With this degree, you can work in various places like schools, government offices, non-profit health organizations, colleges, businesses, private-sector industry and healthcare settings. 

The undergraduate curriculum is a great start if you want to continue studying health education or go into careers like nursing, medical school, physician assistant, occupational therapy or physical therapy. You can even choose to focus more on health studies or community health promotion depending on what interests you most.

 If you're passionate about helping people stay healthy and want to make a difference in your community, this program could be perfect for you!

Specialization Options

• Community Health Promotion: Focuses on illness and disease prevention among special target groups. The goal is to provide practical health information to diverse populations through the use of behavioral interventions
• Health Studies: Focuses on knowledge and experience on a variety of health issues plaguing diverse population groups

Additional Department Program Offerings

Minor in Health Promotion
Sport and Health Leaders Certificate

Students who earn a B.S. in HEB from UF can take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam  — a national voluntary certification recommended by numerous health employers.

•••••••••

Skills Learned

Students in the HEB program develop a wide range of skills including:

• Assessing individual and community health education needs
• Building meaningful relationships with stakeholders
• Communicating health information to diverse audiences using various channels
• Coordinating the provision of health education services
• Evaluating and effectively sharing research results through appropriate channels
• Understanding theory-based models for planning, implementing, and evaluating health education programs

Internships

All HHP students will complete an internship as a capstone experience. Examples of past student internship sites include...

• AIDS Resource Center
• Alzheimer's Association
• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
• Florida Department of Health
• Gainesville Prosthetics
• Gift of Life Marrow Registry
• Kinetix Physical Therapy
• Lifesouth Community Blood Centers
• National Institute for Fitness and Sport
• Partnership for Strong Families
• Peaceful Paths Domestic Violence Network
• UF College of Medicine
• UF Health
• Verizon
• YMCA

Research in HEB

Center for Behavioral Economic Health Research

The mission of the Center for Behavioral Economic Health Research (CBEHR) is to figure how to help people live healthier lives by changing their behaviors. CBEHR is focused on not only making people feel better but also preventing them from getting sick or injured in the first place. The Center uses a special approach called behavioral economics, which helps to understand why people do what they do and how to use that knowledge to guide individuals, communities, and even policies toward healthier behaviors.

Faculty Research Interests

In the Department of Health Education & Behavior, our researchers aim to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding of individual and community health and promote behavior change that leads to healthier lifestyles and beneficial health outcomes. Some specific research topics include...

• community science and digital health
• substance misuse research
• health literacy and equity
• physical activity and obesity