Careers with Health Education and Promotion

What Can You Do with a Health Sciences - Health Education and Promotion Concentration Degree?

Passionate about the health of your family, your community, and the world? Hard to keep all that passion to yourself? You’ll be excited to learn that there are all kinds of careers possible with a health sciences – health education and promotion concentration degree from Indiana University Kokomo. As you gain more knowledge and craft your personal health philosophy, you’ll want the opportunity to go out and share it with your community! Possible career paths for those with this degree include:

• Public health educator
• Wellness program coordinator
• Fitness specialist
• Health service manager
• Medical sales representative
• Community health worker

And many more!

Some of our past graduates from this concentration have gone on to work for the Indiana State Department of Health, many county health departments, and several public non-profit organizations, like Four County Counseling Services. Wherever you end up, you’ll be doing what you love: providing and managing health education programs that help communities-at-large maintain healthy lifestyles, collecting and analyzing data to tailor your efforts and programming, providing evidence-based solutions, and acting as a resource to help individuals, fellow health professionals, and the community. You'll have the requisite courses to sit for the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. Those who are NCHEC-certified have achieved the national standard of practice, increasing their credibility and marketability. 

After graduating from this program, you might pursue employment in the public health field through local, state, and federal government agencies; schools; community organizations; insurance companies; hospitals; and the private sector. The expected growth for career opportunities within this field is looking very good for graduates of the near future. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 21 percent growth from 2012 to 2022!

When it comes to applying for your dream job post-graduation, your employer will be looking for more than your degree and a solid GPA. At IU Kokomo, you’ll have the opportunity to pack your resume full of related experience to really stand out to your future employer. During your time as a student, you can gain work experience, internship experience, extracurricular activities, and even real-world research opportunities to showcase your skills and knowledge.

If you know your purpose in life is to help promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing to all ages in your community and around the world, the possible careers paths for you are seemingly endless!

Considering graduate school?

If you’re looking into graduate school as a possible next step, you’re in luck! In the health sciences – health promotion concentration, you’ll gain the foundation needed to thrive in graduate school. Whether you’re interested in public health, health care administration, law, and other related clinical professions such as nursing, social work, and counseling, the work you do in this degree will prepare you every step of the way. Here, you’ll pack your graduate application full of all kinds of impressive feats – like hands-on experience and one-on-one research with esteemed faculty – which will help you stand out among other applicants.

If you are seeking admission to a professional program following your undergraduate degree, be sure to meet with your advisor regularly to ensure you complete any additional coursework to optimize your admission to your desired graduate program.

Ready to get a move on?

If you’ve decided this degree and concentration has your name written all over it, don’t wait another minute! If you have questions or just want to chat with someone in our department before you dive in, we’d love to hear from you. If you have questions about career preparation in this path, be sure and check out what the Career Center has to offer, including resume critiques, interview prep, and job search tips and strategies. You can never be too prepared for life after graduation!