UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
The Master of Public Health in
Community Health Education (MPH-CHE)
Program goals
Background
• TO PREPARE proficient Community Health
Educators through educational experiences
in the core public health and health education
competencies that include quality instruction,
practical experience, and culminating opportunities.
• TO PLAN, implement, and report research that will
contribute to the health enhancement of the public,
the community health education profession, other
aligned professions, and the program teaching and
service components through the research endeavors
of faculty and program candidates.
• TO ENGAGE in interactive opportunities with
parties internal and external to UW-La Crosse in
order to enhance relationships, share knowledge,
resources and advice, and to engage in joint
planning through active service on committees,
councils, special task forces, and boards, as
appropriate.
La Crosse
Duluth/
Superior
UW-La Crosse is
located in southwestern
Wisconsin on the scenic
Mississippi River. Here you will
enjoy large-city convenience
and small-town warmth that
supports a positive living and learning experience.
Minneapolis/
St. Paul
Rochester
Eau Claire
Green Bay
La Crosse
Madison
Dubuque
Des Moines
COMMUNITY LINKS:
Convention & Visitors Bureau: www.explorelacrosse.com
Chamber of Commerce: www.lacrossechamber.com
Local Newspaper: www.lacrossetribune.com
Local Hospitals: www.gundluth.org
www.mayohealthsystems.org
Milwaukee
Chicago
College of Science and Health
• Health Education draws from many different disciplines,
including psychology, biology, sociology, communications,
business, and education.
• The vari­ety of backgrounds that MPH-CHE candidates
bring to the program help those in the program broaden
their understanding through informational updates,
discussion, and team projects.
• The MPH-CHE curriculum is designed to prepare
candidates to practice health education in the seven Areas
of Responsibility using the Entry-level and Advanced 1
Competencies and Sub-competencies.
• The curriculum is also guided by the five core public health
areas of biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health,
health services administration, and essential social and
behavioral sciences.
• MPH-CHE candidates are encouraged to develop
colleagueship through cooperative ventures while in
the program. In their present or future professional
situations, teamwork and networking will be essen­tial.
Mutual support and collaboration are encouraged both
informally and through the curriculum in the MPHCHE program. Many opportunities to develop creative
and innovative approaches to health education, often as
a team, are provided. The curriculum stimulates personal
challenge and skill development, along with a community
connectedness.
• Each MPH-CHE candidate, with the assistance of the
program director and faculty, is encouraged to exam­ine
career options and personal preferences.
• Opportunities are offered by the program to explore
health education in busi­ness, communities, schools,
clinical settings, and higher education through the core
curriculum, elec­tives, workshops, the Preceptorship, and a
capstone Thesis or Graduate Project experience.
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN
COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION
www.uwlax.edu/sah/hehp/mph
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
College of Science and Health
Master of Public Health in
Community Health Education
Gary D. Gilmore, MPH, Ph.D., MCHES
Professor and Director
Graduate Community Health/Public Health Programs
201 Mitchell Hall
1725 State St. | La Crosse, WI 54601 USA
608.785.8163
email: ggilmore@uwlax.edu
UW-L Admissions Office: admissions@uwlax.edu
Financial Aid Office: finaid@uwlax.edu
Graduate Studies: gradstudies@uwlax.edu
Information in this brochure is subject to change. Visit our website
for current information — www.uwlax.edu/sah/hehp/mph
www.uwlax.edu/sah/hehp/mph
The mission of the MPH-CHE graduate program at
the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is to prepare
professionals, using advanced-level health education
competencies and public health core areas, who will
address quality of life enhancement through health
education and health promotion, mindful of the holistic,
dynamic and interdependent nature of people and their
interactions within the environment.
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN
COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION
Accreditation and Recognition
The MPH-CHE program at UW-La Crosse is
accredited by the Council on Education for Public
Health (CEPH), and was the first MPH degree
offered in the University of Wisconsin System. The
program was initiated in 1991 and has been CEPH
accredited since 1992.
MPH-CHE Student Profile
Students in the MPH-CHE program at the UWLa Crosse come from a wide array of undergraduate
backgrounds, professional experi­ences and geographic
locations. Some have majored in health education,
while others have majors and/or experience in liberal
arts programs, medicine, nursing, the social sciences,
and the natural sciences, to name a few. MPH-CHE
graduate students also have in common an interest in
the human condition in all its diverse aspects. They
believe good health is basic to human well-being.
MPH-CHE graduate students should have good
communication skills. They will become specialists
in accessing, processing, and disseminating health
information to the public. Graduates from this
program are involved in efforts to prevent health
problems and optimize healthy lifestyle choices.
MPH-CHE Responsibilities and Competencies
Entry-Level and Advanced 1 Competencies & Subcompetencies
are addressed in the following seven Areas of Responsibility
(AAHE, NCHEC, & SOPHE: A Competency-Based Framework for
Health Educators-2010):
Area I: Assess Needs, Assets, and Capacity for Health
Education.
Area II: Plan Health Education.
Area III: Implement Health Education.
Area IV: Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health
Education.
Area V: Administer and Manage Health Education.
Area VI: Serve as a Health Education Resource Person.
Area VII: Communicate and Advocate for Health and Health
Education.
MPH-CHE Program Content
PLAN A: Thesis Option: 44 total credits, including
a Community Health Education Preceptorship,
and a Master’s Thesis
PLAN B: Non-Thesis Option: 45 total credits, including a
Community Health Education Preceptorship, and a
Graduate Project in Health Education
I. Required courses: (35 Credits)
HED 701 Contemporary Issues in Health Education
3 credits
HED 706 Research Tools and Processes 6 credits
HED 703 Foundations in Health Education P-H 707 Environmental Health •Local health departments in Wisconsin and Minnesota
• Medical centers, to include the Marshfield Medical Foundation
and Clinic; Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center and Mayo
Clinic Health System
• Corporate worksite health promotion sites
• Voluntary and private health-related and human service agencies
• Examples of global health settings include African Nations,
Central America, Canada, Great Britain and Sweden
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES EXIST IN:
• Public health agencies
• Voluntary and private agencies
P-H 755 Epidemiology & Public Health Issues 3 credits
• Local, state and national governmental agencies
P-H 790 Public Health Administration & Organization
3 credits
Coupled with the five public health core areas:
• Biostatistics
• Health Services Administration
• Epidemiology
• Essential Social and Behavioral
• Environmental Health
Sciences
Applications to the MPH-CHE program are considered
once per year. The due date for all admissions materials,
including application for graduate assistantships, three letters
of recommendation, letter of intent and official GRE report is
February 15.
3 credits
• State health departments in Wisconsin, M
­ innesota and Iowa
3 credits
P-H 720 Program Assessment, Planning and
Evaluation in Health Promotion Admission procedures
3 credits
P-H 717 Emerging Public Health Issues
These seven Areas of Responsibility are addressed through 34 Advanced-1
Core Competencies from the National Commission for Health Education
Credentialing, Inc., the Society for Public Health Education, and the
American Association for Health Education.
These five core areas are addressed through 24 Tier-2 Core Competencies
from the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health
Practice.
3 credits
PRECEPTORSHIP LOCATIONS (selected examples)
CHE 780 Community Health Education Preceptorship
Plan A
II. Thesis Option
HED 799
III. Electives
Plan B
II. Graduate Project Option HED 798
III. Electives
8 credits
• Business and industrial settings
4 credits
5 credits
3 credits
7 credits
Individuals should request an Application for Admission to
Graduate Study from the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Additional admission materials should be requested from the
Director of the Program.
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available to
applicants admitted unconditionally to the program.
• Hospitals and other health care settings
Admission requirements
Cumulative GPA: 3.00 or higher
GRE: The Graduate Record Examination taken during the
last two years is required.
Work Experience: Minimum of 1 year of voluntary or salaried
experience in a health or social service setting
Additionally, for International applicants: Paper-based TOEFL
550/ IBT 79 or IELTS 6.0 for English language requirement