What is Health Promotion?

Health promotion is a discipline that seeks to improve the health of individuals and communities through education and changes in the environment. Health promotion draws from a number of other disciplines, such as psychology, biological sciences, business, marketing, and medicine to help individuals and communities change their behavior and change their environment. In short, it is “the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health” (Ottawa Charter, First International Conference of Health Promotion, 1986).

Is a Degree in Health Promotion Right for You?

1. Are you excited to read about the latest news in health?
2. Are you concerned about the health of others and your community?
3. Would you like to be an advocate for healthy living?
4. Would you like to learn how your lifestyle affects your health?
5. Do you like to work with other people?
6. Are you interested in why people behave the way they do?
7. Do you like to come up with creative solutions to problems?

If you answer YES to these questions, a degree in Health Promotion may be right for you!

What Do Students in Health Promotion Learn?

Students in our health promotion program learn how to develop, implement, and evaluate programs for helping individuals and communities adopt and maintain health lifestyles. They learn about theories of behavior change, particularly those useful for helping individuals and organizations decrease the health consequences of risky lifestyle behaviors, such as physical inactivity, inadequate nutrition, smoking, high stress, alcohol/ substance misuse, and unsafe sexual practices. They learn the science behind developing and evaluating programs designed to help individuals and communities adopt and maintain health lifestyles while being encouraged to develop creative solutions to do so.

Degrees Offered

• B.S. in Health and Exercise Science
• M.S. in Health and Exercise Science with a concentration in Health Promotion
• Ph.D. in Health and Exercise Science with a concentration in Health Promotion.

Links to Career Resources for Individuals in the Health Promotion Field

• Health Promotion Career Network
• New York University Health Education Professional Resources
• Public Health Employment Connection
• American Public Health Association CareerMart

Links to Other Related Sites

• American College of Sports Medicine
• American Association for Health, PE, Recreation, and Dance
• Society of Public Health Educators
• American Public Health Association
• American academy of Health Behaviour
• American Association for Health Education
• National Institute of Health
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Why Study Health Promotion at the University of Oklahoma's Department of Health and Exercise Sciences?

Our faculty are researchers who bring the most up-to-date advancements in the field of health promotion into the classroom. They include tenured-track and adjunct faculty. Our faculty are committed to a collegial learning environment with opportunities for individualized mentoring. Situated on the main campus of the University of Oklahoma, the Department of Health and Exercise Science offers students access to the resources of a large research university. In addition, the OU Health Sciences Center, where graduate students can choose to take some of their classes in the College of Health, is just 25 minutes away in Oklahoma City. Graduate students have opportunities to teach and conduct research projects under the direction of the faculty

Careers in Health Promotion

Our program prepares students to develop, implement, and evaluate health promotion programs in the following settings:

• Local, state, and federal health departments.
• Nonprofit and government health agencies
• Clinics, hospitals, health maintenance organizations, private physician's offices.
• Schools .
• Corporate health promotion/fitness programs.
• Other community sites.
• Research and in diverse communities, such as:
• Children and Adults
• Employees at worksites
• Students
• Special needs groups (physically challenged)
• Families
• Diverse cultural communities

Other career options

• The graduate programs (Master's and PhD programs) also prepare students to conduct scientific research in the health promotion field.
• The Ph.D. program also prepares students to teach Health Program/Health Education at the collegiate level.