Pathway to Prevention (non-thesis option)
The Substance Use Prevention concentration provides students with the same opportunity to qualify for the national Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) or Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) certification while also fulfilling the educational requirements for the Arkansas Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) examination.
At the beginning of each semester, after receiving academic advising from the Program Coordinator, Dr. Hudson, students pursuing the Substance Use Prevention concentration are required to schedule a virtual meeting with Dr. Rose (srose3@uca.edu) before the semester begins. During this meeting, Dr. Rose will address questions and provide guidance regarding the certification process and applicable requirements. Upon completion of the MS in Health Promotion with a concentration in Substance Use Prevention, students may still need to complete mandatory workshops offered by Prevention Professionals of Arkansas, if these were not completed during program enrollment, as well as the remaining 2,000 prevention-related work or volunteer hours required to qualify for the Arkansas CPS certification examination. All questions regarding Arkansas CPS certification requirements and examination eligibility should be directed to Dr. Stephanie Rose (srose3@uca.edu).
Core Requirements (18 hours)
____ HLTH 5370 Administration of Health Programs
____ HLTH 6321 Foundations in Health Promotion
____ HLTH 6330 Biostatistics for Public Health or EXSS 6316 Data Analysis
____ HLTH 6331 Advanced Program Planning and Evaluation
____ HLTH 6361 Epidemiology in Health Promotion
____ HLTH 6379 Research in Health Sciences
Required Concentration Electives (15 hours)
Students pursuing the Substance Use Prevention concentration are required to take the following electives:
____ HLTH 6335 Grant Writing
____ HLTH 6345 Drug Education and Prevention
____ HLTH 6346 Prevention Across the Lifespan
____ HLTH 6347 Principles of Prevention
Electives (3 hours)
Electives are selected with approval of the graduate advisor to include a maximum of three hours of electives outside the department. The elective course may be selected from the following:
____ HLTH 5302 Health Promotion in the Worksite
____ HLTH 5303 Environmental Health Problems
____ HLTH 5305 Techniques in Health Coaching
____ HLTH 5306 Health Literacy
____ HLTH 5310 Health Concerns of Aging
____ HLTH 5320 Health Promotion Interventions
____ HLTH 5343 Health Strategies for Multicultural Populations
____ HLTH 5350 Health Education in the Elementary Schools
____ HLTH 6310 Health Education Curriculum and Instruction
____ HLTH 6311 Health Appraisal of School Children
____ HLTH 6350 Contemporary Health Problems
____ HLTH 6353 Issues and Research in Sexuality
____ HLTH 6354 Issues and Research in Women’s Health
____ HLTH 6360 International Health
____ HLTH 6371 Directed Independent Study
Comprehensive Examination
All students must successfully complete the graduate comprehensive examination or present evidence of current CHES or MCHES certification. The comprehensive exam will be given with the permission of the graduate coordinator or department chair after the student has completed the required core courses. The student will advise the graduate coordinator of intent to take the examination by submitting a request via email. Students with any Cs will be required to take the examination at the end of their last semester in the program.
IMPORTANT: Please contact Dr. Stephanie Rose (srose3@uca.edu) for questions regarding the Pathway to Prevention (Substance Use Concentration) option.