What is Health Education (Public & Community Health) ? According to the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC), health educators are "professionals who design, conduct and evaluate activities that help improve the health of all people." The health education program at the University of Cincinnati is designed to prepare graduates for a variety of health education job opportunities. Health educators work to improve the health of individuals or communities, depending on their work setting and job responsibilities. For example, health educators working in health departments often are concerned with the health of the community they serve and may develop programs to impact people living in the community. Health educators working in business/industry may be working one-on-one with individuals to help them modify and improve their diet, increase their physical activity, reduce their stress levels, stop smoking, etc. The seven basic responsibilities of health educators include: 1. assessing individual and community needs for health education; 2. planning health education strategies, interventions and programs; 3. implementing health education strategies, interventions, and programs; 4. conducting evaluation and research related to health education; 5. administering health education strategies, interventions and programs; 6. serving as a health education resource person; 7. communicating and advocating for health and health education. Each of these responsibilities is further broken down into competencies and sub-competencies as identified by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the national certification exam to become certified health education specialists (CHES).

Career Possibilities Graduates of this program can work in a variety of settings including public health departments, voluntary health agencies, hospitals and insurance companies.