Barbara C. Wallace, Ph.D - FOR THE 42 POINT MS DEGREE PROGRAM IN COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION - Teachers College, Columbia ...
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FOR THE 42 POINT MS DEGREE PROGRAM IN
COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND BEHAVIOR STUDIES
By
Barbara C. Wallace, Ph.D.
Director, Programs in Health Education and Community Health Education
Community Health Education Fieldwork Coordinator
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Program Director’s Introduction 3
Introduction to Our Programs 4
Introduction to the MS Degree Program 5
MS Program Guiding Philosophy 5
CEPH Accreditation 7
Degree Requirements 7
Required Courses 7
A Sample Course Sequence and Program Length 8
The Process of Academic Advisement 9
Fieldwork 10
Service, Community Engagement & Professional Development Activities 11
Culminating Project for Research Scholarship and Inquiry 12
Capstone Portfolio 13
Degree Audit 14
Additional Clarifications and Explanations 15
Program Outcomes 16
Graduation Rates 16
Student Satisfaction 16
Post-graduation employment 17
Career Opportunities 18
Watch the Webinar Career Panel with MS Graduates 18
Health Educators Enjoy a Broad and Exciting Scope of Work 18
Employment 20
Job Outlook: Growth Expected 20
Will I Find Employment Over the Next Decade? 21
Competitive Salaries 22
Meet Some of Our MS Degree Graduates 22
Alberto, Stephane, Choumika, and Laura 22
Meet Some of Our Current MS Students 24
Kelly, Alyssa, Brennen, DiLenny, Katie 24
Faculty and Staff 29
Barbara C. Wallace, Ph.D, 29
John P. Allegrante, Ph.D., L.H.D. (Hon.) 32
Charles E. Basch, Ph.D. 36
Sonali Rajan, Ed.D. 39
Ray Marks, Ed.D. 41
Evelyn Quinones 43
Important Offices at Teachers College 45
On Campus Resources and Facilities 45
1
Important Program and College Policies 45
Statement of Satisfactory Academic Progress 46
Description of How the Program Monitors Student Progress 46
Services for Students with Disabilities 46
Statement on Academic Conduct 46
Grades 47
Resolution of Student Academic Program Concerns 48
Grievances and Complaints 49
Student Governance: The MS Student Committee 51
Program Director’s Conclusion 51
Appendix A: The MS Degree Worksheet—
Ensuring a Student Meets Degree Requirements 52
Appendix B: Professional Competencies 53
Appendix C: HBSS 5410 Course Competency Evaluation Project Scoring Rubric 54
Appendix D: Advisor’s Evaluation Form for the Culminating Project 56
Appendix E: Mid-Point Evaluation Form 57
2
Program Director’s Introduction
Dear M.S. Degree Students,
The purpose of the MS Students’ Guidebook is to provide important information needed to successfully
navigate the M.S. Program in Community Health Education located within the Department of Health and
Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University.
The MS Students’ Guidebook includes all the information you need to successfully navigate and
complete the MS Degree coursework, including policy information and important forms. The goal is to
provide you with everything you need in this single location of a booklet.
It is our hope that you find this booklet to be a useful tool in your educational journey toward fulfillment
of your dreams and goals. Our faculty is delighted to share this journey with you!
Sincerely,
Barbara C. Wallace, Ph.D.
Program Director and Fieldwork Coordinator, Programs in
Health Education and Community Health Education
Professor of Health Education, Clinical Psychologist
Director, Research Group on Disparities in Health (RGDH),
Director of Global HELP (Health Education Leadership Program)
Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College,
Columbia University
Box 114, 525 West 120th Street, New York, New York 10027
267-269-7411 (cell, direct, preferred);
bcw3@tc.columbia.edu
3
Introduction to Our Programs
The Programs in Health Education and Community Health Education prepare students for expanding
professional career opportunities—given how national and global policy has emphasized health
promotion, disease prevention, and addressing health disparities as well as the social determinants of
health. Our training facilitates graduates fostering voluntary health-related behavioral and social change
through the application of principles from the behavioral and social sciences.
Our graduate professionals obtain a wide range of skills—including for: conducting needs assessments,
as well as research; engaging in program planning, implementation and evaluation; designing, launching
and evaluating social marketing campaigns to impact population health; taking action to address
environmental health issues; motivating individuals and groups to take action to change patterns of
behavior, while also focusing on maintaining behavioral change of time and preventing relapse;
addressing health disparities and social determinants of health; engaging in evidence-based approaches,
while also applying a range of behavioral and social principles rooted in varied theories and models;
advocating for diverse and vulnerable populations and pursuing changes in social policy, as well as
legislative and organizational policy; and, interacting with diverse and vulnerable populations with
cultural humility, while seeking to attain and evidence competence with multicultural populations, as
well as to design and implement culturally appropriate interventions and research.
We offer the MA and EdD in health education and the MS degree in community health education.
Introduction to the MS Degree Program
The program of study leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) in Health Education is a 42 point (aka credit)
degree, two-year program designed for those who wish to develop the skills necessary to plan and
implement health education programs for a variety of populations and in a range of practice settings, as
well as in-depth preparation in an area of specialization or in one of the behavioral and social sciences
underlying the practice of health education. Thus, the program of study enables students to prepare,
through the selection of courses in required areas and through elective course work, for professional
practice as a health education specialist in community, hospital, school or workplace settings. The M.S.
degree may serve as an entry-level professional credential for a career in health education or may serve
to prepare qualified students to go on for more advanced professional study in health education or other
health-related fields. Completion of the degree program makes graduates eligible to qualify for
certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health
Education Credentialing, Inc.
The program at Teachers College is grounded in the belief that community-level structures and
organizations play a key role in determining the health of the people. It offers courses in which students
learn to analyze and understand and thus become able to influence community structures that either
enhance or undercut health-promoting individual behaviors. In addition, students are encouraged to
pursue interdisciplinary study and research throughout Teachers College, as well as other divisions of
Columbia University— such as the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, and the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Columbia University.
4
MS Program Guiding Philosophy
Regarding the guiding philosophy of the MS Program,
there is a vision, mission, goals, and values.
Vision. The vision of the Programs in Health Education
and Community Health Education is to create a world-
class learning environment that attracts, retains, and
graduates leaders who share with faculty a deep
commitment to health promotion, disease prevention,
and health equity for diverse regional, national and
international communities; and, work collaboratively
with both faculty and community members through educational, service, and research endeavors, in
order to advance and disseminate the behavioral and social science serving as the foundation for effective
community health education.
Mission. The Program’s mission is to address the health of the public through the preparation of
specialists in health education who focus on the community as the setting for analysis, assessment,
program planning, intervention, evaluation, and research. This mission includes promoting health,
preventing disease, and advancing health equity, while training exceptional leaders for the delivery of
significant contributions to diverse regional, national, and international communities through teaching,
research and service. Varied structures, institutions, organizations, and agencies in the community
setting—including schools, hospitals, clinics, worksites, and nonprofits—are engaged in collaborative
relationships for purposes of fulfilling the mission.
Educational Goal Statement
• To deliver education that provides a firm foundation rooted in knowledge of the behavioral and social
science principles that guide effective community-based health education, including methods of
analysis, assessment, program planning, evaluation, and research.
• To provide classroom instruction, advanced seminars, webinars, colloquia and statistical laboratory
instruction that ensure training in core competencies essential for addressing public health through
community health education that effectively promotes health, prevents disease, and advances health
equity.
Research Goal Statement
• To advance and disseminate the evidence base for the behavioral and social science serving as the
foundation for the community health education that effectively addresses the health of the public in
diverse regional, national, and international communities.
• To foster exposure to rich and varied programs of research that emphasize establishing the evidence
base for community health education practices, using multiple types of evidence and varied research
designs (e.g. efficacy, effectiveness, epidemiological, public health, ethnographic, descriptive studies,
naturalistic studies, case-studies, process-outcome studies, meta-analyses).
Service Goal Statement
• To provide opportunities for engagement in internship, practice, and service activities that reflect
collaboration with varied institutions, organizations, and agencies in the community setting—
including schools, hospitals, clinics, government agencies, criminal justice sites, worksites, and non-
profits—thereby providing a firm grounding in the practical application of knowledge in the real-
world, as well as reinforcing and extending the knowledge base gained through education.
5
• To promote the sharing of expertise, learning, and working collaboratively with program peers,
faculty, other professionals, community stakeholders, and community members—whether via service
volunteering at a community agency, for an internship, on advisory boards, institutional committees,
advocacy groups, trans-disciplinary groups, or other organizational groups.
Diversity Goal Statement
• To recruit and retain a diverse student body, faculty and
staff—as the multicultural setting for accomplishing
educational goals.
• To provide an education that prepares students for
engagement with diverse populations in regional,
national, and international communities.
• To engage in health equity research aimed at reducing
and eliminating health disparities and addressing the
most vulnerable populations.
The following values guide the Program:
• Excellence. In order to magnify excellence as a program, we value the importance of attracting and
retaining graduate students who have demonstrated the capacity and/or potential for leadership,
achieving at the highest levels academically, and successfully working collaboratively with program
peers, faculty, other professionals, and community representatives.
• Well-Rounded Preparation. In order to ensure that our graduate students have received well-rounded
preparation for professional careers as health education specialists in varied community settings, we
value the process of mentoring graduate students toward realization of their highest academic and
professional potential through actively engaging students in instructional, webinars, colloquia,
internship, practicum, service, and research endeavors.
• Contributing to the Evidence Base with Diverse Forms of Evidence. We value preparing a next
generation of professionals that is capable of drawing on both traditional forms of scientific inquiry,
including investigator initiated experimental and quasi-experimental studies, as well as practice-based
evidence that is derived from the experiences of practitioners working in communities (e.g., through
community-based participatory research) to advance the behavioral and social sciences underlying
health education practice. Thus, our faculty embrace broad definitions of what constitutes evidence
and support adapting evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence that are linguistically,
racially and culturally appropriate, being tailored for specific populations and individuals.
• Diversity, Health Equity, and Multicultural Competence. We value training that prepares professionals
to function in diverse regional, national, and international communities, while advancing health
equity, necessitating grounding in multicultural competence principles and practices that guide
professional conduct as a health education specialist (i.e., working collaboratively with communities
so they actively determine their own health, advancing the right to equity in health, ensuring
empowerment, advocating for equal access to opportunities that support health, delivering education
and interventions so they reflect cultural appropriateness, and co-producing knowledge with
community members’ input to ensure research designs are culturally appropriate and produce
findings of cultural relevance).
6
CEPH Accreditation
The M.S. Program in Community Health Education is accredited by the
Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). This accreditation was
last reaffirmed in 2017 and the next site visit is scheduled for
December, 2022. Teachers College has been continually accredited by
the Middle States Commission on Higher Education since 1921. This
accreditation was last reaffirmed in 2016, and the next site visit is
scheduled for 2025-2026.
Degree Requirements
Ø Required Courses
Course number Course name Credits
Required Courses (Foundation and Concentration)
HBSS 4100 Behavioral and Social Science Foundations of Health Education 3
HBSS 4102 Principles of Epidemiology in Health Promotion 3
HBSS 4118 Principles of Health-Related Behavioral & Social Change: Initiation to 3
Maintenance
HBSS 4160 Introduction to Biostatistics for Community Health Educators 3
HBSS 4161 Environmental Health 3
HBSS 4112 Social Policy and Prevention 3
HBSS 6100 Program Evaluation 3
HBSS 4114 Competency with Multicultural Populations: Research & Practice 3
HBSS 5111 Planning Health Education Programs 3
HBSS 5112 Social Marketing and Health Communications 3
Non-HBSS Course Any Non-HBSS Course (Out of Department/Program) 3
Non-HBSS Course Any Non-HBSS Course (Out of Department/Program) 3
Applied Practice Experience Course
HBSS 5410 Practicum in Health Education (Fieldwork) 3
Electives
Select 1 from the list HBSS 4012 Eating Disorders 3
HBSS 4110 Health Promotion for Children and Adolescents
HBSS 4111 Addictions and Dependencies
HBSS 4113 Human Sexuality Education
HBSS 4116 Health Education for Teachers
HBSS 4117 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology
HBSS 4122 Women's Health HBSS5110 Determinants of Health
HBSS 5113 Community Health Analysis
Integrative Learning Culminating Project for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry 0
Experience
Capstone Portfolio 0
TOTAL CREDITS 42
7
A Sample Course Sequence
and Program Length
Students may consider a sample
demonstrating the desired, typical
sequence of MS Degree coursework—
while also suggesting a program length of
two academic years and one summer. See
Table 1 for a clear depiction of a full-time
student’s sample course sequence, while
also illustrating the program length. We
also have part-time students, including many working full-time. Hence, there are many pathways to
completing the degree, while the goal is to complete within 5 years.
Table 1: Sample Course Sequence for 2-Year MS Degree Program for 42 Points/ Credits
TC CU Year 1
Fall Year 1 Spring Year 1 Summer Year 1
HBSS4100 Behavioral and Social HBSS 4160 Environmental HBSS5112 Social Marketing and
Science Foundations of Health Health Health Communications
Education (3 points) (3 points)
(3 points)
HBSS4102 Principles of HBSS 4112 Social Policy and HBSS5111 Planning Health
Epidemiology in Health Promotion Prevention (3 points) Education Programs (3
(3 points) points)
HBSS4118 Principles of Health- HBSS 6100 – Program
Related Behavioral & Social Evaluation (3 points)
Change: Initiation to Maintenance
(3 points)
HBSS 4160 Introduction to HBSS4114 Competency with
Biostatistics for Community Multicultural Populations:
Health Educators (3 points) Research & Practice (3 points)
TC CU Year 2
Fall Year 2 Spring Year 2
HBSS 5410 – Practicum in Health Any Non-HBSS & Out of Department Course within TC, CU (3
Education (Supervised Fieldwork) points)
(3 points)
HBSS Elective Course Selection (3 Any Non-HBSS & Out of Department Course within TC, CU (3
points) points)
Complete Integrative Learning Experience – Culminating
Project for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry (0 points)
&
Submit Capstone Portfolio –containing all final papers from
required courses (i.e. Course Competency Evaluation Projects
(0 points)
8
The Process of Academic Advisement
Students need to be aware of the academic advisement process, and follow it to avoid delays in their
degree completion, or avoid the expense of unnecessary coursework. The Program provides vital tools for
the process of academic advisement, as follows:
1-the MS Student Guidebook [i.e., this document]
2-the MS Degree Worksheet, as a single sheet word document, which is also contained in this MS
Student Guidebook [i.e., to be used in advisement sessions in advance of every semester). A link provides
students with ease of access to the MS Degree Worksheet (also See Appendix A).
https://tinyurl.com/MS-Degree-Worksheet
3-the roster of the upcoming semester’s Program course offerings by our faculty.
The above materials are used by all academic advisors and students as vital guidance for academic
advising.
In addition, there is the following:
4-the Program list-serve which is used to send out repeated reminders via emails with the above
# 1 and # 2 as attachments, while also urging students to receive advisement before they register for
classes.
Of all the academic advisement resources utilized, the most important may be the above # 2, MS Degree
Worksheet. As an especially valuable advising resource, the one-page MS Degree Worksheet clearly lists
the desired sequence of required courses, permits checking off (X) a course once it is taken, and has a
space (______) for entering the semester that course was taken.
In advance of meeting or communicating by email with their Advisor, students are to update their MS
Degree Worksheet and indicate in a color highlight the courses they are thinking about taking for the
upcoming semester. The MS Degree Worksheet is examined during academic advising by the Advisor and
student, together, as the process of advisement aims to result in a confirmation of the appropriateness of
the student’s course selections, given recommendations in the MS Student Guidebook for sequencing
courses.
MS students can anticipate successful completion of their MS degree in a timely manner by following
repeated instructions from their Advisors and the Program Director to always receive advisement every
semester before registering for classes.
9Fieldwork
All students are required to enroll in HBSS 5410 Practicum in Health Education (offered in the fall in-
person and online) and complete a 180-hour supervised Fieldwork experience in a community setting.
The selected Fieldwork should be aligned with their goals for professional development and future
employment. During the practicum, students are engaged in a collaborative relationship with a
supervisor, staff, and selected consumers within their fieldwork setting.
To successfully complete fieldwork requirements, students, in collaboration with their Fieldwork
Supervisor, must select a minimum of 5 out of 28 competencies listed in Appendix B. Professional
Competencies. Competencies 1 through 22 are the foundational competencies developed by the
Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH); competencies 23 through 28 are the program-identified
competencies. A minimum of 3 competencies selected for the fieldwork must be foundational
competencies.
The Program provides potential and current preceptors or supervisors of Fieldwork for MS students
with: the Fieldwork Supervisors’ Guidebook: Providing Orientation to Their Role, Timeline for Duties,
and Forms for Completion. This resource is sent out via the Program list-serve, as well as via other
professional list-serves, in order to recruit new supervisors. The resource is also intended to serve as an
orientation to their role. A timeline of key dates is also provided. Perhaps most importantly, the
guidebook contains important forms for completion, and supervisors are provided with a pdf and word
version for easy of copying and using forms.
• https://tinyurl.com/SupervisorGuidebookToFieldwork
Additionally, the Program provides our MS students with: the MS Degree Students’ Fieldwork
Guidebook: Providing an Orientation to Fieldwork, Timeline, and Forms for Completion:
• https://tinyurl.com/StudentGuidebookToFieldwork
There is also a Course Competency Evaluation Project (CCEP) for the course HBSS 5410 Practicum in
Health Education, as follows:
I. Part I of the Course Competency Evaluation Project (CCEP) demonstrates how students
mastered the relevant minimum of 5 professional competencies they selected for the
fieldwork focus through:
• Analysis of Fieldwork Notes (5 pages)
• Fieldwork/Internship Critique (optional paragraph to 1 page)
II. Part II of the Course Competency Evaluation Project includes a minimum of Two Products
completed as part of the fieldwork experience. For example, students may create a
PowerPoint presentation which they present as part of their fieldwork experience. Other
possible products include creating a video, making a brochure, developing a
10curriculum, updating or creating a website, writing a report, analyzing and summarizing a data
set, etc.
III. Fieldwork Log and Notes document fieldwork/internship experiences including hours and
supervision received throughout the experience.
The HBSS 5410 Practicum in Health Education Instructor evaluates student performance in the
Fieldwork and attainment of professional competencies (i.e., selected by the student and Supervisor of
Fieldwork, together, at the beginning of Fieldwork). The evaluation occurs using the HBSS 5410 Course
Competency Evaluation Project Scoring Rubric (CCEP-SR)—as shown in Appendix C.
Service, Community Engagement & Professional Development Activities
Students are expected and encouraged to participate in community and professional service. Students
are introduced to service, community engagement, and professional development activities, starting
with orientation at the start of their first semester–including receipt and review of the MS Student
Guidebook. The MS Student Guidebook, which can be accessed via our Program website, can be
carefully examined before Program admission, providing even earlier exposure to the importance of and
value placed upon community and professional service.
Further, this introduction and exposure to service, community engagement, and professional
development activities continues in multiple domains across their time in the Program:
• Advisors emphasize during academic advising and ongoing mentoring the importance of
community and professional service, while also forwarding opportunities to advisees as they
become available
• Professors regularly integrate into their course instruction reference to and materials from their
extramural service involving vital collaboration with varied organizations
• The Program list-serve regularly sends out to students notices about opportunities for them to
participate in service, community engagement, and professional development activities
• Links to online webinars are disseminated that reflect and encourage student service,
community engagement, and professional development—with these links regularly shared with
students via the Program’s Coalition for Community Health Education (CCHE–our workforce
development/continuing education mechanism with these links regularly posted on the CCHE
social media platforms).
This systematic introduction to community and professional service is considered vital, so that
students gain a practical, direct, real-world understanding of what it means to be in public health
and community health settings, and interact with those consumers and clients seeking services. This
real-world understanding supports students in their professional advancement in the field of
community health education, or public health.
11Culminating Project for Research Scholarship and Inquiry
Our M.S. Degree in Community Health Education “students must complete an integrative learning
experience (ILE) that demonstrates synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies,” as per
the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). This involves an opportunity for students to work
closely with their advisor and to integrate what they have learned throughout the program. All students
are required to complete a Culminating Project for Research Scholarship and Inquiry, usually in the Fall
semester of the year they will graduate.
As a first step, upon beginning their work together on the ILE—or what we refer to as the Culminating
Project for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry (i.e. “Culminating Project”), the student and advisor should
have selected, together, those competencies to be addressed: i.e. minimum of three competencies
required, with a minimum of 2 selected from foundational competencies # 1-22, and a minimum of 1
selected from the program (concentration in community health) competencies # 23-28. This follows CEPH,
in emphasizing how students in consultation with faculty select foundational and concentration-specific
competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals.
An evaluation form permits the Faculty Advisor to record with the student those competencies
addressed and synthesized and integrated in the Fieldwork. See in Appendix D, Advisor’s Evaluation
Form for the Culminating Project (aka the Advisor’s Evaluation of the Culminating Project for Research
Scholarship and Inquiry: Assessing the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) Required
Integrated Learning.) This one-page form (with a convenient Form Appendix attached listing the 28
competencies) guides the Faculty Advisor in supervising and evaluating a student’s ILE or Culminating
Project.
• This form codifies how the faculty advisor and student selected, together, competencies for
synthesis and integration; and, how the faculty advisor did engage in a careful review,
assessment and evaluation of each student’s performance in the ILE (i.e. Culminating
Project). Through this form, the advisor ensures that the ILE or Culminating Project
experience addresses the selected foundational and concentration (community health
education) specific competencies.
• This form includes a section that is especially important in documenting the competencies
selected for coverage via the Culminating Project, as shown below:
CHOSEN BEFOREHAND: Competencies Selected for ILE or Culminating Project
• From the CEPH Foundational Competencies # 1-22, Selected Were: #_____ and
#_____ as required minimum; and, if applicable, also selected were: # (s) ____________
• From the Program Competencies # 23-28, Selected Were: #_____ as a minimum; and, if
applicable, also selected were: # (s) ____________
ACTUALLY COVERED: Competencies Covered by the ILE or Culminating Project
• From the CEPH Foundational Competencies # 1-22, Selected Were: #_____ and
#_____ as required minimum; and, if applicable, also selected were: # (s) ____________
• From the Program Competencies # 23-28, Selected Were: #_____ as a minimum; and, if
applicable, also selected were: # (s) ____________
12In this manner, the student and advisor, together, select a minimum of 5 competencies: i.e. 3 minimum
from foundational competencies from #1 - #22; and, at least 1 program concentration competency from
#23 - #28.
In addition to arriving at agreement on competencies to be covered, the student and their advisor focus
on the selection of the type of Culminating Project, including any of the following:
● Major research paper, for example:
○ a potential journal article for submission for publication
○ a paper that builds further on their Course Competency Evaluation Project
● Project from Fieldwork/internship, for example:
○ a community health education curriculum
○ a health promotion, disease prevention, or health education program
○ a research project including analysis of community health data
○ a grant application to support a community health research project
● Alternative format project approved by the student’s advisor
Again, most importantly, students’ final ILEs or Culminating Projects are evaluated for the attainment of
professional competencies, using the form provided in Appendix D (Advisor’s Evaluation Form for the
Culminating Project)
Capstone Portfolio
As the very last requirement for the 42-point MS Program in Community Health Education, students
must compile and submit a Capstone Portfolio (0 points) in order to be eligible for graduation. Students
are to create a digital compilation of the following materials, using what is below as a CHECK LIST (X) for
inclusion of all that is required:
● Capstone Portfolio Introduction (1-2 pages) that provides an overview of the materials in the
portfolio, being placed at the beginning of their digital portfolio
● All of the student’s Course Competency Evaluation Projects associated with every HBSS course
they have taken during their 42-point degree program; this excludes their out-of- program
coursework
● All of the student’s Course Competency Evaluation Project Scoring Rubrics completed by faculty
to evaluate/grade each of their Course Competency Evaluation Projects
● A copy of their MS Program Mid-Point Evaluation Form
● A copy of their Culminating Project for Research Scholarship and Inquiry
● A copy of their Advisor’s Evaluation of the Culminating Project for Research Scholarship and
Inquiry
● A Capstone Portfolio Conclusion (3-4 pages) that summarizes and synthesizes their materials,
including an analysis of what they feel they have personally accomplished through their degree
studies
● A Resume of the student updated to the month before graduation, including mention of
(updated)
○ a LinkedIn account/profile
○ a new professional g-mail e-mail account (or sure to be used ongoing one) as an
alternative to their Teachers College g-mail e-mail account; both of these bolded
13additions are for ease in ongoing follow-up communication for post- graduation
communication and to ensure your receipt of vital outcome evaluation surveys (see
What to Expect Post-Graduation…below).
● Students should place all materials in sequential order from the first to last semester within
their Capstone Portfolio. It is recommended that students work closely with their advisor to
ensure that they have followed all of the above instructions for compiling their Capstone
Portfolio for submission. Submission of the Capstone Portfolio is required for eligibility for
graduation.
Capstone Portfolio Review Timeline
Students will also work closely with the Program Director in ensuring they are following the Capstone
Portfolio Review Timeline, using what is below as a CHECK LIST (X):
____ Submit first draft of Capstone Portfolio 3 months before graduation to the Program Director
who will do the first stage of evaluation using the Capstone Portfolio Evaluation Form: Program
Coordinator’s Clearance for Graduation—and alert the student to any missing items,
deficiencies, or violations of required format, given student access to sample Capstone
Portfolios
____ Submit first draft of Capstone Portfolio 2 months before graduation to the Program Director
who will do the first stage of evaluation using the Capstone Portfolio Evaluation Form: Program
Coordinator’s Clearance for Graduation—and alert the student to any remaining missing items
____ Submit first draft of Capstone Portfolio 1 months before graduation to the Program Director
who will do the first stage of evaluation using the Capstone Portfolio Evaluation Form: Program
Coordinator’s Clearance for Graduation—and provide vital clearance for graduation
____ Submit a final draft of the Capstone Portfolio 1-3-months post-graduation to the Program
Director, including final semester grades and any final revised copy of the Culminating Project
for Research, Scholarship and Inquiry, given potential edits to complete.
It is the responsibility of the MS student to evidence maturity, responsibility, and professional integrity
and to follow the above submissions timeline without having to receive prompts and reminders from
the Program Director.
Note: Students are asked to submit to the Program Director a copy of any journal article—at any point
post-graduation (e.g. 1 year) that evolved from revisions to their Culminating Project for Research,
Scholarship and Inquiry.
Degree Audit
The college uses an online platform to host what is called the student’s “degree audit,” as a process of
reviewing and confirming coursework taken and the requirements fulfilled within the online degree
audit document. This record of their academic progress in taking courses is maintained via the degree
audit. It is the responsibility of the student to review and seek corrections to their Degree Audit,
including with the assistance of the Office of the Registrar, their Faculty Advisor, and the Program
Director—as needed. This also includes having their faculty advisor and/or the Program Director sign off
on their Degree Audit as final clearance for graduation.
14Additional Clarifications and Explanations
• Regarding the link between the Culminating Project for Research Scholarship and Inquiry and
the Capstone Portfolio—the former is to be included in the latter along with the other materials
listed above.
• Every HBSS course has a Course Competency Evaluation Project (e.g., a Final Course Paper).
With regard to every HBSS course, the associated Course Competency Evaluation Project
reflects how the student accomplished the core competencies associated with that course.
• The Course Competency Evaluation Projects (CCEPs) are graded through faculty use of a Course
Competency Evaluation Project Scoring Rubric (CCEP-SR) that explains how students’ Capstone
Projects were evaluated for that particular course, given the competencies chosen for
achievement via that course. Whether created for the evaluation of a major final research
paper, or final examination, or other final assignment, the Course Competency Evaluation
Project Scoring Rubric is a digital word document that faculty complete and give to students as a
means for transmitting and explaining the Grading/Scoring of the Course Competency
Evaluation Project. By way of an illustration of how a Course Competency Evaluation Project
Scoring Rubric will work, faculty will have to indicate, for example, how Part I of a final
examination/paper addressed a particular competency, while Part II of a final
examination/paper addressed another competency. Faculty might score a student’s final
examination/paper as follows: achieved 90% or a grade of A- in meeting a competency for Part I
of the final exam/paper, and achieved 85% or a grade of B in meeting another competency for
Part II of the final exam/paper.
• Once students receive a Course Competency Evaluation Project Scoring Rubric explaining their
grade, students will keep this digital document through careful storage (e.g. attached to an e-
mail, as a google doc, etc..) of their Course Competency Evaluation Project for that course, and
keep it in a digital Capstone Portfolio that they are responsible for accumulating (e.g. a series of
files attached to an e-mail that is repeatedly updated). Every student pursuing the 42 credit M.S.
in Community Health Education will accumulate such a Capstone Portfolio, containing a record
of all of their Course Competency Evaluation Projects and the associated Course Competency
Evaluation Project Scoring Rubrics. The student is responsible for maintaining the digital file that
is their Capstone Portfolio. The formal submission of the Capstone Portfolio (e.g. the large e-
mail attachment containing all the aforementioned files in one portfolio) is a requirement for
being eligible for the M.S. degree.
• The Capstone Portfolio will be subject to review by the Program Director to determine
completeness, adherence to the format of a sample given to them—and, especially, the
completion of all Course Competency Evaluation Scoring Rubrics for required courses that codify
evidence of students meeting competencies.
15Program Outcomes
What kind of outcomes has our Program witnessed
over recent years? In brief, the following tables
provide compelling evidence of the success of our MS
Degree Program in supporting and mentoring
students toward their graduation and attainment of
employment.
Ø Graduation Rates
Academic Admitted Graduation Rate
Year Cohort within 5 Years
2019-2020 5
2018-2019 6 100%
2017-2018 6 83%*
2016-2017 4 83%*
*one student transferred to a different degree program
16Ø Post-graduation Employment
Graduation Year N Respondents* Employment
Rate
2019-2020 4 100%
2018-2019 5 100%
2017-2018 2 100%
* based on the TC Alumni Feedback Survey
Ø Student Satisfaction
How well did Not Slightly well Sufficiently Very
TC prepare well well well
you for your 0 4 3 4
current job?
Did not Met most Met all Met all
How well did meet expectations expectatio expec-
your TC expecta , below on ns tations,
program tions some exceed-
meet your ed on
expectations? some
0 5 3 3
If you could No Yes, with Yes, with Yes,
start over, strong some with no
would you reservations reservation reser-
choose your vations
program at 1 2 4 4
TC?
* based on the TC Alumni Feedback Survey
17Career Opportunities
PREPARATION FOR GREAT CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
What Will You Be Able to Do as a Health Educator or Community Health Educator?
Watch the Webinar Career Panel with MS Graduates
Watch the video and learn from our MS Degree and EdD (and MA) graduates what you will be able to do
as a career, after graduating from our program: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14YdgoxUgrPQr-
_pLQz2KW30Y15BUpNZt/view
Health Educators Enjoy a Broad and Exciting Scope of Work
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021):
Health education specialists typically do the following:
• Assess the health needs of individuals and communities
• Develop programs, materials, and events to teach people about health topics, such as
managing existing conditions
• Evaluate the effectiveness of programs and educational materials
• Help people find health services or information
• Provide training programs for community health workers or other healthcare providers
• Supervise staff who implement health education programs
• Collect and analyze data to learn about a particular community and improve programs
and services
• Advocate for improved health resources and policies that promote health
Community health workers typically do the following:
• Discuss health concerns with community members
18• Educate people about the importance and availability of healthcare services, such as
cancer screenings
• Provide basic health services such as first aid, diabetic foot checks, and height and weight
measurements
• Collect data to help identify community needs
• Report findings to health education specialists, healthcare workers, or social service
providers
• Provide informal counseling and social support
• Conduct outreach programs
• Make referrals, provide transportation, and address other barriers to healthcare access
• Advocate for individual and community needs
Also, as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021):
Health education specialists have different duties depending on where they work, as explained
below:
• Although most health education specialists work in offices, they may spend a lot of time
away from their desks to carry out programs or attend meetings.
• In healthcare facilities, health education specialists may work one-on-one with patients or
their families. They teach patients about their diagnoses and treatment options. They
also lead efforts to develop and administer surveys for identifying health concerns in the
community and to develop programs that meet those needs. For example, they may help
to organize blood-pressure screenings or classes on proper installation of car seats.
Health education specialists also create programs to train medical staff to interact more
effectively with patients.
• In nonprofits, health education specialists create programs and materials about health
issues in the community they serve. They help organizations obtain funding, such as
through grants for promoting health and disease awareness. They also educate
policymakers about ways to improve public health. In nonprofits that focus on a
particular disease or audience, health education specialists tailor programs to meet those
needs.
• In public health departments, health education specialists develop public health campaigns
on topics such as emergency preparedness, immunizations, or proper nutrition. They also
develop materials for use in the community and by public health officials. Some health
education specialists collaborate with other workers, such as on statewide or local
committees, to create public policies on health and wellness topics. They may also
oversee grants and grant-funded programs to improve the public health.
• In workplaces, health education specialists create workplace programs or suggest
modifications that focus on wellness. For example, they may develop incentives for
employees to adopt healthy behaviors, such as controlling cholesterol, or recommend
changes in the workplace to improve employee health, such as creating smoke-free
areas.
19• In schools: For information about workers who teach health classes in middle and high
schools, see the profiles on middle school teachers and high school teachers.
In addition, as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021):
Community health workers
• spend much of their time in the field, communicating with community members, holding
events, and collecting data.
• They understand the communities they serve, which allows them to act as intermediaries
between residents and healthcare and social services providers.
• They identify health-related issues, collect data, and discuss health concerns within the
community. For example, they may help eligible residents of a neighborhood enroll in
programs such as Medicaid or Medicare and explain the benefits that these programs offer.
• Community health workers address barriers to care and provide referrals for needs such as
food, housing, and mental health services.
• Community health workers share information with health education specialists and
healthcare and social services providers so that programs and care better suit the needs of
the community.
• They also advocate for the wellness needs of community members and conduct outreach to
engage residents, assist with healthcare navigation, and improve coordination of care.
Employment
What Does the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Say About Becoming a Health
Education Specialist and Community Health Worker?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021):
• Health education specialists held about 61,100 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of health
education specialists were as follows:
Government 24%
Hospitals; state, local, and private 21
Individual and family services 7
Outpatient care centers 7
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations 6
• Community health workers held about 64,100 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of
community health workers were as follows:
Government 18%
Individual and family services 17
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations 12
Hospitals; state, local, and private 9
Outpatient care centers 8
20Job Outlook: Growth Expected
Consider this information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021)
• Overall employment of health education specialists and community health workers is projected
to grow 17 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations (Bureau
of Labor Statistics, 2021).
• About 16,100 openings for health education specialists and community health workers are
projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to
result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor
force, such as to retire (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021).
• An emphasis on promoting healthy behaviors, particularly based on experiences from the
COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to increase demand for these workers over the decade (Bureau
of Labor Statistics, 2021).
• Governments, healthcare providers, and social services providers want to find ways to improve
the quality of care and health outcomes while reducing costs. This should increase demand for
health education specialists and community health workers to teach people about health and
wellness, which in turn can help to prevent costly diseases and medical procedures (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 2021).
Will I Find Employment Over the Next Decade?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021):
• Job opportunities for the next decade are projected, as follows, for various professions, showing
the great growth expected for health education specialists and community health workers:
Health Education Specialists and Community Health Workers
Percent change in employment, projected 2020-30 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021):
• Community health workers – 21%
• Health education specialists and community health workers – 17%
• Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists – 14%
• Health education specialists – 12%
• Total, all occupations in US Economy – 8%
21Competitive Salaries
How do the salaries for Health Educators or Health Education Specialists compare
to other professions?
Health Educators Enjoy Competitive Salaries
Health Educators enjoy competitive Salaries - while those with Master's degrees may receive higher
salaries, and those with Doctorates the highest salaries.
Pay: How Much Will I Earn?
The median annual wage for health education specialists was $56,500 in May 2020. The lowest 10
percent earned less than $33,720, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $101,890 (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 2021).
Meet Some of Our MS Degree Graduates
Alberto, Stephane, Choumika, Allison, and Laura
Alberto Jacinto, M.S. Ph.D., is a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the College of
Education at Texas Tech University. His research interests include public
management and education policy. Jacinto earned his Ph.D. from the Department of
Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public Affairs at American University
in Washington, D. C. His doctoral dissertation, Essays on the Public Sector Labor
Supply, investigated determinants of entry into as well as turnover among the public
sector workforce, with a focus on teachers and representativeness of the public
sector workforce. He received his M.S. degree in Community Health Education in
May 2017 at Teachers College, Columbia University. While completing his degree,
Jacinto worked with the Latino Commission on AIDS as a Research and Evaluation
Assistant, as well as a Senior Rapid HIV Test Counselor. He obtained his BS from Texas
A&M University, where he majored in Psychology, with a minor in Neuroscience, and
an additional minor in Gender Studies.
Stephane Labossiere, M.S., CHES is a social epidemiologist in training, while pursuing
his PhD. His goal is to investigate how individuals, neighborhoods, and policies
contribute to health disparities and health outcomes for minority populations both
nationally and globally. Methodologically, his focus is on using multi-level modeling,
mixed methods research, and community-engagement research to explore how
social, psychological, political, and economic factors contribute to health and health
inequalities. Stephane also worked as a Research Coordinator at Weill Cornell
Medicine in New York City where he managed all administrative, operational, and
dissemination activities, reporting on department research projects. He interned with
the United Nations, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and for the
American Federation for Aging Research—as well as a Clinton Health Matters
Initiative Intern at the Clinton Foundation. He published (2017) on aging and health
disparities in The International Journal of Health, Wellness, and Society. He conducted global public health work
in Haiti, India, and Colombia. In 2019, he worked as a Community Outreach Coordinator with the Mayor’s Office
of Immigrant Affairs. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Pix 11 News, The Daily Wire,
and Politico.com for outreach work during the COVID-19 pandemic. He holds the M.S. degree (2016) in
22Community Health Education from Teachers College, Columbia University; and, MS in Health Care
Management (2018) from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. He is a current Ph.D. student in
Clinical and Population Health Research at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School under the
mentorship of Dr. Stephenie Lemon.
Dr. Choumika Simonis (MD, MS) is an Internal Medicine Resident at NewYork-
Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center. She earned her undergraduate
degree from Cornell University and M.S. degree (2015) in Community Health
Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She graduated (2020) from
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, having had wonderful
opportunities to gain experience in health education both in the United States and
abroad. For example, she worked in Haiti as a Maternal and Child Nutrition Intern
with the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti; and as an English Teaching Assistant
via a Fulbright Fellowship in Indonesia. Her experiences provided invaluable insight
into the importance of health education in communities where health disparities
negatively affect vulnerable populations, and illustrated how preventive medicine,
health education, and health equity play central roles in improving health outcomes
in underserved communities. She loves to teach and realizes being a teacher and physician are not mutually
exclusive. Teaching will always be a part of her lifelong work.
Alison Trainor, M.S., CHES graduated with her degree in Community Health
Education (Feb. 2021) from Teachers College, Columbia University, which she
earned while working as a Clinical Research Coordinator and then Project
Coordinator at the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at the Columbia
University Irving Medical Center. There, she worked on studies on mental health
care for ethnic/racial minorities, clinician stress, COVID-19 and PTSD, and
cardiovascular health. She graduated from Michigan State University (2017) with a
BA in Spanish with minors in Health Promotion and Latin American & Caribbean
Studies. She interned with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and
the Bureau of STI’s Sexual Health Clinics. She received her CHES April 2021. Recently,
Alison moved to Baltimore, MD and accepted a position as a Research Program
Manager at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity. This new role with the Center for Health Equity
combines her research skills and passions with her leadership skills. She works on a large grant to help advance
evidence-based, community-oriented methods for improving cardiometabolic health disparities.
Laura Williams, M.S. (Teachers College, Columbia University) serves on the
PeriOp Quality Education Team, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is
responsible for patient experience and electronic medical record (EMR) quality,
performs regulatory and quality determinations of EMR for all of the clinical
practices at the hospital's main campus, and financial approvals for each practice's
medical record submissions prior to elective surgeries. To increase/ensure positive
patient experiences, she conducts telephone sessions to address patient concerns
prior to elective surgeries. The patient experience efforts of the PeriOp Quality
Education team boost Press Ganey scores for the hospital's clinical practices.
Consulting work compliments her Quality Education role. She became a Health
Education consultant in 2017 upon receipt of a scholarship from the National
Patient Advocate Foundation–which initiated advocacy and work with the Patient-
Centered Outcomes Research Institute. She also consults for INOVA Heart Failure Collaboratory Think-Tank and
OCHIN Patient Engagement Panel. Laura reviews public health initiatives, peer-reviewed studies, and calls to
action for medical research.
23Meet Some of Our Current MS Students
Kelly, Jean, Brennen, DiLenny, Katie
FENGYU (KELLY) DONG: A Member of the MS Student Committee in the Spotlight--
In My Own Voice
My name is Fengyu Dong and I go by Kelly. I am
currently a 1st year graduate student in the MS
Community Health Education program and a
member of the MS Student Committee.
I had one of the most unusual but intellectually
exciting first semesters at TC last Fall. My
professors were more than academic instructors
in the classroom. They are inspiring,
compassionate, and extremely caring of my
personal well being as an international student. I
am thankful for the course experience and was
able to improve myself significantly in academic
reading, writing and communication. In
particular, I accelerate the learning of
professional content knowledge about the arts
and science of health education throughout class
projects, group discussions and the well-
intentioned final papers. Outside the classroom,
I was exposed to leadership training
opportunities through participating in the MS
Student Committee. I was consulted about the
students’ learning experience and given the
opportunity to advise how professors can make
our TC experience more fulfilling.
My career interest was to become a health
science teacher at the secondary school level because I think the subject of health education and
community health are essential for the youths. I am now inspired to by our professors to pursue a more
in-depth, rigid and quantitative academic research on issues such as youth tobacco use, mental distress
in the time of COVID pandemic, high-risk substance use and suicide attempts among Asian American
adolescents, as well as sensitive issues such as Asian hate and hate crime. I am seriously considering
pursuing further studies after the completion of the MS program. In addition, I also developed
professional interests in the field of social psychology (applied and clinical), applied statistics (newly
discovered interest this Fall with the amazing statistics professor) and education entrepreneurship.
I graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Hunter College, the City University
of New York in June 2021. I was a recipient of the Meghan Charlop Scholarship and the Clinton Global
Initiative University Fellowship Award.
24ALYSSA JEAN: A Member of the MS Student Committee in the Spotlight
Alyssa Jean BSN, RN., is a registered nurse
and first-year student in the Masters of
Science in Community Health Education
program. After working as a telemetry
nurse and being disheartened by the lack of
education intentionally given to patients
regarding their health status, new
diagnoses, and medications, it caused her
to think about the larger barriers that
impede positive health outcomes. As a
result, she has become increasingly
interested in preventative health, the
effects of social determinants and other
non-clinical factors that contribute to
hospitalization, as well as how to address
risk factors that increase the chances of
inpatient readmission. In addition, she is
interested in researching the dynamic of
hospitals and other inpatient settings to
discover how patient education and
empowerment can be emphasized.
Alyssa Jean graduated from New York
University Rory Meyers School of Nursing
with a major in Nursing and Global Public
Health, where she had the chance to study
abroad in Accra, Ghana, and serve as a
teacher's assistant at a non-profit called
Street Girls Aid. Street Girls Aid is an
organization that offers ante and postnatal
care for pregnant teenagers, health
education, and early childhood education
for teenage girls and women. There, she
saw the beauty and effectiveness of
education and empowerment, and the
necessity of knowledge to make well-
informed decisions.
Through her nursing and public health experience, coupled with her growing knowledge pertaining to
community health education, she hopes to create programs geared towards knowledge, empowerment,
and increased self-efficacy towards making healthy decisions, while also tackling the more external and
upstream factors that while beyond an individual's control, can still affect their health and quality of life.
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