Health Science Education

Completion of the health science education program leads to the Bachelor of Science in Health Science Education. Opportunities are available for specialization in one or more areas in health science education. Students are prepared for a variety of health career opportunities such as health education specialists with government, municipal, industrial, commercial, pharmaceutical, voluntary health and health care delivery organizations.

Completion of the courses required for teaching certification also prepares students to serve as teachers of health and related life sciences in schools and colleges and as coordinators of school health programs. Many different bases of employment for health educators require completion of the teaching credential.

Students must complete the general education requirement, the preprofessional core and the professional health science education core.

Preprofessional Requirements for Freshmen and Sophomores

All students are encouraged to complete the general education and health science education preprofessional requirements before reaching 60 credit hours to ensure all course prerequisites are met. The preprofessional requirements include:

• 3 credits in statistics, any STA prefix
• 3 credits in general psychology, PSY 2012
• 3 credits in personal/family health, HSC 2100
• 3 credits in general sociology, SYG 2000, or social problems, SYG 2010
• 3 credits in public speaking, AEE 3030C or SPC 2600
• 4 credits in human anatomy, PET2320C
• 4 credits in human physiology, PET2350C
• 3 credits in human nutrition, HUN 2201

In addition, students pursuing school health education should complete the following prior to reaching 60 credit hours:

• 3 credits in Introduction to Education, EDF 1005
• 3 credits in Teaching Diverse Populations, EDG 2701
• 3 credits in Introduction to Educational Technology, EME 2040

Please Note: Due to possible legislative changes in requirements for teacher preparation programs, general education and preprofessional requirements for teacher certification are subject to change.

Health Science Education - Community Health

All course work must be completed prior to internship.

Community Health is designed for students primarily interested in illness and disease prevention among special target groups within a particular community. Community Health Educators generally find employment in government health programs such as public health units or voluntary health agencies such as the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, or Planned Parenthood organizations. Course work in this area provides practical instruction in addressing various public health needs and problems through the use of a variety of educational methods. This specialization also provides good background for students planning to enter a graduate program in health education or public health.

To remain 'on track' for this major you must meet the following critical tracking criteria. The critical tracking courses appear in bold.

Semester 1:

• 2.0 UF GPA required for sems 1-5
• Complete 2 of the 8 critical tracking courses (PSY2012, (SYG2000 or SYG2010), (SPC2600 or AEE3030C), HSC2100, PET2320C, PET2350C, HUN2201 and any statistics)

Semester 2:

• Complete 2 additional critical tracking courses

Semester 3:

• Complete 2 additional critical tracking courses

Semester 4:

• Complete remaining critical tracking courses