The Community Health Education program will teach you to positively influence the health behavior of individuals, groups and communities. You will also learn to address lifestyle factors (i.e., nutrition, physical activity, sexual behavior and drug use) and living conditions that influence health. Community Health Education is the study and improvement of health characteristics among specific populations. Community health is focused on promoting, protecting and improving the health of individuals, communities, and organizations.
The program focuses on career preparation and teaching individuals and groups how to better care for themselves. The Community Health Education degree is a general health degree that prepares you to work in hospitals, community-based organizations, wellness centers or the fitness industry. It provides a foundation for careers in health promotion, disease prevention, fitness, health education and healthcare administration. It is also an entry point for those interested in pursuing clinical degrees.
Transfer Options
You will have the option to transfer to CUNY colleges such as York, Hunter, Lehman and Brooklyn College or to private schools such as Long Island University Brooklyn and Hofstra to major in Community Health Education, Health Administration, Public Health, Gerontology, Physical Therapy, Exercise Science, or Nursing. BMCC has articulation agreements with several four year colleges to allow you to seamlessly continue your education studies there.
Explore Careers
BMCC is committed to students’ long-term success and will help you explore professional opportunities. Undecided? No problem. The college offers Career Coach for salary and employment information, job postings and a self-discovery assessment to help students find their academic and career paths. Visit Career Express to make an appointment with a career advisor, search for jobs or sign-up for professional development activities with the Center for Career Development. Students can also visit the Office of Internships and Experiential Learning to gain real world experience in preparation for a four-year degree and beyond. These opportunities are available to help BMCC students build a foundation for future success.
Contact
Professor Lisa Grace
Program Coordinator
LGrace@bmcc.cuny.edu
Related Communities
This program is offered in-person, online and in a hybrid format.
Requirements
Community Health Education Academic Program Maps
Required Common Core
| English Composition1 | 6 |
| Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning1,2 | 3 |
| Life and Physical Sciences1,2 | 3 |
| TOTAL REQUIRED COMMON CORE | 12 |
Flexible Core3
| Creative Expression1 | 6 |
| Individual and Society1 | 3 |
| Scientific World1,2 | 3 |
| U.S. Experience in Its Diversity1 | 3 |
| World Cultures and Global Issues1 | 3 |
| TOTAL FLEXIBLE COMMON CORE | 18 |
| TOTAL COMMON CORE | 30 |
Curriculum Requirements
- This course in health educations offers a comprehensive approach that provides students with the knowledge, skills, and behavioral models to enhance their physical, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual health as well as facilitate their health decision-making ability. Areas of specialization include: alcohol, tobacco and abused substances, mental and emotional health, human sexuality and family living, nutrition, physical fitness, cardiovascular health, environmental health and health care delivery. HED 110 fulfills all degree requirements for HE 100. Students who have completed HED 100 - Health Education will not receive credit for this course.
- This course academically examines topics that health education professionals have identified as: 1) critical to the health and wellbeing of specific populations, 2) relevant to the current state of the nation's health and healthcare system, 3) representative of recent trends in health practices/theory, or 4) a significant health concern attributable to personal health behavior(s). This course provides for an in-depth analysis of the array of topics germane to the health field. Each semester one or more topics will be offered through this course.
Prerequisite: HED 100 or HED 110 - Health educators promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health by assisting individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors. This is accomplished primarily through the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the field of community health education and an opportunity to develop skills in needs assessment and program planning. We will review the importance of health behavior as a contributor to current public health problems. Students will learn how to use the planning frameworks for conducting needs assessments and designing and evaluating health promotion programs. Theories of health behavior will be introduced and their applications explored. Examples of health education and health promotion programs will be presented from health care, community, school and workplace settings. Prerequisite: HED 110 or [HED 100 with an earned grade of "B" grade or above]
- This course is designed to provide health education students with an understanding of theories and models upon which behavior change is based and with strategies to impact health behavior change. Students will acquire basic health behavior counseling and coaching skills and practice principles involved in motivation and program adherence and retention. Each student will gain experience working in the field of community health education through a field placement assignment.
Prerequisite: HED 110 or [HED 100 with an earned grade of "B" grade or above]
| General Electives | 2-3 CRS. |
Program Electives (Areas of Study)
Choose 12 credits from 1 area of study below:
- This course examines the use of licit and illicit drugs across cultures within the context of personal health and wellness. The historical, pharmacodynamics, psychological, emotional and social aspects of licit and illicit drug use, as well as drug abuse, will serve as the foundation for this examination.
- This course deals with the physiological, psychological and social aspects of human sexual development and functions.
- This course examines what the National Academy of Sciences recommends for meeting onea??s nutritional needs. It examines the food, beverages, and supplements that comprise onea??s diet and assesses their impact on health following digestion, absorption, and metabolism. The course is designed to help students make health informed choices regarding nutritional needs and goals.
- This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the psychological, physical, and social understanding of the stress response. The course will explore the divergent ranges of the human stress response, while emphasizing the use of positive stress in an academic setting. Opportunities will be provided for students to learn concrete scientific measures, gain practical insights, and adapt viable stress management techniques. The purpose of the course is not to advocate any one particular technique, but rather to enable students to make informed decisions about stress management approaches toward enhancing health.
12
Total
- Historical events and contemporary factors affecting the availability, control, and monitoring of American Health Care products and services are explored. Such factors include: the private and public financing of health care, public and private monitoring of health care; and the ethical issues of medical care in America. The purpose of the course is not to advocate any particular health care philosophy, product or service, but to provide the student with the skills and factual base for making informed decisions in the health care marketplace.
- This course examines what the National Academy of Sciences recommends for meeting onea??s nutritional needs. It examines the food, beverages, and supplements that comprise onea??s diet and assesses their impact on health following digestion, absorption, and metabolism. The course is designed to help students make health informed choices regarding nutritional needs and goals.
- This course explores the global aspects of nutrition in relation to health and disease. Students will examine factors that contribute to hunger, malnutrition, nutrition-related diseases and chronic diseases. Students will examine nutrition epidemiology and consequences of malnutrition in terms of morbidity and mortality. Students will also examine political mechanism that affect delivery of quality food and nutrition services, such as legislation, policies and practices. Students will develop cultural competencies needed for effective nutrition intervention as well as explore agricultural techniques needed for sustainable development. Prerequisite: HED 110
- This course examines current concepts in human nutrition as applied to individual needs that are based upon research conducted with gender and age groups in each stage of the life span.
Prerequisite: HED 110
12
Total
- This course will develop positive health related attitudes, values, and habits to promote physical, mental and social wellness. The student will attain a broad spectrum of exercise information and skills and apply that knowledge to those skills in a laboratory fitness program, utilizing appropriate equipment to assess the function of muscular systems during physical performance. Individuals will explore the body's adaptations to aerobic, anaerobic, and resistance training.
- This course examines what the National Academy of Sciences recommends for meeting onea??s nutritional needs. It examines the food, beverages, and supplements that comprise onea??s diet and assesses their impact on health following digestion, absorption, and metabolism. The course is designed to help students make health informed choices regarding nutritional needs and goals.
- Students in this course acquire knowledge essential for safe living, including the causes and preventions of accidents. The student learns the practical skills of first aid and cardio pulmonary resuscitation. Students are eligible for certification provided they meet Red Cross standards.
- This course focuses on preventive heart care utilizing: nutritional plans, cardiovascular stress management, cardiovascular knowledge, and individualized cardiovascular fitness programs. In the classroom and fitness laboratory, students explore, devise and practice educational and fitness strategies to improve their overall cardiovascular health.
12
Total
- The course covers the fundamental principles of accounting and the practical use of accounting tools and techniques. Topics covered include the definition and scope of accounting, accounting records and processes, books of original and subsequent entry, work sheets, adjusting and closing entries, accounting for cash, accounting for negotiable instruments, and accounting for plant assets. An investigation is made of accounting for service businesses and trading concerns.
Note: ACC 122 credit change from 4 credits to 3 credits, effective spring 2014.
Course Syllabus - This course surveys business and industry in the United States with global growth strategy. Emphasis is placed on building Communication and Quantitative skills, including Excel spreadsheets, and an Ethical Foundation. The course introduces students to concepts in Management, Organizational Structure, Human Resources, Marketing, International Business, Finance, Computer Information Systems, Accounting, and Economics, and encourages students to explore career paths. Required of all Business majors.
Course Syllabus - This course covers the total structure and character of modern business from initial organization through grouping of essential functions into operating departments. Management and the decision-making process, financing, operations, and marketing considerations are studied, with actual cases used to illustrate problems in small and big businesses.
Course Syllabus - Historical events and contemporary factors affecting the availability, control, and monitoring of American Health Care products and services are explored. Such factors include: the private and public financing of health care, public and private monitoring of health care; and the ethical issues of medical care in America. The purpose of the course is not to advocate any particular health care philosophy, product or service, but to provide the student with the skills and factual base for making informed decisions in the health care marketplace.
12
Total
- The course introduces the basic concepts and theories of interpersonal communication in personal, educational and business settings. This includes a study of self as communicator, the effect of language on others, verbal and nonverbal expression of thoughts and feelings, and factors which contribute to effective communication. Prerequisite: SPE 100 or permission of department
- This course is designed to provide an understanding of intercultural principles and perspectives when communicating with people from diverse cultures. Consideration will be given to both verbal and nonverbal communication processes in the "American" culture, co-cultures, contact cultures, and popular culture. Through readings, lectures, response papers, and interviews, as well as through in-class discussion and exercises, this course will explore how culture shapes communication, how situations are framed through cultural lenses, and how histories, perceptions, values, contexts, aspects of stereotypes, and ethnocentrism all contribute to the complexity of intercultural communication. Prerequisite: SPE 100 or SPE 102
- This is a class in small group communication. It covers communication dynamics such as group development, decision-making, discussion, leadership, roles, norms, and conflict. Text and lectures focus on small group communication theory, concepts, and processes. A significant part of the class consists of learning the material through class exercises, participation in a variety of small groups, and reflecting on those experiences.
- An introduction to the United States and International field of health communication with an emphasis on theoretical constructs, practical models and applications. This course of study examines the multifaceted nature of health communication and its role in personal health behavior and public health interventions.
12
Total
Health Education Electives
Choose 1 course (3-4 credits) from:
- This continuation of Accounting I progresses from elementary to more advanced accounting concepts and conventions, including the use of accounting data in managerial decision making. Among topics covered are voucher system, partnership accounting, payroll preparation and taxes, and accounting for corporations. Study is made of accounting involved in the interpretation of financial statements, budgetary control, statement of cash flows, and management reports and analyses.
Note: ACC 222 credit change from 4 credits to 3 credits, effective spring 2014.
Course Syllabus - This course analyzes the relationships between economic and social factors, and the delivery of health care services in urban communities. Attention is given to community needs related to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, mortality rates, prevention, and education. Guest lecturers and workshops are presented.
- This course is a two-semester course sequence that introduces principles and concepts of general, organic and biological chemistry. The laboratory will provide experimental applications of these chemical topics. They are liberal arts electives. They are recommended for students intending to transfer to bachelor's degree Allied Health Science curricula. CHE 121-122 cannot be granted credit to fulfill degree requirements for Science (A.S.) and Engineering Science (A.S.).
Students intending to apply for admission to programs such as Dentistry, Exercise Physiology, Medical Laboratory Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, or Veterinary Medicine need to enroll in CHE 201 instead of CHE 121 to meet admission or curricula requirements for these programs.
Students intending to apply for admission to programs such as Diagnostic Medical Imaging (Sonography}, Exercise Science, Public Health, Radiology, or X-ray technician need to determine whether admission or curricula requirements for these programs require CHE 121 or CHE 201.
Course Syllabus - This course focuses on the three general areas of 1) money and financial institutions, 2) business financial management, and 3) investments. These areas are surveyed by covering such topics as value and creation of money, the Federal Reserve System, commercial banks, short and medium term financing, and the behavior of securities markets in relation to financing the business enterprise.
Prerequisites: MAT 051 or exemption from Elementary Algebra.
Course Syllabus - This course explores the intersections of sexuality and culture, looking at the social construction of sexuality, the development of sexual and relationship norms through history, and the role of media and popular culture in shaping our understanding of sexuality, gender, and relationships.
- Students will examine American dining rituals and patterns from colonial times through the 21st Century. Students will examine how historical events of colonization, trade, war, industrialization and weather impacted food consumption and diet in America. Using a socioecological model, students will also examine how American meal patterns are influenced by religion, race, culture, economics and politics.
- This course will develop positive health related attitudes, values, and habits to promote physical, mental and social wellness. The student will attain a broad spectrum of exercise information and skills and apply that knowledge to those skills in a laboratory fitness program, utilizing appropriate equipment to assess the function of muscular systems during physical performance. Individuals will explore the body's adaptations to aerobic, anaerobic, and resistance training.
- This course examines the use of licit and illicit drugs across cultures within the context of personal health and wellness. The historical, pharmacodynamics, psychological, emotional and social aspects of licit and illicit drug use, as well as drug abuse, will serve as the foundation for this examination.
- This course deals with the physiological, psychological and social aspects of human sexual development and functions.
- This health course is aimed to be a practical course for students and to affect their lives in a positive way. It provides an opportunity to gain information and insight into the physical, psychological, and social aspects of women's health concerns.
- Historical events and contemporary factors affecting the availability, control, and monitoring of American Health Care products and services are explored. Such factors include: the private and public financing of health care, public and private monitoring of health care; and the ethical issues of medical care in America. The purpose of the course is not to advocate any particular health care philosophy, product or service, but to provide the student with the skills and factual base for making informed decisions in the health care marketplace.
- This course examines what the National Academy of Sciences recommends for meeting onea??s nutritional needs. It examines the food, beverages, and supplements that comprise onea??s diet and assesses their impact on health following digestion, absorption, and metabolism. The course is designed to help students make health informed choices regarding nutritional needs and goals.
- Students in this course acquire knowledge essential for safe living, including the causes and preventions of accidents. The student learns the practical skills of first aid and cardio pulmonary resuscitation. Students are eligible for certification provided they meet Red Cross standards.
- This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the psychological, physical, and social understanding of the stress response. The course will explore the divergent ranges of the human stress response, while emphasizing the use of positive stress in an academic setting. Opportunities will be provided for students to learn concrete scientific measures, gain practical insights, and adapt viable stress management techniques. The purpose of the course is not to advocate any one particular technique, but rather to enable students to make informed decisions about stress management approaches toward enhancing health.
- An introduction to the United States and International field of health communication with an emphasis on theoretical constructs, practical models and applications. This course of study examines the multifaceted nature of health communication and its role in personal health behavior and public health interventions.
- This course focuses on preventive heart care utilizing: nutritional plans, cardiovascular stress management, cardiovascular knowledge, and individualized cardiovascular fitness programs. In the classroom and fitness laboratory, students explore, devise and practice educational and fitness strategies to improve their overall cardiovascular health.
- This course focuses on preventive heart care utilizing: nutritional plans, cardiovascular stress management, cardiovascular knowledge, and individualized cardiovascular fitness programs. In the classroom and fitness laboratory, students explore, devise and practice educational and fitness strategies to improve their overall cardiovascular health.
- The course experience provides students, utilizing Dubos' Multidimensional Health Model, an understanding of death and dying from a physiological, emotional, spiritual, and behavioral perspective with additional emphasis on legal and ethical issues. Topics to be explored include: therapeutic care plans as they relate to diseases and disorders of the terminally ill; medical preparation for death, inclusive of DNI (do not intubate), DNR (do not resuscitate) and health proxy laws; an examination of the emotional and physiological impact on the health of the caregiver as well as that of the terminal patient,; an examination of funeral rituals and grieving practices involved in the healing process of bereavement, as well as unique circumstances of death involving suicide and euthanasia. Overall, the course explores death within the multiple dimensions of health and wellness on the continuum of the life cycle. Prerequisite: HED 110 or HED 100 for which a "B" grade or above has been earned.
- This Study Abroad course will expose students to the rich history and culture of inhabitants of the Andes. Class sessions will be based in the city of Cusco, Peru, the former capital of the Inca Empire. Cusco is an ancient colonial city built on Inca monuments, and has been declared a World Heritage site by the UN. Field trips and hosting with local families will expose students to the culture, health practices, and beliefs of the Andean people. The course will be based at the Centro Tinku, a cultural center dedicated to exchanges between students and inhabitants of the Andes. Students will compare and contrast Peruvian and U.S. access to health care in colonial times and the present, complementary and alternative medicines, and health outcomes.
Prerequisite: HED 110 or NUR 112 - This course serves as an introduction to Physics, especially for students who are not science-oriented. A selected number of basic physical ideas are carefully examined and interpreted non-mathematically. The relevance of the scientist and his/her work to the lives of non-scientists is continually examined.
Course Syllabus - This course explores cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes across the lifespan. Attention is given to how biological sociocultural factors shape the individual. Prerequisite: PSY 100
30
Total Curriculum Requirements
60
Total Program Requirements
Note
Please note, these requirements are effective the 2021-2022 catalog year. Please check your DegreeWorks account for your specific degree requirements as when you began at BMCC will determine your program requirements.
Footnotes
- Consult with an advisor on which courses to take to satisfy these areas.
- These areas can be satisfied by taking a STEM variant.
- No more than two courses in any discipline or interdisciplinary field can be used to satisfy Flexible Core requirements.
