Health Promotion Degree Programs

What can you expect in a health promotion program?

On completing the health promotion program a student will be expected to have reached a certain level in specific skills, including: successfully understanding psychological theories and perspectives which may serve underpin an individual’s behavior particularly regarding community development and empowerment; sociological diversities, be they cultural or related to class or gender, and their relative impact on relevant issues and an understanding of the determinants of the related economy.  A successful student will also be expected to have reached a certain level of understanding with regards to the impact that sociological theories, such as humanism or postmodernism, and political ideologies may ultimately have on care systems and their outcomes.

In degrees in health promotion, students will usually learn skills such as cognitive learning skills through the critical assessment of case studies and an analysis of documents.  This will develop their problem solving skills and will also lead to a heightened level of reflection abilities.  Students will also have to master a number of more practical skills, such as, how to plan and manage promotion activities that will be suitable for public audiences.  Students will gain these practical skills through both observation and participation (including role model situations) in real well-being promotion activities.  In general each of the modules will be individually assessed using a number of different methods, including the assessment of written essays and reports as well as the completion of case studies and effective action plans.

What about employment opportunities and salary after completion?

The field of health promotion offers many different options for successful graduates to apply the skills they have acquired. In fact, holders of a health promotion qualification can effectively begin a career straight from graduation. They can choose to specialize in areas such as health in schools, drugs and alcohol centers or even sexual health centers. Moreover, local governments tend to employ a number of people in the role of care promoter in areas such as housing and sports and leisure. Alternatively, an individual can opt for a career which combines a role in healthcare with a more specialist practice such as teaching. The good news is that starting salaries can be from around $33,000 to $43,000 while an experienced specialist can expect to earn around $65,000.