Degree:  Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Major:     Health (HTH)

Option 1:  Community Health Track

Course of Study:

This option prepares students to become Community Health Educators. The overall goal of health education is the creation of healthy communities of healthy people through education. 

Health educators work with people of all different ages, races, ethnicities, income levels, geographic areas, religions, occupations, and lifestyles to help them lead healthier, happier lives. They do this through teaching, counseling, research, advocacy, community development, grant writing, and media campaigns.

Health majors at UTSA learn to identify health education needs of target populations, design programs that meet those needs, market, implement and evaluate the programs, provide health information, and coordinate health education services.   

Future Employment:

Health educators work in many different settings, including schools, hospitals, communities, work sites, laboratories, unions, nursing homes, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. 

As a professional health educator you may find yourself:

•  Working to prevent or manage chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity or cancer.  Your efforts may include the prevention of infectious diseases, including food and water borne diseases, AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis, influenza, or anthrax. 
  

 

• Helping people modify their health risk behavior such as alcohol and/or drug abuse, use of tobacco, eating disorders, teenage pregnancy, poor eating habits, and/or lack of exercise.

• Helping people avoid environmental health risks such as lead poisoning, food or water contamination, radiation, ultraviolet light, excessive noise, hazardous wastes, or even bioterrorism.

UTSA does not offer a Nursing or Pre-nursing major.  However, many students do attend UTSA to take the pre-requisite classes required to apply for Nursing School.  Find out more!

 

Option 2:  School Health Teacher Certification

Course of Study:

The school health teacher certification option is designed to equip future early childhood through 12th grade (EC-12) educators with the tools to become successful and effective health education classroom teachers in a public school setting.

Specific areas of focus within this degree program include sexuality, substance abuse, nutrition, physical education, child and adolescent risk-taking, and human diseases as well as general education issues such as assessment, special education, classroom management, and curriculum development. 

Special Admission Requirements:

Admission to the UTSA Teacher Certification Program is required.

Job Market Considerations:

Because of the extremely limited number of positions for school health teachers, it is highly recommended that students pursuing this certification area select a second teaching certification area to pursue along with the school health certification.

Future Employment:

Upon successful completion of the school health degree and TExES exams, individuals are certified to teach health education beginning at the pre-kindergarten level through the 12th grade in the Texas public school system.

LEARN MORE!

Health and Kinesiology Website