Program description

The Department of Health Science offers a Master’s 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. Designed for eventual Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation, 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 choose to complete the M.P.H. in health Education & Promotion program through one of two formats.
  • Campus (traditional face-to-face format)
  • Online (distance education format)

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 588: Sex Ed: Theory & Practice
  • HHE 589: Women and Health
  • HHE 590: Certified Health Education Specialist Study
  • HHE 596: Independent Study
  • HHE 599: Thesis Research
  • HHE 596: Independent Study
  • HHE 596: Service Learning in Health Education/Promotion
  • Other courses with approval*


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.

ADMISSION CRITERIA

An applicant to the program should have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, or a GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of coursework, or a GPA of 3.0 in a master's degree program. Three letters of recommendation, a resume, and a statement of purpose should be submitted. 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.

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).