Program description


The Department of Health Science offers a Master of Arts in Health Studies. This program is tailored to train Health Promotion professionals to design, implement and evaluate interventions to foster behaviors conducive to health. All of our graduate programs are theory-driven and based on related research findings. Completion of the Master of Arts Program qualifies students to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. The CHES certification, offered by NCHEC, is the only mechanism for demonstrating competence in Health Education in the US. Students interested in the Distance MA program should contact us at 205-348-9087

Program Guidelines: This 30 semester hours program has a core of 18 credit hours of required coursework and requires an additional 12 credit hours of electives. This Masters program is via distance education.

**Students may transfer 12 graduate credit hours into the program (subject to advisor approval) or take a minimum of 12 credit hours of electives, independent study, or fieldwork courses from UA. Transfer credits can be no older than 6 years from the date the student graduates from UA.

Other applicable guidelines include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Students need to be aware of and adhere to guidelines established by The University of Alabama′s Graduate School.
  • Students should select courses and plan a course of study in consultation with their faculty advisor.
  • Students need to select either the thesis or non-thesis option after the completion of 12 semester hours of coursework.
  • Students are required to earn a minimum of 30 semester hours for degree completion.

Required Courses (18 hours)

  • HHE 515: Advances in Health Science
  • HHE 520: Health Behavior
  • HHE 530: Health Promotion Techniques
  • HHE 565: Organization and Implementation of Health Promotion Programs
  • HHE 566: Evaluation of Health Education and Promotion
  • HHE 506: Techniques of Research

Elective Courses (12 hours minimum)

Acceptable support courses include but are not limited to:
  • BEP 561: Social and Cultural Basis of Behavior
  • BEP 565: Personality and Social Development
  • BER 540: Statistical Methods in Education
  • BSP 500: Intro to School Psychology
  • CHS 500: Rural Environ/Occup Health
  • CHS 525: Biostatistics
  • HCM 573: Survey Issues in Health Care Management
  • HCM 577: Ambulatory Care
  • HCM 576: Long-Term Care
  • HD 501: Child Development
  • HD 512: Adult Development
  • HHE 504: Health Counseling
  • HHE 526: Biostatistics
  • NHM 532: Advanced Nutrition Counseling and Education
  • NHM 561: Advanced Nutrition
  • NHM 569: Advanced Community Nutrition
  • NHM 557: Childhood Obesity (Summer only)
  • NHM 648: Secondary Analysis of Survey Data (summer only)
  • WS 579: Gender Race Class Cross Culture

Comprehensive Examinations

All students are required to pass a six hour written comprehensive examination that addresses the content of the six core courses in order to obtain their Master of Arts degree. This exam is proctored and students may not use any outside resources. Each one of the two parts of the exam is graded as “passed”, “passed with contingency”, or “failed”. Sections “passed with contingency” require additional work before the contingency can be lifted. Failed sections must be retaken. Failed sections can only be retaken once.