Community Health Promotion
So you want to pursue a career as a Health Educator ...
Community health promotion is a great major for students who want to pursue a career as a health educator. This major explores the psychosocial aspects of people's behavior and lifestyles. Being a health educator gives you the opportunity to help people change their lives in a positive way.
The community health promotion major allows our students to study how the body functions to help understand human behavior. Our main focus with our community health promotion major is on preventive care. Preventive care is an avenue to encourage people to choose healthy life choices.
Preventive care is one of the fastest-growing sectors for employment. Preventive care is in demand is because it is one of the cheapest forms of health care. Our students will work in government agencies at all levels and nonprofit and community outreach programs. This is a great avenue for students who have the desire to teach, but who do not necessarily want to work in a typical classroom setting.
A three-credit internship required during which the student will spend 135 hours interning in a public health agency. Faculty will help students find their internship. During the internship, students are required to learn and implement a new program with their agency.
Internship sites have included:
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Schmeiding Center
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American Heart Association
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American Red Cross
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Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
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Prevention Resource Center
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Hope
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Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
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Apple SEED Inc.
Students majoring in community health promotion may seek certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist http://www.nchec.org/. This certification prepares students with a skill set that ensures competency in the health education field and commitment to continue professional development.