Public Health Education, B.S.

Curriculum Requirements

The Department of Public Health Education offers a professional preparation program leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. 

1. 120 Credit Hours:

Complete a minimum of 120 semester hours with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better. The last 30 hours must be completed at NCCU.

2. General Education Requirement:

Freshman and sophomore years: complete General Education Curriculum  required by the university as detailed on the four-year course of study.

3. Program Requirements:

Complete four lower division Public Health Education courses (must have a GPA of 2.5 or better in these courses the first time they are completed)

HEDU 2000 Introduction to Health Education  

HEDU 2100 Community Health  

HEDU 2200 Health Behavior for Effective Living  

(This course substitutes for HEDU 1531  for Public Health Education majors.)

HEDU 2400 Methods and Applications of Group Leadership for Health Personnel  

Upon completion of the lower division courses, submit an application for admission to the upper division with documentation of a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or better in HEDU 2000 , HEDU 2100 , HEDU 2200 , and HEDU 2400  and an overall GPA of 2.25 or better. These courses may not be repeated to improve grade point average for applying to the upper division. 

4. Concentration Requirements

5. Additional Requirements

Students must earn a minimum grade of “C” in HEDU 4420  in order to graduate.

Program Notes:

Public Health Education Electives

Elective courses in Public Health Education include HEDU 1600 , HEDU 3240, HEDU 3300 , HEDU 4110 , HEDU 4113 , HEDU 4200 , HEDU 4310 , HEDU 4500 , HEDU 4700 , NURS 2050  (Black Men’s Health), and SOCI 4520  (Medical Sociology). A maximum of six hours of HEDU 4500  (Independent Study: Special Topics in Health Education) will be counted for credit toward the major.

• HEDU 1600 - Peer Education and Advocacy (2)
• HEDU 3100 - Environmental Health (3)
• HEDU 3300 - Human Sexuality (2)
• HEDU 4110 - First Aid and Safety (3)
• HEDU 4113 - Methods and Materials in Health Education (3)
• HEDU 4200 - Aging and the Aged: Health Perspectives (2)
• HEDU 4310 - Women’s Health (3)

• HEDU 4520

• HEDU 4500 - Independent Study: Internship Pre-Planning (2)
• HEDU 4700 - Current Issues in Public Health (2)

• HEDU 4500:A maximum of six HEDU 4500 Independent Study hours will be counted for credit toward the major.

Four- Year Curriculum Plan

Four-Year Curriculum Plan in Public Health Education

 For key to symbols used, please see “key ” below.

Freshman Year

Fall Semester

*  ENG 1110  -  English Composition I ( 3 )  

*  BIOL 1100  -  General Biology ( 3 )  

+  HEDU 2000  -  Introduction to Health Education ( 3 )  

*  PEDU 1541  -  Fitness ( 2 )  

* UNIV 1100  -  First Year Seminar ( 2 )  

+* MFL 1192  -  Elementary (Critical Language) II ( 3 )  

Spring Semester

*  ENG 1210  -  English Composition II ( 3 )  

*  MATH 1110  -  Elementary Statistics ( 3 )  

%  BIOL 1300  -  Molecules and Cell Function ( 4 )  

*  HUM 2410  -  Arts & Humanities I ( 3 )  

*  MSCM 1250  -  Elements of Speech Communication ( 3 )   (SI)

Sophomore Year

Fall Semester

%  BIOL 1610  -  Human Anatomy and Physiology I ( 4 )  

+  HEDU 2100  -  Community Health ( 3 )  

+  HEDU 2200  -  Health Behavior for Effective Living ( 3 )  

*  HIST 1320  -  World Societies ( 3 )  

*  Arts and Humanities Core Course (3)

Spring Semester 

% BIOL 1620  -  Human Anatomy and Physiology II ( 4 )  

% FOOD 2200  -  Introduction to Human Nutrition ( 3 )  

+ HEDU 2400  -  Methods and Applications of Group Leadership for Health Personnel ( 3 )  ▲

*  SOCI 2000  -  Global Societies and Human Behavior ( 3 )  or POLS 2100  -  American Government ( 3 )  

% EDU 3000  -  Introduction to Educational Psychology ( 3 )  

Junior Year

Fall Semester

+  HEDU 3210  -  Foundations of Public Health ( 3 ) • 

+  HEDU 3400  -  Theory and Practice of Health Education ( 3 ) ▲• 

+  HEDU 3230  -  Communicable and Chronic Diseases ( 3 )   

+  HEDU 3720  -  Introduction to Epidemiology & Biostatistics ( 3 )  

% EDU 3010  -  Human Growth and Development ( 3 )  

Spring Semester

+ HEDU 3600  -  Planning for Health Promotion and Health Education ( 3 ) • 

+ HEDU 3420  -  Principles of School Health ( 3 )  

+ HEDU 3000  -  Introduction to Technical Writing for Public Health (WI) ( 3 )  

+ HEDU 3100  -  Environmental Health ( 3 )  

% PSY 2100  -  General Psychology ( 3 )  or  PSY 3100  -  Abnormal Psychology ( 3 )   

    SOCI 4520  -  Medical Sociology ( 3 )  

Senior Year

Fall Semester

+  HEDU 4000  -  Communicating Health Information: Procedures, Media, and Techniques ( 3 )  •

+  HEDU 4300  -  Research Methods and Evaluation in Health Education ( 3 ) • 

+  HEDU 4500  -  Independent Study: Internship Pre-Planning ( 2 )  •

+  HEDU 4660  -  Public Health Policy: Assessment and Advocacy ( 3 ) ▲•

& Elective (3)

Spring Semester

First 8 Weeks

+  HEDU 4120  -  Organization and Administration of School and Community Health Programs ( 3 ) (B)•

+  HEDU 4220  -  The Senior Seminar: Trends and Directions in Health Education ( 3 ) (B)•

+  HEDU 4420  -  Internship and Seminar in Community Health Education ( 6 )  

Total Minimum Credit Hours: 120

Key to symbols used:

Distribution of Hours:

* Core Curriculum Courses - 35

+ HEDU Required courses - 59

% Non-Departmental Required Courses - 23

& Electives - 3

(B) Block courses open only to majors who have taken and passed all required courses: core curriculum (*),HEDU (+), and non-departmental (%)

(WI) Writing Intensive Course

(SI) Speaking Intensive Course

▲  The University Community Service requirement may be met in these Service Leaning Courses

†   Continuing students that have not yet begun the language sequence are governed by this requirement. If the language sequence was begun prior to Fall 2015, the student must complete through level III of a Modern Foreign Language.

•   These courses are only taught in the semester in which they are listed and are pre-requisites for the following courses.

HEDU 4420 Internship in Community Health Education

Complete BIOL 1300  -BIOL 1610  -BIOL 1620   with minimum grade of C

Requires 2.50 GPA in Public Health Education Course to enroll

Requires an 8-week, (320 hours), full-time commitment to the agency and may include night and/or weekend agency responsibilities

Student may not be employed during the 8-week internship period.

Student may not take other courses during the 8-week internship period