Graduate Study in Health Education
Health Education at UT Austin is an interdisciplinary program that prepares students for academic, research, and applied careers in health promotion. The programs emphasize a multidisciplinary, bio-behavioral, and developmental approach to health promotion. Our program bridges theory and research from behavioral medicine, psychology, public health, education, and other social sciences. Health education graduate programs include options for the non-thesis M.Ed., the M.S. with thesis, the Ed.D., or Ph.D.
Students admitted to the graduate programs conduct theory-driven research utilizing a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods and participate in research and applied opportunities within and outside the university. Content areas include research on tobacco prevention, HIV risk reduction, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, successful aging, coping with chronic illness, aggression prevention, "best practices" of prevention activities in medical care settings, women's health, wellness and resiliency, child and adolescent health, worksite health promotion and delivery of school-based interventions.
Preparation of Students
Graduates of the health education master's degree programs enjoy a variety of job opportunities at health departments, worksite health promotion programs, government agencies, voluntary health agencies, health care organizations, and other settings. Credentialing became available for health education in 1990 and health education is now listed on the federal government's list of health occupations, further opening the field. For more information on credentialing, see: http://www.nchec.org/.
Graduates of the health education Ph.D. programs are prepared for academic and research careers. The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in health education is a professional degree designed to emphasize preparation for the highest levels of practice in health education. It prepares health education practitioners for leadership roles in educational institutions, community health care settings, business and industry, government agencies, and voluntary health agencies.