Application Information
All application information is available on the Apply page under Community Health and Human Services in the Individual Degree Requirements section.
Accreditation
Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES®) are individuals who have met the standards of competence established by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Inc. opens a new website (NCHEC) and have successfully passed the CHES® examination. NCHEC serves to enhance the professional practice of Health Education by promoting and sustaining a credentialed body of Health Education Specialists.
The CHES® credential establishes a national and international standard for members of the profession and ensures prospective employers that an individual has taken the initiative to pursue additional certification, and is proficient in evidence-based planning, implementing, evaluating, and advocating for the health of communities.
NCHEC developed a rigorous set of professional standards known as the Responsibilities and Competencies for Certified Health Education Specialists. These standards serve as a framework for the profession, illustrating the knowledge, required skills, and expertise needed for a position in the field of health education and promotion.
CHHS Faculty utilized these standards as a framework for the development of the PhD in Community Health Promotion, including coursework in the health promotion core. This curriculum meets the academic qualifications for eligibility and adequately prepares students to sit for the CHES® examination. Although not a requirement, many students sit for and pass this important exam. This is in part due to the increasing demand to have credentialed health education specialists on the job; particularly, if part of the job responsibilities include training health educators in post-secondary settings.
Comprehensive Examination
All PhD candidates must sit for a comprehensive examination, which is offered on the third Thursday of January and June of each year. This exam should be prepared for by individual study expanding on the content covered in the health promotion core courses. The exam must be passed unconditionally before students can defend their dissertation proposal and be advanced to candidacy. Students must be registered for at least three semester hours of graduate work during the semester(s) in which the comprehensive exam is taken.
The comprehensive exam is a criterion-referenced assessment — students do not compete with other students. Students should NOT assume that “A” level performance in their coursework as adequate preparation for passing the comprehensive exam. To prepare, students should review all materials from the HP core courses as well as other supplementary material. Students should review health education theory and program planning, implementation, and evaluation materials not only from their prior coursework but also from a range of self-selected documents, websites, and texts.
The core courses provide background information and a blueprint for their own regimen of self-study — students must demonstrate broad mastery of the subject matter and intellectual growth. Each student must be able to synthesize and apply what has been learned in order to design an appropriate, theory-based intervention to address the chosen health issue/population. Students must be able to specify why a program is necessary, how it can be achieved, who will be involved during implementation, and how results might best be used. It is recommended that students preparing for their comps work with other students, share materials, discuss key concepts with faculty members, and confer with students who have already passed the exam.
Eligibility
To qualify to sit for comprehensive exams, students must have successfully completed the health promotion core courses:
- CHHS 731: Advanced Theoretical Approaches in Health Promotion
- CHHS 732: Advanced Planning and Implementation in Health Promotion
- CHHS 740: Evaluation and Research Methods in Health Promotion
- CHHS 742: Health Disparities in Diverse Populations
Dissertation and Final Defense
The dissertation represents the culmination of a significant research experience. Students begin work on their dissertation only after they have completed all coursework, passed the comprehensive examination, organized their dissertation committee, defended their dissertation proposal, and gained admission to candidacy.
The dissertation committee consists of a minimum of five faculty members and typically includes a chair, methodologist, content expert(s), and other interested faculty. The chair must be faculty from the CHHS program in the School of Education and Human Sciences. While the chair may assist with the formation of the committee, it is the student's responsibility to invite committee members. Students finalize their committee selections by completing and submitting the Graduate Student Committee Letter to the Graduate School and work closely with their committee to develop a dissertation proposal. Before beginning dissertation research, students must have successfully defended their dissertation proposal, be admitted to candidacy, and submit the proper paperwork to the Graduate School. Students cannot collect or analyze data ahead of committee or IRB approval.
PhD candidates should set the date and time of their final defenses well in advance, making certain that all committee members can attend. Candidates are also responsible for furnishing committee members with complete copies of their manuscripts by a date of the committee’s choosing. They must make all requested changes or corrections to the manuscript as soon as possible after the defense and obtain signatures of all committee members and the Program Director on the appropriate approval form. Each candidate must submit a completed dissertation for online review to the Graduate School no later than two weeks (10 business days) after the final defense.
Additional information about graduation requirements may be found in the Graduate Catalog, Graduate Student Handbook or by contacting the Graduate School opens a new website staff via email (
Financial Support
For highly qualified first-year PhD students, the UAB Graduate School supports a small number of Blazer Graduate Research Fellowships. The position requires full-time enrollment (9 hrs/semester Fall/Sp/Su) to be considered for funding. Full-time UAB employees are not eligible for these funds. These funds vary from year to year and are awarded on a competitive basis.
Other resources:
Finally, PhD students who have a background in health promotion may be hired as adjunct faculty to teach undergraduate health education courses. For more information, contact the Graduate Program Director.