School of Education, Teaching and Health

As a graduate student, we welcome you to phone, email, or request a personal interview to learn more about our program.

Health Promotion
Phone: (202) 885-6275
Fax: (202) 885-6288
E-mail: healthfitness@american.edu

Master of Science in Health Promotion Management

Program Overview

Established in 1980, the M.S. in Health Promotion Management program was the first in the U.S. to integrate the business, science, and art of health promotion. The primary objective of the degree is to provide a competency-based, multidisciplinary academic track for individuals interested in health promotion. Graduates assume leadership and managerial positions in a variety of corporate, private, community, hospital, school, non-profit, and managed care health promotion settings. Our innovative program as won the prestigious Professional Preparation Award from the Association for Worksite Health Promotion and is internationally recognized for its leadership in the development of progressive curricula in the field of health promotion.

Degree Requirements

40 credit hours of graduate work
- Course Waiver Form
- Independent Study Form
Option of a Thesis or Internship
Completion of two undergraduate-level pre-requisites prior to beginning the second year of the program:
- Human Anatomy
- Exercise Physiology
Comprehensive Oral Examination
Comprehensive Written Examination (only required for those who choose the Internship option)
Completion of 10 service hours
- Service Requirement Form

Required Core Courses:

HFIT 510: Applied Human Physiology and Testing (4 credits)
HFIT 540: Health Communication (3)
HFIT 545: Nutrition for Health (3)
HFIT 550: Programming for Health Promotion (3)
HFIT 555: Research Methodology (3)
HFIT 560: Health Promotion in Healthcare
HFIT 565: Quantitative Assessment (3)
HFIT 618: Strategic Planning in Health Promotion (3)
HFIT 620: Critical Issues (3)
HFIT 682: Internship (3) OR HFIT 797: Master's Thesis (3)
PSYC 570: Behavioral Medicine (3)

Track Specific Courses

Students choose one of the following tracks:

Track	Description	Courses (3 credits each)
Corporate/Management	Centers on the business aspects of the health and fitness industry.	HFIT 570: Global Health MGMT 609: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Exercise Physiology	Prepares students with more of a science-base to work as clinical exercise physiologists, personal trainers, worksite fitness supervisors, or health fitness specialists.	HFIT 515: Applied Human Physiology and Testing II CHEM 506: Human Physiological Chemistry
Global Health	Focuses on educating students about critical international health issues in order to obtain positions with international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).	HFIT 575: Global Health HFIT 585: Global Health Policy
Health Communication	Provides students with skills to create media or public messages, campaigns, and programs related to health promotion and health education issues.	COMM 640: Public Communication Principles COMM 645: Public Communication Management
Health Policy	Helps students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue policy oriented positions.	HFIT 580: Health Policy and Behavior Change HFIT 585: Global Health Policy

For detailed descriptions of these courses and when they are offered, please visit the Registrar

M.S. in Health Promotion Management Informational Packet

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