The Graduate School Bulletin
Department of Public Health Education
437 Health and Human Performance Building
(336) 334-5532
Graduate Programs:
Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Education, 45 hours
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Community Health, 72-96 hours
Graduate Faculty
HEA Public Health Courses
Graduate Faculty
Professors
Daniel L. Bibeau, PhD, Stroke prevention in the community, worksite and community health promotion/wellness programs.
William Dudley, PhD, Health behavior change, research design, statistical methods.
James M. Eddy, DEd, Worksite health promotion; distance education; design, implementation, and evaluation of health education programs (Head of Department).
H. William Gruchow, PhD, Men’s health, obesity prevention, philosophy of health.
Joseph Telfair, MSW/MPH, DrPH, Program evaluation and research; women, teens, and children with chronic conditions; health care for the poor, people of color, and persons in rural areas; social and community aspects of HIV/AIDS.
Associate Professors
Yorghos Apostolopoulos, PhD, Social epidemiology, public health demography, global and migrant health, health behavior, research methodology,
Robert E. Aronson, DrPH, Constructs of masculinity and implications for health and social issues, community health ethnography, social inequalities and health.
Vincent T. Francisco, PhD, Applied research, community health promotion, measurement of behavior change in communities.
Kay A. Lovelace, PhD, Public health systems and infrastructure, including preparedness, workforce development, inter-organizational relationships; youth tobacco use prevention.
Sharon D. Morrison, PhD, Immigrant and refugee health, health literacy, HIV/AIDS in international settings, global and cross-cultural health research.
Tracy Nichols, PhD, Health promotion for women and families, adolescent girls, physical activity promotion, delinquency prevention.
Michael A. Perko, PhD, Health promotion for young athletes, worksite health promotion, professional preparation (Director of Graduate Study).
Mark Schulz, PhD, Farmworkers’ occupational skin disease, epidemiology of bicycle injuries, syphilis screening, determinants of physical activity.
Paige Hall Smith, PhD, Promoting safe, healthy and meaningful lives for women and girls.
Robert W. Strack, PhD, Adolescent health, photovoice methodology, community-based program planning and evaluation.
David Wyrick, PhD, Adolescent health, prevention science, research and evaluation methodology, web-based applications.
MPH - Master of Public Health in Community Health Education
The Master of Public Health requires 45 semester hours and consists of 39 semester hours of course work and a 6 hour internship/practicum in a community setting. The professional preparation program is for qualified students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. who are interested in careers that involve the development and management of population-based health promotion and disease prevention activities within communities. In the program students receive academic preparation in the traditional public health fields of epidemiology, statistics, environmental health, and health policy with course work and field-based experiences emphasizing the development of practitioner competencies. The degree program prepares graduates for careers in public health and health care settings at local, state, regional, or national levels.
The MPH program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. Additionally, the curriculum includes the development of graduate professional competencies recommended by the Society for Public Health Education and the American Association for Health Education.
Application and Admission
In addition to the minimum admission materials required by The Graduate School, applicants should submit a description of work experiences and a written statement of professional goals.
Applicants are admitted each Fall. Applications are accepted until all slots are filled. Recommended submission date is March 1.
Applicants can be admitted as either full-time or part-time students. All required courses except the internship are offered in the evenings. Full-time students are expected to take four courses each fall and spring semester for two years. Part-time students usually take two courses each fall and spring semester, and one course each summer, over three years.
Degree Requirements
Core Courses (18 hours)
HEA 601 Principles of Community Health Education (3)
HEA 602 Epidemiology (3)
HEA 604 Public Health Statistics (3)
HEA 608 Environmental Health (3)
HEA 612 Management of Community Health Organizations (3)
HEA 645 Health Policy (3)
Required Professional Courses (9 hours)
HEA 603 Community Health Analysis (3)
HEA 609 Community Health Interventions (3)
HEA 625 Community Health Research and Evaluation (3)
Electives (9 hours)
Each student will take three elective courses chosen in consultation with his/her advisor.
Capstone Experience (9 hours)
In addition to the field-based learning experiences in courses throughout the program, students are required to integrate and synthesize their acquired skills and knowledge in an applied situation that approximates some aspect of professional practice in community health education. This is done through an internship/practicum in a community health agency. Prior to the internship/practicum, students plan their work in an applied program planning class.
HEA 648 Applied Program Planning (3)
HEA 650 Community Health Internship/Practicum (6)
DrPH - Doctor of Public Health in Community Health
The Doctor of Public Health degree in community health requires 72-96 semester hours of post-master's degree course work. The DrPH program emphasizes community-based participatory research in public health. Program requirements are designed to prepare students academically and professionally for conducting significant public health research to facilitate the resolution of public health outcomes important to the community and field. Students, faculty members, and community partners form research teams whose work is guided by a prevention research model recently developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and workforce preparation guidelines developed by the Institute of Medicine.
Assessment of courses or experiences applicable to the degree occurs at the time of admission into the program. The student's doctoral program committee will work with each candidate to develop a course of study within the framework of the program and informed by the student's personal interests, past course work, and professional experiences.
Application and Admission
In addition to the minimum admission materials required by The Graduate School, applicants should submit a description of work experiences and a written statement of professional goals by February 15 to be considered for Fall admission. Applicants can be admitted as either full-time or part-time students.
Degree Requirements
Health Education/Public Health Core (0-24 hours)
Entering doctoral students who have not completed one or more of the core public health courses must complete these courses as part of their program in addition to the minimum 72 credit hours.
HEA 601 Principles of Community Health Education (3)
HEA 602 Epidemiology (3)
HEA 603 Community Health Analysis (3)
HEA 604 Public Health Statistics (3)
HEA 608 Environmental Health (3)
HEA 609 Community Health Interventions (3)
HEA 625 Community Health Research and Evaluation (3)
HEA 645 Health Policy (3)
Health Education Research Core (33 hours)
HEA 751 Foundations of Research for Public Health Education (3)
HEA 752 Quantitative Methods in Public Health (3)
HEA 753 Qualitative Methods in Public Health (3)
HEA 755 Community Research Practicum (to be taken 4 times for 12 hours total)
HEA 758 Advanced Theoretical Basis for Community Health Education (3)
HEA 759 Community-Based Health Education Research (3)
HEA 760 Teaching in Community Health Education (required for Teaching Assistants) (3)
HEA 765 Advanced Program Evaluation in Public Health Education (3)
Health-related Electives (24 hours)
Electives can be selected from the following or chosen under the advisement of the student's doctoral program committee. A minimum 6 semester hours of HEA courses and 9 semester hours of research-related courses are required.
HEA 612 Management of Community Health Organizations (3)
HEA 617 Conflict Resolution and Coalition Building (3)
HEA 622 Social Epidemiology (3)
HEA 640 Global Health Issues (3)
HEA 666 Health Communication (3)
HEA 671 Immigrant and Refugee Health (3)
HEA 676 Problems Seminar: Health and Aging (3)
ERM 667 Foundations of Educational Measurement Theory or equivalent (3)
ERM 680 Intermediate Statistical Methods in Education or equivalent (3)
ERM 681 Design and Analysis of Educational Experiments or equivalent (3)
HDF 710 The Ecology of Human Development (3)
KIN 745 Seminar: Social Psychology and Physical Activity (3)
NTR 643 Nutrition and Aging (3)
PSC 620 Urban Development Policy (3)
Dissertation (15 hours)
HEA 799 Dissertation (15)
HEA Public Health Courses
589 Experimental Course
This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings.
600 Contemporary Problems in Health (3:3)
Current personal, community, and world health problems through critical analysis of literature and research.
601 Principles of Community Health Education (3:3)
Pr. admission to the MPH program or permission of instructor
Factors affecting health and disease, principles underlying health education practice, and the role of health education in health promotion and disease prevention. (Fall)
602 Epidemiology (3:3)
Disease etiology and identification of risk factors, utilizing epidemiologic and biostatistical concepts and methods. Applications of epidemiology and biostatistics to assess the efficacy of community health programs. (Spring)
603 Community Health Analysis (3:3)
Pr. admission to the MPH program or permission of instructor
Assessment of community structure, residents, organizations and associations, to determine health-related capacities, needs, and interests. Emphasizes the use of both primary and secondary data sources for community analysis. (Fall)
604 Public Health Statistics (3:3)
Pr. admission to the MPH program or permission of instructor
Investigation of data sources and methods used to gather, analyze and interpret health data; emphasis on computer applications. (Fall)
606 Workshops in Health Education (1-3)
Current and comprehensive health or health education concerns of schools and society. No more than 3 hours of this course may be applied to a graduate degree program.
608 Environmental Health (3:3)
Analysis of local, national, and international environmental issues influencing the health of individuals and communities; air and water quality, waste management, disease control, occupational settings, population, and environmental planning. (Fall)
609 Community Health Interventions (3:3)
Pr. 601, 603, 604, 608. Pr. or coreq. 602
Overview of theories, successful intervention strategies, and methods of implementation across the social ecology and their application to the development of health education programs. (Spring)
612 Management of Community Health Organizations (3:3)
Pr. admission to a graduate degree program or permission of instructor
Analysis and skill development in management of community health organizations, including self-reflection, planning, staffing, marketing, building and managing agency and community teams. Literature reviews, community interviews, case study and experiential analysis. (Spring)
616 Workplace Health Promotion (3:3)
Pr. admission to a graduate degree program or permission of instructor
Public and private worksite health promotion programs. Skills and knowledge to oversee the planning, implementation, and evaluation of these programs. Links to employee benefits and successful programs to be critically examined.
617 Conflict Resolution and Coalition Building (3:3)
Pr. admission to a graduate degree program or permission of instructor
Theory, analysis, and skill development in conflict resolution, negotiation, and coalition building for health education and human service professionals.
620 School Health Programs (3:3)
Pr. 601, 602 or permission of instructor
The components of comprehensive school health programs, review of research and evaluation literature. The role of school health coordinators or administrators is examined in the context of North Carolina schools.
622 Social Epidemiology (3:3)
Pr. or coreq. HEA 602, 604
Content, methods and theory of social epidemiology.
625 Community Health Research and Evaluation (3:3)
Pr. 601, 602 and completion of or concurrent enrollment in 603, or permission of instructor
Issues, problems, and techniques involved in evaluation of community health education programs. (Fall)
635 Health Education in the Community and School (3:3)
Pr. permission of instructor
Planning, preparation, and presentation of health education information and programs for school and community groups.
640 Global Health Issues (3:3)
Examine global health issues with an analysis of the determinants of health status in selected world regions and analyze global prevention efforts. Study of international organizations' roles and programs.
645 Health Policy (3:3)
Pr. admission to a graduate degree program or permission of instructor
Health policy process in the US; examination of historical and current health policy issues, and survey of methods for analyzing health policy options. (Spring)
648 Applied Program Planning (3:3)
Pr. GPA of 3.0 or better, 609 and 645, or permission of instructor
Methods and models of planning health education programs for various settings. (Fall)
650 Community Health Internship/Practicum (6)
Pr. GPA of 3.0 or better and 648, or permission of instructor
Supervised experience in the observation, delivery, and evaluation of health education services in community settings. (Graded on S-U basis) (Spring)
660 Human Sexual Relationships (3:3)
The development of human sexuality and ensuing interpersonal relationships and sexual behavior in today's society. (Summer)
662 Gender and Health (3:3)
Pr. admission to a graduate degree program or permission of instructor
Health issues and health problems with respect to gender differences, similarities and historical conceptions.
665 Violence and Public Health (3:3)
Pr. admission to a graduate degree program or permission of instructor
The origins and epidemiology of violence, factors influencing our social response to violence and role of public health professionals in a community response. Literature and field-based analysis.
666 Health Communication (3:3)
Pr. or coreq. 601 or permission of instructor
Overview of theory, practice of designing/implementing/evaluating public health communication campaigns and programs. Focus on audience, message, and channel factors; mass media, social marketing and risk communication strategies.
670 Adolescent Health (3:3)
Survey of adolescent health problems and needs. Focus on epidemiological trends, behavioral and social etiological factors, and public health interventions to reduce specific adolescent health problems.
671 Immigrant and Refugee Health (3:3)
Pr. admission to a graduate program in public health education or permission of instructor
Overview of health status of immigrant and refugee populations. Focus on migration, resettlement, adaptation, epidemiological, behavioral, cultural, socioeconomic, legal, and political factors impacting health, and interventions to address needs.
676 Problems Seminar (3)
Pr. previous course work in appropriate content areas or permission of instructor
Specific course title identified each semester by subscript, e.g., Problems Seminar: Professional Literature in Health Education. May be repeated for credit.
680 Community Health Seminar (3:3)
Pr. or Coreq. 648, 650 or permission of instructor
Culminating experience to help students synthesize and integrate community health education knowledge, theory, and principles. (Spring)
695 Independent Study (1-3)
Pr. demonstrated competency for independent work and permission of departmental academic adviser and the instructor
Intensive study in an area of special interest in health education. May be repeated once for credit.
697 Community Health Field Project (1-3)
Pr. 601, 602, 603 and 625, or permission of instructor
Supervised community health education field project including a major literature-based paper. May be repeated for up to 6 credit hours.
698 School Health Field Project (1-3)
Pr. 601, 602, 620 and a related research or evaluation course or permission of instructor
Supervised school health setting project including a major literature-based paper. May be repeated for up to 6 credit hours.
699 Thesis (1-6)
Pr. permission of instructor and application due March 15 prior to final year of study.
May be repeated for up to 6 credit hours, minimum of 3 credit hours required for graduation.
701 Promoting and Protecting Health through Entrepreneurship (3:3)
Introduction to Federal Small Business Research grant mechanisms for entrepreneurial research. Preparation of a grant proposal for submission to NIH, CDC, or Department of Education. (Same as ENT 701)
711 Experimental Course
This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings.
725 Advanced Community Health Projects (1-6)
Pr. permission of instructor
Scholarly inquiry project developed by the student with faculty guidance. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. (Graded on S-U basis.)
735 Topics in Community Health Research (3:3)
Pr. permission of instructor
Specific course title identified each semester offered by subtitle (e.g., Organizational Behavior, Women and Girls Health, Applied Research in Communities). May be repeated for credit when topic varies. (formerly PSY 683)
751 Foundations of Research for Public Health Education (3:3)
Pr. admission to DrPH program or permission of instructor
Central issues in the philosophy of social and behavioral science with application to public health. Assumptions, models, and methodologies necessary to pursue research in community health education.
752 Quantitative Methods in Public Health (3:3)
Pr. 751
Research methods and ecologic, experimental, and observational research designs in community health education. Topics include advanced study designs, reliability, validity, generalizability, bias, sampling and power.
753 Qualitative Methods in Public Health (3:3)
Pr. 751, 752 or permission of instructor
Competing paradigms in qualitative research, integration of qualitative and quantitative methods, sampling, data collection and analysis in qualitative research for public health.
755 Community Research Practicum (3:1:6)
Pr. admission to DrPH program or permission of instructor
Supervised practicum experiences in developing, conducting, funding, and disseminating community-based participatory research in public health education. Must be taken 4 times for credit.
758 Advanced Theoretical Basis for Community Health Education (3:3)
Pr. 609, 751, 752, or permission of instructor
Examination of theories used by health educators to conduct research in organizational, community, or individual change and improvement in health and quality of life.
759 Community-Based Health Education Research (3:3)
Pr. permission of instructor
Foundational work in research methods applied to the challenges inherent in the development of skills associated with community-based participatory research of health promotion programs.
760 Teaching in Community Health Education (3:3)
Pr. permission of instructor
Introduction to principles and practices of good undergraduate teaching in public health. Includes course planning, teaching techniques, assessment strategies, legal and ethical issues, and supervised practice.
765 Advanced Program Evaluation in Public Health Education (3:3)
Pr. or coreq. 602, 604, 622, 751, 752, 753
Advanced education in program evaluation, evaluation designs, and their application to complex public health interventions. Emphasis on evaluation practices relevant for Community-Based Participatory Research programs in public health education.
799 Doctoral Dissertation Research (1-15)
801 Thesis Extension (1-3)
803 Research Extension (1-3)