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Master of Public Health

Concentration of Study in Community Health

Education

Welcome to a Community Health Education program which achieved an historical first.  In 1969 the Master of Science Degree with a major in public health education at The University of Tennessee was accredited by the committee on professional education of the American Public Health Association.  It became the Nation’s first public health education program outside a school of public health setting to be accredited.  As the program has evolved into the current MPH degree with a concentration in Community Health Education (CHE), the exciting focus on education of individuals and communities to motivate behavioral modification for healthier lives has continued.
The Joint Terminology Committee in 2001 defined the health education field as professional practice that uses multidisciplinary theories along with behavioral and organizational change principles to plan, implement, and evaluate interventions that enable individuals, groups, and communities to achieve personal, environmental, and social health.  Students who choose to study Community Health Education at UT develop skills and have experiences related to the ten nationally recognized responsibilities for health educators.

A health educator is an individual prepared professionally to serve in a variety of roles.  The health educator is specifically trained to use appropriate educational strategies and methods to facilitate the development of policies, procedures, interventions, and systems conducive to the health of individuals, groups, and communities.  There are a variety of settings in which a health educator may practice. Examples include, but are not limited to:  communities, schools, post-secondary educational institutions, mental health agencies, public health agencies, governmental agencies, environmental agencies, rehabilitation centers, professional associations, work sites (both business and industry), medical care institutions, and voluntary health agencies or non-governmental organizations.

Some of the most rewarding jobs in public health are filled by Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES).  In addition to being professionally prepared as a health educator, a person with CHES is credentialed after demonstrating competency based on criteria established by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC).  Students completing UT's MPH degree with a concentration in Community Health Education are well-prepared to take the CHES exam.  The rate of successful completion of the exam by UT graduates is highly encouraging.

In addition to the required foundation courses for completion of the MPH degree, CHE students take three required concentration courses and select related electives, which prepare them for responsibilities as community health educators.  The initial course, Principles and Practices of Community Health Education, introduces students to the theoretical foundations and settings for community health education and offers opportunities for skill development, such as the design and implementation of a media advocacy project.  In the second course, Community Health Problem Solving, students practice their skills in a community setting, working with public health practitioners to plan, implement and evaluate programs.  A third course is Research Methods in Health.  In this course, students use quantitative and qualitative methods in research designs and describe the application of research results.

Community Health Education Concentration Courses:

MPH Core Courses (MPH Core Courses must be completed by all concentrations)

550      Principles and Practices of Community Health Education  (3)  Theoretical foundations for community health education; opportunities for skill development in variety of educational processes; and introduction to community health analysis.  Fall

552      Community Health Problem Solving  (4)  Dynamics of community organization, community needs assessment, educational interventions, and application of program planning and evaluation techniques.  Opportunity to practice skills in realistic setting.  Prereq:  PH 550 or consent of instructor.  Spring
           
590      Research Methods in Health  (3)  Basic research techniques in variety of health settings. Development of research skills and problem identification for research topic.  Spring, Summer

Related Electives (9)

Professional Skills Development:

587-88  Internship (3, 3)  Internship (community health education) in either approved organizational or research setting under supervision of designated preceptor.  Prereq:  MPH major, one semester advance notice and consent of major advisor.  589 credit available only for approved extended placements.  S/NC only.  Fall, Spring, Summer

Non-degree students must obtain permission from the director fo the MPH Program to register fo public health courses.

NOTE:  Actual schedule may change.  The listed courses reflect the usual semester offered.

Community Health Education students culminate their learning experiences with an internship, which is an opportunity to use skills as a health education specialist with mentoring by a preceptor practicing in the field.  Graduate students, in concert with their academic advisor, assess their career aspirations and review previous public health experiences.  Based on identified professional needs, a placement is selected for each student's nine week internship that optimizes the opportunity for growth and further skill development.  Examples of settings in which UT's Community Health Education students have completed internships include health departments, state and federal health agencies, nonprofit voluntary health organizations, hospitals, corporate wellness centers, population-specific health delivery service organizations, and disease-specific health advocacy groups.

By the time of graduation, the community health education student is expected to have developed the following competencies:

  • Obtain health related data about social and cultural environments, growth and development factors, needs, and interests.
  • Design educational programs consistent with specified program objectives.
  • Exhibit competence in carrying out planned educational programs.
  • Develop plans to assess achievement of program objectives.
  • Formulate practical modes of collaboration among health agencies and organizations.
  • Select effective educational resource materials for dissemination.
  • Interpret concepts, purposes, and theories of health education.
  • Use appropriate qualitative and quantitative research methods.
  • Analyze the organization’s culture in relationship to program goals.
  • Assume the responsibility for advancing the professi

Note: The selected competencies were taken from “A Competency-Based Framework for   Professional Development of Certified Health Education Specialists,” “Standards for Preparation of Graduate-Level Health Educators,” and the “Competencies Update Project.”


As you complete the degree and move into the community to make your own contributions in public health, we believe you may find fulfillment in a career which touches the lives of people and the various communities in which they live, work, and play.   Recognizing the program’s accomplishment as "first" of its kind, why not pursue some "firsts" of your own within the exciting and challenging profession of health education?

Contact the Department of Nutrition

1215 W. Cumberland Ave.
229 Jessie Harris Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-1920

Brenda Hart
bhart57@utk.edu

Phone: (865) 974-5445
Fax: (865) 974-3491