Degree Requirements
Master of Science in Health Behavior and Health Education
The Master of Science in Health Behavior and Health Education (MSHBHEd) consists of at least thirty-six semester hours of graduate study including a six-hour master’s thesis. All students seeking the MSHBHEd degree complete coursework and research in an area of departmental specialization. Of the nine semester hours of upper-division coursework allowed in the program, no more than six hours may be included in either the major or the minor. The minor field consists of six semester hours taken outside the department. A statistics course, a course in research methods, and the thesis course are required.
Doctor of Philosophy
The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree designed to prepare students as scholars in a designated area of specialization. The program includes at least fifteen semester hours of core coursework in health behavior and health education, twelve hours of statistics and research methods, and six hours of supporting coursework outside the department. Students must also complete research experience that includes at least eight hours of independent study, four hours of departmental seminar, and eighteen hours in the dissertation courses.
During the student’s first year in the program, the student works with their adviser to prepare a program of study, which must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. Prior to admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, the student must successfully complete the comprehensive examination covering the area of specialization. The student must present the dissertation proposal to the Graduate Studies Committee. The dissertation must represent an independent scholarly investigation of a problem pertinent to the field of health behavior and health education. It deals with basic questions in the area of specialization and must constitute a scholarly contribution to the body of knowledge in the profession.
More detailed descriptions and requirements for each of the specializations are available from the graduate adviser.