Undergraduate Catalog 2017-18 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog 2017-18 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Health Education: Community Health Education (BS.HED.CED)


The Department of Health, Human Movement, & Sport offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education (BS.HED).  Health educators assist individuals and communities in promoting positive health behaviors.  They have specialized skills in planning, implementing and evaluating community programs that focus on a variety of negative health issues. 

Students majoring in Health Education are encouraged to further their professional skills and knowledge by pursuing either the Concentration in School Health Education or the Concentration in Community Health Education.

Students completing the baccalaureate degree in Health Education will demonstrate:

  • The ability to organize, develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive health education program (Pre-K-12) that includes the following Vermont health core concept areas: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs; Family, Social, and Sexual Health; Mental and Emotional Health; Nutrition and Physical Activity; Personal Health and Wellness; and Violence and Injury Prevention.
  • The ability to develop and implement an assessment plan consistent with national and/state standards.
  • The ability to develop accommodations for a health education program to meet the needs of all individuals.  This includes an understanding of applicable laws, policies, and procedures.

BS in Health Education with a Concentration in Community Health Education


The Community Health Education concentration emphasizes the Seven Areas of Responsibility for a Community Health Educator.  The concentration prepares students for careers in public or private health agencies, hospitals, health clinics, non-governmental health agencies, and in business and industry. 

Courses emphasize administrative issues; health promotion skill-building; program planning, implementation and evaluation; and marketing strategies.  Students learn how to prepare written materials as well as electronic media presentations for mass audiences.

Upon graduation, students may take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination (see more about CHES below).

(Total health education credits required for BS.HED.CED: 60-69 cr)


And complete the University's Gen Ed requirements


Review  the Gen Ed requirements.

CHES


The field of health education has established a national credentialing certificate called the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).  It is a voluntary credentialing process that is generally not required as a condition of employment.  However, we recommend that community health educators and students obtain certification, as the CHES certificate conveys additional standards of accomplishment that may contribute to one's prospects for getting hired.  To obtain such a certificate, the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) administers a written exam several times a year at various locations throughout the country.  Once certified, CHES-health educators are required to obtain continuing education credits to maintain the certification.  For further information about the CHES process, visit the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. website.