Online Health Promotion and Wellness Master's Degree

Program Details

Next Start Date: January 8

Credit Hours: 30

Course Length: 16 weeks

Estimated Program Length: 24 months

The University of West Florida’s online MS in Health Promotion and Wellness will teach you how to design, implement and evaluate interventions that promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam.

Why Study Health Promotion and Wellness at UWF?

Courses in the degree reflect current professional standards and practices in the health promotion field. And the curriculum is versatile. You can select electives that further specialize your course of studies in wellness and other areas of interest. Plus, you’ll have the option for a thesis track if you’re interested in research or a doctoral program.

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What You Will Learn

UWF's Health Promotion and Wellness M.S. can help you target a wide range of advanced roles in this emerging field, including specialist, coordinator, educator, director and administrator titles across communities and workplaces. You’ll be able to assist people in the community and employees in staying healthy, fit and lowering stress, along with topics across the social and psychological sphere of health education.

The program prepares you for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam, a competency-based exam to measure the obtainment, application and interpretation of knowledge in the Eight Areas of Responsibility for Health Education Specialists. Recently, graduates of the master’s in health promotion degree program have had a 100% pass rate for the CHES exam.

By completing this degree, you will be able to:

Identify, analyze, and synthesize health education concepts, principles and theories applicable to health promotion and wellness.
Compare and contrast health promotion program planning models and theories for application in health promotion and wellness settings.
Present ideas clearly, effectively and articulately in written and oral communications.
Recognize and propose solutions to ethical problems related to health promotion and health education.
Develop skills related to the administration of health promotion programs in health and wellness settings.

Courses

Courses & Requirements

UWF’s online master’s in health promotion includes a total of 30 credit hours. It requires completion of the following courses with a grade of C or higher. It is preferred that students in the Health Promotion and Wellness program have previous credit in human anatomy, physiology, or pathophysiology; general science course, and personal and community health; or the equivalent.

Required Core Courses (30 credit hours)

PHC 5410 - Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health
PHC 6000 - Epidemiology for Public Health Professionals
HSC 6037 - Philosophical Foundations of Health Education
HSC 6135 - Health Literacy and Cultural Competency
HSC 6226 - Current Issues in Worksite Wellness
HLP 6535 - Research Procedures
HSC 6587 - Health Education Program Planning and Evaluation
HSC 6667 - Social Marketing in Health Education

Choose 6 semester hours from the courses listed below:

COM 5025 - Health Communication
PHC 5102 - Principles of Public Health
MAN 5116 - Management of Diversity
PHC 5355 - Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health
HSC 6106 - Health Delivery Systems
PHC 6300 - Environmental Health
HSA 6342 - Human Resources in Healthcare
HSC 6528 - Prevention of Infectious Diseases
HSC 6905 - Directed Study
HLP 6940 - Internship
HLP 6971 - Thesis

To be considered for admission into the University of West Florida’s online master’s in health promotion, you must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution.

In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the department bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant:

Undergraduate institutional GPA
Undergraduate Senior Year/Major GPA
Submission of letter of intent describing reasons for applying to the program and associated career goals
Submission of contact information for two professional references
Work experience as reflected in a resume

How to Apply

To apply for admission to this program, you first need to submit an application for graduate admission (plus a $30 application fee) and be accepted for admission into the University of West Florida. Review application deadlines. In addition, you must submit:

Official transcripts confirming a bachelor’s degree from an institution whose accrediting agency is included on the list of UWF approved accrediting agencies.
Contact information of professional and/or academic reference including title, email, and phone number (email addresses and phone numbers) for two professional references
Resume including appropriate employment at increasing levels of responsibility

Have questions about this program or the admissions process? Contact our graduate admissions team at gradadmissions@uwf.edu. If you are a current UWF student, please reach out to the department academic advisor.

Full Course Descriptions Registration Requirements

Careers & Outcomes

When you complete the online master’s in health promotion, you can pursue a variety of careers within the field.

Job Titles

Worksite Wellness Program Coordinator
Director of Health Education
Research Assistant
Health Educator
Tobacco Treatment Specialist

Career Outlook

Employment of health education specialists is projected to grow 7% from 2022 to 2032 (faster than average)
The median annual wage for health education specialists was $59,990 in May 2022

Source: BLS, 2024

Tuition Rate Per Credit Hour

Health Promotion and Wellness, M.S. Online Graduate Tuition
Component	Cost	Total*
In-state Tuition	$384.60 per credit hour	$14,999.40
Full Out-of-state Tuition	$1,044.24 per credit hour	$40,725.36
90% Out-of-state Tuition	$478.83 per credit hour	$18,674.37

Tuition waivers cover up to 90% of the non-resident portion of your tuition and are available to non-Florida residents (including international students) admitted to online campus programs and registered for online courses in active pursuit of that degree or certificate. You must pay all other assessed tuition and fees. The renewal of Online Campus Out-of-State Tuition Waivers is not automatic. Waiver requests must be submitted every semester and are not retroactive for previous semesters. Review Tuition Waiver Information to learn more.

Time to completion varies by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. Fees are charged per semester unless otherwise noted.

Refer to UWF Cost of Attendance Estimates and Financial Literacy for more information on UWF costs and financial aid.

* Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Alabama, Military & Financial Aid

Alabama Differential Out-of-State Tuition

Residents of Alabama are eligible for Alabama Differential Tuition, a reduced out-of-state tuition rate. To verify residency status for tuition purposes, new undergraduate students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and new graduate students should contact the Graduate School. Current enrolled students should contact the Office of the Registrar. See more about Tuition Waivers.

Military & Veterans

The UWF Military & Veterans Resource Center (MVRC) serves as the campus advocate for military, dependents and veteran students. Contact the MVRC to learn more about the various military and veteran education assistance or tuition waiver opportunities and eligibility requirements.

UWF Financial Assistance

The University of West Florida offers various financial aid options for our online students, including loans, scholarships and grants for degree-seeking students. We provide eligible students with an alternative to paying the full amount of tuition at the beginning of each term in the form of an installment payment plan or a short-term loan. See more about Financial Aid and Education Funding Opportunities.