Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Public Health Education
Play a vital role in health promotion and disease prevention in local, state, national, and international communities.
Program Overview
Why our MSEd in Public Health Ed stands out
Become a leader in public health and work toward building healthy communities with the Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Public Health Education online program at Southern Oregon University. Explore education and communication principles and methods to promote preventive health measures. You will also gain expertise in providing and managing health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles.
Job opportunities as a health educator are available in six major career sectors: community health, school health, business and nonprofit health, academia and university, government, and healthcare. This multidisciplinary program includes 100 percent online courses in education, health, and business to help you develop the competencies necessary to address public health issues in your community.
Coursework includes instruction in human development, health issues across the lifespan, population-specific health issues, administration of health education campaigns and programs, and applications to specific public health subjects and issues. You will be prepared to collect and analyze data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments.
This program helps prepare you for the exam to become a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®), a nationally recognized certification through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC).
Graduates of this public health education degree program will be able to:
- design personalized health promotion programs around behavioral, psychological, biological, genetic, and environmental factors that affect population health, and
- explain and communicate the social, political, and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health, access to healthcare systems, and health inequities.
Educational settings and careers for graduates of this degree:
- Health & Wellness Communication Director
- Public Health Inspector
- Health Media Director
- Community Health Educator
- Public Health Adminstrator
SOU is #1 in the “Best Colleges for K-12 Education Degree Programs” rankings in the U.S. by Schools.com, 2020.
Also available online:
SOU offers online graduate-level education programs in a variety of concentration areas. Explore all of our online education programs.
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Tuition
SOU makes online degrees affordable
Our MSEd with a Concentration in Public Health Education online program features the same affordable, pay-as-you-go tuition for all in-state and out-of-state students.
Tuition breakdown:
Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Public Health Education Program Tuition and Fees
The following is the tuition breakdown for the MSEd in Public Health Ed degree program.
| Program | Per Credit Hour | Per 4 Credit Course | Per Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSEd in Public Health Ed | $369 | $1,476 | $17,093*† |
Note: SOU credit hours are quarter hours. 45 SOU hours = 30 semester credit hours.
Fees: There is a $60 application fee and an $85 graduation fee. Proctoring fees, if required, are not included.
*Tuition and fees are subject to change.
†The Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Public Health Education includes two MBA courses in the program that have a cost of $430 per credit, for a total cost of $1,730 per course.
Tuition breakdown:
Calendar
Keep these key dates in mind
The MSEd in Public Health Education online program is designed to be flexible for busy professionals. With seven-week courses and multiple start dates each year, you can earn your degree conveniently in as few as 16 months.
Now enrolling:
| Term | Start Date | App Deadline | Registration Deadline | Tuition Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1/6/25 | 12/23/24 | 1/2/25 | 1/10/25 |
| Spring | 3/31/25 | 3/17/25 | 3/26/25 | 4/4/25 |
| Summer 1 | 6/16/25 | 6/2/25 | 6/11/25 | 6/20/25 |
| Summer 2 | 8/4/25 | 7/21/25 | 7/30/25 | 8/8/25 |
Now enrolling:
Have questions or need more information about our online programs?
Ready to take the rewarding path toward earning your degree online?
Admissions
What you need to get started on your online master’s in public health education application
The admission process for our master’s in public health education online is simple and streamlined so you can get started right away. Requirements for admission include:
Admission Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
- 3.0 GPA cumulative on undergraduate coursework
- No GRE or teaching license required for admission
MSEd with a Concentration in Public Health Education Online Admission Requirements
- Applicants with a bachelor's degree in any discipline from an accredited institution and transcripts verifying a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale are granted admission status into the MSEd online degree program.
- We
encourage you to apply with a GPA below 3.0 if you have work or life experience
that would contribute to your success in our program. Applications with GPAs
under 3.0 are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and additional information may
be requested. You may be asked to provide:
- An additional explanation of your intentions in pursuing the degree and a description of your readiness to succeed in an accelerated online degree program, or
- Two or three letters of recommendation speaking to your ability to succeed in an accelerated online degree program, or
- GRE scores of at least 145 Verbal, 145 Quantitative, and 3.5 Analytical Writing.
- Applicants must submit official transcripts from all previous educational institutions attended.
- No GRE or teaching license is required to enter the program.
- International student applicants interested in enrolling in the SOU online MSEd program should contact the Office of International Programs for information related to international admissions and visa restrictions. Contact the Office of International Programs by emailing [email protected].
Southern Oregon University considers you an international student if you are NOT a:
- U.S. citizen or national;
- U.S. permanent resident or other eligible noncitizen.
Graduate Admission Requirements for International Students:
- Applicants must have a bachelor's degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree from a recognized university in that country.
- Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended; documents must be official and include an English translation. Applicants are required to have documents mailed to SOU in a sealed envelope from the school, which has not been opened. SOU will not accept scans, faxes, photocopies, or already opened documents.
- If English is not your native language, you will need to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score.
- You do not need to submit a score if you earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a U.S. college/university or completed your education in a native English-speaking country.
If you need to submit official documents by mail, send them to:
SOU Admissions Department1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
Have a question? Call us at 800-490-7974800-490-7974.
Courses
A look at the MSEd in Public Health Ed curriculum
The master’s in Education - Public Health Education online curriculum is comprised of 11 courses (45 credit hours), including 25 credit hours of core courses and 20 credit hours of concentration courses.
By the end of this course, students will be prepared to:
- Explain the ideas, complexities, and stakeholders that shape policy
- Conduct research and make professional policy and practice recommendations on a contemporary issue
- Investigate and analyze contemporary educational issues at a local, state, national and international level
By the end of this course, students will be prepared to:
- Evaluate the quality of quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods and action research
- Interpret the findings of quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods and action research
- Describe the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods and action research
- Assess for the most common flaws in quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods and action research
By the end of this course, students will be prepared to:
- Determine how beliefs, values, and attitudes about diversity developed and can be examined and revised
- Apply terms, concepts, theories, and practices used in diversity literature and discourse to knowledge, attitudes and skills
- Analyze individual and institutional systems of power and privilege as they pertain to equity, access, and opportunity for diverse populations
- Synthesize historical and contemporary conditions and challenges experienced by diverse populations and explain why they are perpetuated and how they can be changed
- Create a plan of action to foster responsive cultural communication across differences in order to establish and maintain positive and productive work environments
By the end of this course, students will be prepared to:
- Apply the 21st-century curriculum approaches, theories and learning models to instructional decisions and practices
- Analyze the emerging policies, trends and practices that influence educational design and student learning
- Incorporate systematic thinking and instructional design models to their personal practice of curriculum design
- Participate in a professional learning community of educational designers
Course learning objectives:
- Identify a problem in their specific professional area through a needs assessment and propose an informed solution that ethically addresses the issue
- Conduct a literature review providing a broader theoretical and contextual framework for the project
- Develop a systematic and ethical process for the design, implementation, and evaluation that incorporates appropriate theories, concepts, and strategies for achieving the project’s purpose and goals
- Develop and present a professional project report in APA format
Course learning objectives:
- Access general resources related to health education and promotion
- Determine leading health indicators, population resources and needs
- Apply steps for health education program planning and implementation
- Analyze data that determine program efficacy and integrate findings with current research in the field
- Advocate for health and the profession of health education and promotion
Course learning objectives:
- Understand key issues relevant to health disparities and health equity in the field of public health
- Analyze historical and current events and issues in health equity; as well as public health efforts toward resolving disparities
- Understand practical application of course content and implementation of solutions
- Recognize and critically reflect upon one’s own identity, perspective, and biases
Course learning objectives:
- Describe the formation of the U.S. healthcare system
- Identify and describe major U.S. healthcare providers
- Distinguish between various types of health insurance and financing plans in the U.S.
- Identify and analyze health disparities in the U.S.
- Describe and discuss the role of the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S.
- Examine telehealth and telemedicine processes in the U.S.
- Identify and appraise different national and state level healthcare policies
Course learning objectives:
- Evaluate best practices in communicating with patients and families
- Identify communication and related challenges inherent to healthcare organizations, such as ethics, stress, burnout, and changing technology, and apply understanding by creating plans to address such challenges
- Apply communication skills (orally and in writing) by creating messages for a variety of stakeholders
- Analyze a specific healthcare organization’s practices and apply knowledge to make recommendations to improve those practices
By the end of this course, students will be prepared to:
- Examine adult learning in today’s world with a focus on the individual and situational differences
- Research and apply, the theory and practice of cognition and learning, humanistic psychology, and adult learning to the workplace
- Identify the unique goals and purposes of adult learning and integrate them into their practice
- Apply holistic practices of andragogy in their specific professional area
By the end of this course, students will be prepared to:
- Analyze and evaluate important concepts and theories associated with adult learners and learning [Foundational]
- Research strategies and learning interventions to support adult learners [How to Learn]
- Use knowledge of adult learners and learning to develop effective and engaging strategies [Application]
- Identify effective adult teaching characteristics and integrate them into their personal practice [Integration]
- Participate in a professional learning community of adult educators [Human Dimension]
By the end of this course, students will be prepared to:
- Identify key theories and best practices of a learning organization
- Integrate objective, compassionate, inclusive communication into one’s interpersonal relations
- Evaluate effective team dynamics that foster a shared vision through team learning
- Create plans to holistically improve an organization by identifying a problem/issue within an organization, identifying leverage points for change, and mapping goals for systemic improvement
*Tuition and fees are subject to change.
**The MSEd with a Concentration in Public Health Education includes two MBA courses in the program that have a cost of $430 per credit, and total cost of $1,730 per course.
