Public Health Education - Bachelor of Science Degree

Program Description

The goal of the Public Health Education program is the professional preparation of entry level public health educators who will be able to assess, plan, implement, evaluate and administer a broad range of health promotion and disease prevention programs, and serve as health resource persons and health advocates for individuals, groups and communities.

The public health education program prepares entry-level health educators who are able to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate a broad range of health promotion and disease prevention programs among a community’s diverse population. Knowledge of public health education is achieved through a multi-discipline study of the physical and natural sciences, education, psychology, sociology, and community/public health. Practice-based skills, such as the ability to organize, assess, implement, and evaluate public health education programs, are integral components of a carefully designed program.

Majors become oriented to the profession of public health education by the completion of a 12-credit full-time internship during their senior year. The University’s public health education program is the only program in New Jersey approved by the Society for Public Health Education/American Association of Health Education Baccalaureate Program Approval Committee (SABPAC).

Graduates are eligible to take the national examination to become Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES). Click here for information on the CHES Exam.

Career Opportunities

Employment opportunities in health education/public health are increasing in number and diversity. As our population grows older, as environmental hazards become apparent and as technology offers new ways of prolonging life, health promotion will continue to be a growth field well into the twenty-first century. Upon completion of the Public Health Education program, students have a solid foundation for graduate study in public health, health administration, environmental studies, and social work. Most students begin their professional careers immediately after graduation. Public health education specialists find employment in community health centers, hospital-based community health education departments, family service agencies, nursing homes, AIDS education programs, private schools, local, state, and federal agencies, health maintenance organizations, to name a few. Examples of employment sites of recent graduates include: