What Can I Do With a PhD in Health Education and Promotion?

If you want a career helping people and communities become healthier, a PhD in Health Education and Promotion is an excellent degree to pursue. You can learn to identify and prioritize individual and community health issues, conduct related research, and plan and implement health interventions. Earning this doctoral degree opens up a variety of potential careers in health education and promotion. Learn more about what you could do with a PhD in Health Education and Promotion.

Education
You could work in a primary or secondary school or in a school district, developing, promoting, and implementing school health programs. You might create educational materials, evaluate health programs, and write funding proposals. A university career is also a possibility. Whether you train peer educators or counselors or develop programs on topics like sexual health, nutrition, or substance abuse prevention, you’ll likely work as part of a team to support a healthy student community. Becoming a professor may also be an option.

Healthcare
If you’d like to work with patients, a position in the healthcare realm may suit you. You could provide education about medical services and procedures, encourage the adoption of good health habits, or work to reach high-risk patients about relevant services. You might also develop staff training about cultural and social barriers to good health.

Corporate Health
If you prefer a corporate setting, you could work with companies to ensure occupational health and safety regulations are met. Health educators also conduct employee health screenings and risk appraisals. A corporation might ask you to develop or evaluate a program on nutrition, physical fitness, stress management, or hypertension.

Nonprofit and Government Agencies
You could impact community health by working for a nonprofit or a government agency. As a health educator, you might conduct research to identify pressing public health issues; develop education or intervention programs; and implement, promote, and evaluate solutions. In doing so, you’d likely use skills in community organizing, health promotion, grant writing, advocacy, and coalition building. You might also produce or assess mass media health campaigns.

No matter which area you decide to work in, earning a PhD in Health Education and Promotion can provide you with the skills to help people live longer, healthier lives. Choosing a university is the first step toward a career as a health educator. While brick-and-mortar colleges are an option, a few online doctoral programs offer health education and promotion degree paths. Walden University is among a small number of universities offering an online PhD in Health Education and Promotion program. Earning a PhD in health education online from an accredited university like Walden allows you to work while you study, thanks to the flexible learning platform.

Walden’s online PhD in Health Education and Promotion program can prepare you to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam or the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) exam. CHES certification establishes a national standard for members of the profession and demonstrates to prospective employers that an individual has obtained certain knowledge and skills. Earning your PhD in Health Education and Promotion and your CHES certification can help you advance your career … and ultimately make the world a healthier place.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering a PhD in Health Education and Promotion degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible learning format that fits your busy life.

Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.

Note on Certification: The PhD in Health Education and Promotion has been designed to reflect the Eight Areas of Responsibility for Health Education Specialists outlined by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) and to prepare students to sit for the national Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) exams. Walden Enrollment Specialists can provide information relating to national certification exams; however, it remains the individual’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all requirements relating to national certification exams for the state in which he or she intends to practice. Walden makes no representations or guarantee that completion of Walden coursework or programs will permit an individual to obtain national certification. For more information about the CHES and MCHES exams, students should visit http://www.nchec.org.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.