. (3) Prerequisite: HLTH 6222: The purpose of this course is to educate students on applied measurement techniques used in the health sciences. The skills obtained from this course will be useful in health related program evaluations, testing of models of health theories, development of health surveys, health needs assessments. It includes an exploration of methods of establishing reliability and validity estimates as modeled by Classical Test Theory, Item Response Theory, and through the use of Structural Equation Modeling with Health Theories. (Every 2 years)

 

HLTH 6250. Methods in Health Promotion and Education. (3) Core requisite: HLTH 6120, HLTH 6143, or permission of instructor. Instructional pedagogy and health promotion methods based on the ecological model of health including strategies directed at policy, community, institutional, inter-and intra-personal levels. (Fall)

 

HLTH 6279. International Health. (3)  Principles and methods of studying international health, including historical background, sources and problems associated with health data, the social context, the role of government and non- government agencies, health in relation to environment and development, international health projects, defining the international health sector, infectious disease problems, and the practice of international health. (Every 2 years)

 

HLTH 6471. Seminar and Internship in Health Education. (1-6) Prerequisites: Completion of 12 or more graduate credit hours in health education and permission of the health promotion program coordinator. Supervised practice in health education. May be repeated for a different seminar and internship. Offered only on a Pass/No Credit basis. (Fall, Spring, Summer)

 

HLTH 6886. Health Promotion Project. (3) Prerequisite: completion of 36 hours toward the Health Promotion Master of Science Degree. A capstone synthesis course in which candidate applies needs assessments, program planning, implementing, and evaluation skills to a problem or an opportunity in a community health promotion setting with a target population. (Every semester) (Same as KNES 6886)

 

HLTH 6899. Problems and Topics in Health. (1-6) Topics and special problems related to issues, practices or sufficient trends in health promotion. Institutes, workshops, seminars and independent studies. (Fall, Spring, Summer)

 

HLTH 6900. Research and Thesis in Health Promotion. (3) Prerequisite: Satisfactory completion of NURS 6160; completion of at least 24 hours of graduate program; consent of instructor overseeing thesis research. Design, implementation, presentation, and evaluation of an approved research project in student’s specialty area. The applied project is of the student’s own design under the supervision of an advisor and graduate committee. Graded Pass/No Credit only. (Every semester) (Same as KNES 6900)

 

HLTH 7999. Masters Degree Graduate Residence. (1) (Fall, Spring, Summer)