Health Department
Bonni Hodges, chair
Margaret DiVita, graduate coordinator
Moffett Center, Room 101
607-753-2987
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.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the knowledge and skills of a health literate health educator.
2. Assess needs, resources, and capacity for school health education.
3. Plan effective, culturally and developmentally appropriate school health education curricula and programs.
4. Implement health education instruction and programs so that learners meet state and national standards in health education.
5. Conduct evaluation and research related to health education.
6. Apply research and evaluation findings to make decisions about school health education.
7. Assess learner performance to improve instruction and learner outcomes.
8. Administer and manage coordinated school health education programs.
9. Serve as a resource person in health education.
10. Communicate, promote and advocate for health and the profession of school health education.
11. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the key theories and models that guide the practice of school 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.