Chronic illness, the greatest cause of disability and death in the U.S., is a critical health concern in the U.S., according to the CDC. In response to this healthcare challenge, there is a strong demand for health professionals who can prevent and manage chronic diseases.
We designed the Chronic Disease Prevention and Management specialization to prepare graduate students to become empathetic, expert leaders who can support individuals struggling with chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
This specialization equips students with the evidence-based knowledge and skills to design, implement, and evaluate health education initiatives that promote wellness and reduce chronic disease risk across diverse populations. The chronic disease prevention and management specialization is ideal for students who are passionate about:
- Promoting health equity
- Improving public health initiatives
- Helping individuals and communities manage chronic illness challenges
Career Opportunities
The coursework in this specialization prepares you for impactful careers, such as:
- Chronic disease prevention coordinator
- Health promotion specialist
- Community health program manager
- Patient education coordinator
- Public health analyst
Course List
Chronic Disease Prevention and Management students complete nine credit hours of coursework, which covers the elective course requirement for the M.S. in HEB.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of assessing nutrition information needs for selected population groups. Planning, implementing, and evaluating nutrition education programs for special populations and settings will also be covered.
This course will examine the causes of obesity from a variety of perspectives, including biological, psychological, social, environmental, and policy-related causes. The course will also consider interventions to prevent and treat obesity with an emphasis on the assumptions of the intervention on causes and maintaining factors for obesity.
Choose one of the following:
Exploration of how AI technologies can be ethically and effectively used for health promotion, disease prevention, and health advocacy. Examine cross-cultural concepts of health and illness and social determinants of health affecting vulnerable populations in the US.
This course is designed to acquaint students with theories of emotion, behavior change, and health counseling as well as their application. The course explores factors associated with the development and maintenance of emotional health and the means of incorporating positive mental health practices into health education/promotion programming and health counseling. In addition, the course focuses on the development of a core set of health counseling skills.
This interdisciplinary course examines the role of physical activity in promoting community health and preventing chronic disease. Students will explore population-level trends in physical activity, methods for measuring activity, and the evidence supporting its impact on health outcomes. Emphasis is placed on identifying and evaluating strategies for community-based interventions across diverse settings, including schools, workplaces, and faith-based organizations. Despite widespread recommendations, physical activity levels remain low among U.S. adults and children—highlighting the urgent need for innovative, inclusive approaches to increase engagement and improve public health.
