Curriculum: Master of Science in Community Health & Prevention Science

Next Term Application Deadline

08.15.2025

Total Credits

Next Term Starts

08.25.2025

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Curriculum at a Glance

The 30-credit hour curriculum for the MS Community Health & Prevention Science program is comprehensive and research-based.

Students will receive training in all the areas necessary to be successful as Community Health and Prevention Science specialists in the field. The program ends with a portfolio project that will help demonstrate students’ capability in the field.

Following graduation, students will be prepared to sit for state, national and international certifications in the prevention science field.

CURRICULUM AT A GLANCE

Fall Semester Core Courses Spring Semester Core Courses Elective Courses

Course	Title / Description	Credit
HPE 7007	Prevention Science Course: HPE 7007 Credit: 3 The purpose of this course is to introduce students to theory, research, and practice in prevention science as related to community health and human services. Students will also be introduced to the various research-based strategies in prevention. This course will offer information related to the fundamentals of prevention including preventing risky behaviors and promoting healthy behaviors. In addition, risk factors and protective factors across the lifespan will be discussed.	3
HPE 7011	Foundations of Health Promotion and Education Course: HPE 7011 Credit: 3 This is a foundational course in health promotion and education that explains what health educators do within the field of public/community health. Philosophical underpinnings of the profession, historical genesis, ethical principles, behavioraland social science theories and models, qualitative and quantitative methods, and educational methods are discussed.	3
HPE 7012	Health Promotion and Education Program Planning Course: HPE 7012 Credit: 3 This course provides students with the basic skills to assess needs, plan, implement and evaluate community health promotion programs in a variety of settings. Students will be exposed to avariety of health promotion and education program strategies such as political advocacy, media utilization, and community organizing.	3
HPE 7071	Research Methods in Health Promotion and Education Course: HPE 7071 Credit: 3 This course will introduce students to the basic concepts of health education research. Students should be able to apply these concepts to develop high quality health education research projects and to evaluate research done by others. The course will also provide the skills necessary to conduct a thesis or project within the Health Promotion and Education Program. The information from this course is vital to the successful completion of a thesis, project, comprehensive exam or portfolio.	3

Course	Title / Description	Credit
HPE 7009	Implementation Science in Community Health and Prevention Course: HPE 7009 Credit: 3 The purpose of this course is to introduce the concepts, theories, and methods of implementing evidence-based health, behavioral health, and social science-related interventions. The course also discusses methods for conducting rigorous research on implementation.	3
HPE 7013	Health Promotion and Education Measurement and Evaluation Course: HPE 7013 Credit: 3 Different measurement and evaluation techniques used in health promotion and education will be discussed in this course. Emphasis will be given to developing new valid and reliable instruments for process and impact evaluation of health promotion and education interventions. Choosing evaluation designs, applying appropriate statistical procedures, using evaluation technology, interpreting results and making recommendations for policy, practice and research will be covered.	3
HPE 7014	Grant Writing and Resource Development Course: HPE 7014 Credit: 3 The purpose of this course is to investigate sources of grant funding at the federal, state, and local level. Another primary purpose is examine grant announcements, RFPs (Request for Proposals), and example grant proposals. Students will also practice developing a grant proposal.	3
HPE 7072	Health Science Statistics Course: HPE 7072 Credit: 3 This is an introductory statistics course intendedto provide students with the ability to: 1) selectthe appropriate statistical tests based on a givenhypothesis, 2) run descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS, 3) interpret the results of descriptive and inferential statistics, and 4) read and interpret the statistical analysis presented in research articles.	3

Course	Title / Description	Credit
HPE 6026	Stress Reduction Course: HPE 6026 Credit: 3 This is a stress reduction course that focuses on techniques for stress reduction and their application. Students are exposed to techniques for relaxation, effective communication, managing anger, reducing anxiety, physical activity/exercise, healthy nutrition, and efficient time management. Graduate students plan,implement, and evaluate a stress reduction program in family, school, community, worksite, or patient care setting.	3
HPE 7000	Human Sexuality and Health Course: HPE 7000 Credit: 3 This course provides students with current information on human sexuality from a health promotion/health education perspective. Students are provided with factual information that helps them to examine their personal feelings and attitudes regarding sexuality. The course explores a wide array of physical, psychological and social aspects of sexuality. Major emphasis areas of the course include sexual communication, sexual anatomy and physiology, societal influences, gender dimensions, sexual orientation, sexual behaviors, effectiveness rates of contraceptives, sexual dysfunctions and treatments, sexual consumerism, sexuality education, and effective strategies in teaching youth about sexual issues. The roles of health promotion and health education in sexuality education are also addressed.	3
HPE 7001	Drugs and Society Course: HPE 7001 Credit: 3 This course examines how drug use affects human behavior and impacts society. Modalities for treating, preventing and regulating psychoactive drug-related problems are discussed. Specific health education and health promotion approaches to dealing with the problem of drugs are emphasized. The students learn how to develop and evaluate health education and health promotion interventions for dealing with drugs.	3
HPE 7002	Culture, Equity, and Vulnerable Population Health Course: HPE 7002 Credit: 3 This course aims to sensitize students to forces shaping health and disease in multicultural societies and to raise students' level of awareness of health issues specific to minority populations. The course also provides practical experience in assessing health indicators for vulnerable populations and applying public health education principles to selected population needs.	3
PH 8062	Understanding Vulnerable Populations Course: PH 8062 Credit: 3 This course aims to examine concepts and methods in the study of vulnerability in health, and, in particular, strategies and future directions for resolving disparities in health care access, quality, and health status at the community and national levels. Vulnerability risks will be defined, and implications for public health and social and human services delivery will be discussed. A comprehensive approach incorporating individual and community factors and current government and private initiatives will be reviewed. Also included will be interpretation of the existing knowledge and programs for application at the community level.	3

FAQs

Will I need to be on campus in Cincinnati at any point during the program?

Yes, to walk across the stage for your graduation. (Just kidding, that is optional!)

The University of Cincinnati’s online programs are truly all online, requiring no on-campus visits. There are a few rare exceptions and those are noted on the program information pages.
Will my degree say UC Online?

No. your degree will be conferred by the University of Cincinnati, which will also be reflected on your transcripts and degree.
Is the SLP-D program accredited by ASHA?

The Clinical Doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP-D) program at the University of Cincinnati is not subject to accreditation by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), as ASHA does not accredit clinical doctorate programs. The University of Cincinnati and all regional campuses are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

However, this program is designed for licensed, certified speech-language pathologists who already hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from ASHA. This program follows ASHA’s guidelines for the Clinical Doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology and builds on the foundational knowledge and credentials provided by an ASHA-accredited master’s degree program.