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M.Ed. in Health Education (Non-Thesis)

The Master's Program in Health Education is designed to train skilled practitioners and researchers to design, implement, and evaluate interventions that promote health and prevent disease. The Masters Program is grounded in the Responsibilities and Competencies for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) developed by the National Center for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC, www.nchec.org). Students completing the masters program in health education are qualified to sit for the exam to be a Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES).

Program Foundation

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree is designed to assure that graduates are fully competent practitioners of health education. This degree provides students with opportunities to (1) develop a working knowledge of the literature of health education (including documentation of the history, competing philosophies, prominent theories, and evidence-based practice of health education), (2) develop skills to read and apply research relevant to health education, and (3) prepare for professional leadership in the field. It is important to note that those students seeking a master's degree in Health who come from another field of study should plan to take courses in preparation for graduate study in health education.

These may be undergraduate courses in health or related areas that were not taken during baccalaureate work. The number of hours will be determined after transcripts have been reviewed by the Graduate Committee.

The following key concepts provide the philosophical foundation of a graduate education experience.

• The M.Ed. degree program requires interaction with an accomplished group of professional health educators (the graduate faculty), the study of a unique body of knowledge (the health education/health promotion literature), and an understanding of a core set of books and journal articles (a selected required reading list).
• The M.Ed. degree program is based on a set of core responsibilities and competencies set forth by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (A Competency-Based Framework for Graduate-Level Health Educators, 2006).
• The M.Ed. degree program is a practitioner oriented degree, but requires competence as a researcher.
• The M.Ed. degree program facilitates the development of a competitive scholastic and professional portfolio for students.

Expectations

All coursework and structured educational experiences of the M.Ed. program are designed to provide students the opportunity to develop skills and competencies as health education and health promotion professionals. Master's students are expected to:

• Work closely with faculty who are knowledgeable and engaged in health education scholarship.
• Develop competence in designing, implementing and evaluating theory-based health education interventions.
• Become professionally involved in Health Education professional associations.

The Course of Study

The masters program in health education requires 36 semester hours of coursework. Please consult the Texas A&M Graduate Catalog for specific requirements for the non-thesis option.

The masters program in health education requires students to complete a block of core courses (The Health Education Core) and elective coursework. Decisions on elective coursework are determined by the student in concert with his or her advisor and are based on the students' professional interest and career goals. The Health Education Core classes are as follows:

M.Ed. in Health Education

(Non-Thesis)

	Health Education Core
Course Title	Course Description	Credit Hours
Total Hours		18
HLTH 605	Health Research Methods	3
HLTH 609	Applied Epidemiology	3
HLTH 611	Organization & Administration of Health Programs	3
HLTH 630	Health Program Planning	3
HLTH 635	Health Program Evaluation	3
HLTH 639	Behavioral Foundations of Health Education	3
	Practicum Component
Total Hours		3
HLTH 684	Professional Internship (Education-based setting)	3
	Electives
Total Hours		15
	Any Health Education Graduate Courses	9
	Any Graduate Courses	6
Minimum Hours Required for Degree		36

Master Degree Specializations

Students may choose to pursue one of the eight masters level specialty areas. Each specialty area requires the same 21 hours of core courses and provides a list of additional courses germane to each specialty. The eight specialty areas are:

• College/University Health Education
• Community Health Education
• Corporate/Worksite Health Promotion
• Health Communication
• Health Information Technology
• Health Program Evaluation
• Minority Health Promotion
• Safety Education