Health Education Degrees

How much schooling is needed to pursue the field of health education?

The amount of schooling needed for health education professionals truly depends on the job they are pursuing. However, most health education professionals have at least a master’s degree in the field they wish to teach. Some health education professionals have a PhD in their field, which can make these individuals more competitive for job advancement, and allow them to earn a higher salary. Some instructors in this field have more of a specialized training that does not entail a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree. For instance, certified EMT-Paramedic professionals who have worked in the field for a number of years may choose to teach paramedic classes. While these professionals do not have a bachelor’s degree, they have a very specific degree and experience that provides the necessary skills to teach others.

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What specific schooling is necessary for this field?

There can be a wide range of acceptable degree programs for this field. As long as the degree is in a health care related field, it may be sufficient. However, there are health education specific degrees that focus on both health care related topics as well as the ins and outs of teaching the adult learner and how to effectively communicate.

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How long does it take to earn a degree in health education?

Master’s degrees can take anywhere between 18 months and 3 years. The typical master’s degree program lasts two years but there are accelerated programs available. Online and traditional universities offer master’s degrees. PhD programs can last 3-4 years.

What is the coursework like for a health education program?

Programs specific to health education and many advanced master’s programs in fields of healthcare will include classes about course development, formulation of course objectives, course outcomes, learning assessment, instructional systems design, and statistics. Instructional systems design classes teach students how to write a syllabus and design coursework. Statistics classes teach students how to read and interpret research and data. As health care evolves and embraces evidence based medical practices, providers must be able to evaluate research to determine the most effective treatment methods. Current trends in education also have forced many programs to develop coursework to prepare students to use educational technology such as PowerPoint, Blackboard and web development.