2017-18 Graduate Catalog 
    
    Mar 18, 2024  
2017-18 Graduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Health Education [HEA] M.S.T.


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Health Department
Bonni Hodges, chair
Margaret DiVita, graduate coordinator
Moffett Center, Room 105
607-753-4225
Fax: 607-753-4226

Overview

Follow your passion for making the world a better place. Help people learn how to live healthy and productive lives by studying for the M.S.T. in health education at SUNY Cortland. Depending on your background and your personal and professional goals, you'll select one of three paths to a degree and certification in health education.

Program Highlights

Track A (HEA_CRT)

Your initial teaching certificate in an area other than health education opens the door to Track A (HEA_CRT), where you'll learn about assessment and evaluation of health programs, research methods and how to create health education curricula as you examine school health programs, family life education and health behavior in discussions with your peers and our distinguished faculty. You'll also have the option to investigate your own research problem, develop a master's thesis or sit for a comprehensive examination as a culminating activity for the degree.

Track B (HEA_NCRT)

If you do not hold any initial teaching certificate, Track B (HEA_NCRT) offers the opportunity to explore teaching health education, curriculum construction, research methods, assessment, evaluation and school health programs, as well as family life education and health behavior. In addition, you'll gain field experience and pre-service student teaching opportunities, and can decide on a culminating activity that involves investigating a research problem of interest, creating a master's thesis or sitting for a comprehensive examination.

Track C (HEA_PCRT)

Track C (HEA_PCRT) is for you if you are one of a select group of physical education students who hold an initial certificate and were accepted into the 4+1 health education M.S.T. program as an undergraduate student at SUNY Cortland. In addition to professional education and field experience courses, including curriculum construction, you'll examine topics such as drug education for teachers, research methods, school health programs, family life education, health behavior, and assessment and evaluation. You'll also have the opportunity to undertake an investigation into a research problem, develop a master's thesis or sit for a comprehensive examination.

Career Potential

With the M.S.T. in health education from SUNY Cortland, you'll be well prepared to pursue certification for teaching in New York state or to work as a health educator for public and private agencies that help individuals and families create healthy and fulfilling lives. This degree also will provide the academic portion of professional certification in a second area if you are coming from a related teaching certification field.

Graduate Admissions

Evaluation Policy

At the State University of New York College at Cortland, we seek a diverse and academically strong student body. Our admission policy and practice will not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, national origin or marital status.

Required Materials

  1. Completed online Graduate School Application – Apply Now
  2. Official transcripts from all institutions of higher learning attended to be forwarded directly to SUNY Cortland Graduate Admissions Office
  3. Names, addresses and telephone numbers of three references, submitted online with the application
  4. Documentation of initial certification in an area other than health education for admission to tracks A or C.
  5. New York State mandates that all SUNY teacher preparation programs adopt college entrance assessments for admissions consideration.  Effective August 31, 2015 - anyone submitting an application for admission is required to submit scores for either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT).

Admissions Criteria

Entry into the Health Department graduate programs is very competitive with more eligible applicants than can be accommodated. The 3.0 cumulative undergraduate grade point average criterion is the minimal acceptable grade point average but does not guarantee admission into a degree program.

Deadlines

Fall semester applications: July 1
Spring semester applications: Dec. 1

Applications submitted after the deadline may be considered on a space availability basis.
Please contact the Graduate Admissions Office at 607-753-4800 to check availability.

Program Requirements


Track A [HEA_CRT]


This program is for those individuals holding an initial teaching certificate in an area other than health education.

Health courses: 27 credit hours


Note: Health free electives may be used to meet all of master’s project or thesis credit-hour requirements.

  • Health free electives (12 cr. hr.)

And


Culminating activity: 1-6 credit hours


Additional course work:


Students must have completed, as graduates or undergraduates,  the following prior to the culminating activity:

  • a total of 36 credit hours of health content course work across undergraduate and graduate courses
  • anatomy and physiology, which may be a part of the 36 credit hours
  • a three-credit-hour course in dealing with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, which may be a part of the 36 credit hours

Total Credit Hours Required: 35-40


Track B [HEA_NCRT]


This program is for those individuals who do not hold an initial teaching certificate in any area.

Health courses: 21 credit hours


Note: Health free electives may be used to meet all of master’s project or thesis credit-hour requirements.

  • Health free electives (6 cr. hr.)

And


Culminating activity: 1-6 credit hours


Additional course work


Students must have completed, as graduates or undergraduates, the following prior to the culminating activity:

  • a total of 36 credit hours of health content course work across undergraduate and graduate courses
  • anatomy and physiology, which may be a part of the 36 credit hours
  • a three-credit-hour course in dealing with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, which may be a part of the 36 credit hours
  • Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting (CARR) workshop
  • Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop
  • Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) workshop
  • PSY 331: Psychology of Exceptional Children or equivalent
  • General Education requirements

Total Credit Hours Required: 50-55


Track C [HEA_PCRT]


This program is for selected physical education students who have an initial certificate and who were accepted into the 4+1 Health Education M.S.T. program as undergraduate students. This is a selective program.

Admission to the 4+1 M.S.T. Health Education Program

  1. Students may apply for this track after they have been accepted into the physical education undergraduate program and have achieved at least sophomore but not more than junior status at the College. At the point of application to the special 4+1 program, students must have an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 2.7 in order to be accepted.
  2. Students accepted into the 4+1 M.S.T. program need to successfully complete the designated health education undergraduate courses and complete their bachelor’s degree with a minimum 2.8 cumulative grade point average. Students accepted into the 4+1 program who graduate from the undergraduate physical education program, who complete the required health course work, and who meet the grade point average criteria will be accepted automatically into the M.S.T. health education program.

Professional education and field experience courses:


Seven credit hours

Health courses: 23 credit hours


Note: Health free electives may be used to meet all of master’s project or thesis credit-hour requirements.

  • Health free electives (6 cr. hr.)

And


Culminating activity: 1-6 credit hours


Total Credit Hours Required: 31-36


Undergraduate 4+1 health requirements completed as an undergraduate:


Students must complete the following Health requirements as an undergraduate BEFORE beginning the MST_HEA_CRT 4 + 1 program.

  • HLH 110: Personal and Community Health
    and
  • HLH 120: Responding to Emergencies or HLH 220: Safety Education and Emergency Response
    and
  • HLH 232: Nutrition
    and
  • HLH 314: Mental Health and Counseling
    and
  • HLH 302: Human Sexuality Education or HLH 345: Parenting Education

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