Overview
Improve Public Health Through Education
Community health promotion entails promoting good health and preventing disease through community- and population-based strategies that take into account both social and environmental influences, in addition to individual factors that shape health behaviors. This concentration also provides the curriculum to equip students to take the Certified Health Education (CHES) exam, a highly respected credential for health educators.
Why study Community Health Promotion at USC?
The concentration in Community Health Promotion prepares students to use research-based methods to promote public health and tackle public health problems in the community. Students will learn how to improve health outcomes and strengthen their leadership skills through a rigorous curriculum and coursework that focuses on program delivery and evaluation.
Curriculum at a glance
In addition to the MPH Core Requirements (22 units), students must take four courses from the Required Concentration Courses (16 units) and select one course from the Concentration Elective Courses (4 units). Students will complete 42 units in total.
Required Concentration Courses (16 Units)
PM 526 Communication in Public Health (4 units)
Application of communication theories and methods to community health problems. Includes background assessment, program design, evaluation, social marketing, media advocacy, review of major health campaigns.
PM 528 Program Design & Evaluation (4 units)
Core concepts, methods and values of public health program planning and evaluation, including community needs assessment, writing objectives, designing health promotion programs, process and outcome evaluation.
PM 562 Intervention Approaches for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention (4 units)
Approaches for modifying health behavior in various settings and within diverse populations. Emphasis on practical considerations necessary to design and implement interventions with demonstrated effectiveness.
PM 563 Organizing and Mobilizing Communities for Global Health (4 units)
Survey of effective community organizing and mobilization efforts in the U.S. and abroad, using participatory, organizational, community empowerment and public-private partnership models.
Concentration Elective Courses (4 units)
Students select one of the following courses:
PM 529 Environmental Health: An Epidemiological Approach (4 units)
An overview of environmental health, identifying issues in assessing effects of exposure on health and potential interventions for reducing adverse health risks.
PM 536 Program Evaluation & Research (4 units)
Overview of concepts, tools, data collection, analysis methods and designs used to evaluate health promotion programs. Examples from substance abuse prevention, family planning and reproductive health programs.
MPH in Community Health Promotion graduates are prepared to pursue roles such as:
- Health Educator
- Public Health Director
- Health Services Manager
- Health and Wellness Director
Typical work settings for MPH in Community Health Promotion graduates:
- Federal, state and local government agencies
- Nonprofit organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross
- Community-based organizations, such as rape crisis centers, substance abuse treatment facilities and senior citizen centers
- Hospitals, managed care organizations and rehabilitation clinics
- Colleges and universities
- Private businesses
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