Help picking school for Health Education undergrad

[Ideas]

I'm looking for the cheapest online school that has a degree in Health Education / Health Promotion. I don't want one that's just a concentration in HE/HP (even if the degree is Health Sciences, it's not close enough).

I have been searching and focused on 2-year schools because they tend to be cheaper. But a 2-year school usually doesn't have enough of the type of courses I'm looking for. I have checked the competency programs I know of.

My state doesn't have anything good for sure. The best I've found per SH was Fort Hays at $213.33/cr. However, a school that is $250+ per credit ends up being cheaper, if they have a max tuition per term. I'm spoiled by the schools where 18-24 credits costs the same as 12 credits. I would really like to take 24 credits, or at least 18 credits, per term for cost and speed. I know I can handle that many.

I'm only looking for ones that take financial aid, unless they are a quite a bit cheaper. 

I would go to an NA school if I saved enough time/money.

(For anyone who has followed my threads, I still plan to finish the BSBA, but I am considering doing this first instead of doing it later. I'm much more interested in Health Ed than my other tentative plans, especially if I find a quicker or cheaper program.)

[sanantone]

This is not a common undergraduate degree. Why would a major in health education be better than a degree in health science or public health with a concentration in health education? If you still plan to get the BSBA, then why not go on to an MPH?

[Ideas]

This is not a common undergraduate degree. Why would a major in health education be better than a degree in health science or public health with a concentration in health education? If you still plan to get the BSBA, then why not go on to an MPH?

Yeah, only about 10% of schools have it. At least there's Fort Hays.

I am thinking about MPH, but I'm trying to make a little more use of financial aid before getting the BSBA. Because MPH is not available through the cheap, fast competency schools and I just can't afford it for a while. So the plan would be get the undergrad, get a job, and hopefully have them reimburse for the Masters tuition.

The reason is there's a newer but industry standard certification, CHES. (NCCA accredited.) You can't have just a concentration in HE, you have to have courses in their specific major areas. The CHES is something employers look for, and I'm a weak candidate in some ways, so I prefer to have the certification before applying. There seem to be plenty of employers who don't need a Masters.

Another possible plan would be to take out a loan, get the MPH, and earn more sooner, more than enough to pay the loan and interest. However, my health gives me some concerns that others don't have.

[sanantone]

This is not a common undergraduate degree. Why would a major in health education be better than a degree in health science or public health with a concentration in health education? If you still plan to get the BSBA, then why not go on to an MPH?

Yeah, only about 10% of schools have it. At least there's Fort Hays.

I am thinking about MPH, but I'm trying to make a little more use of financial aid before getting the BSBA. Because MPH is not available through the cheap, fast competency schools and I just can't afford it for a while. So the plan would be get the undergrad, get a job, and hopefully have them reimburse for the Masters tuition.

The reason is there's a newer but industry standard certification, CHES. (NCCA accredited.) You can't have just a concentration in HE, you have to have courses in their specific major areas. The CHES is something employers look for, and I'm a weak candidate in some ways, so I prefer to have the certification before applying. There seem to be plenty of employers who don't need a Masters.

Another possible plan would be to take out a loan, get the MPH, and earn more sooner, more than enough to pay the loan and interest. However, my health gives me some concerns that others don't have.

I did a nationwide Indeed search for CHES, and only 135 jobs popped up. With these degrees being so rare, I knew hardly any employer would be that picky. What will hurt you more is not having any background in education, community outreach, or healthcare. CEPH-accredited public health programs require a practicum.

[Ideas]

I did a nationwide Indeed search for CHES, and only 135 jobs popped up. With these degrees being so rare, I knew hardly any employer would be that picky. What will hurt you more is not having any background in education, community outreach, or healthcare.  CEPH-accredited public health programs require a practicum.

Oh, ok, so I can skip the CHES. Thanks.

I'm still most interested in one that's very focused on Education, but if there's a cheaper/quicker option that would be nice. I don't necessarily want the quickest/cheapest, but it's a big factor.

I have a little experience. By then I will have more. Enough to get in the door, if I also had a Bachelor's.

Edit: I guess I better research a lot more.

[Ideas]

I may start with an Associates in Public Health. Then try to get a job with that plus ASNSM Biology and BSBA. (Marketing, and even Finance, seems a little related to Public Health.) If I get passed over by too many people with a Bachelor's in Health Promotion/Edu, I won't be surprised, but is it worth a try? The downside is I won't have financial aid for the Bachelor's in Public Health if I realize the Assoc isn't enough.

But if I try to get the Bachelor's in Public Health first, it's delaying everything else 6-9 months.

I'm going to research this more.

The upside is if I got a job with only the Associates, and could go straight into the Masters.

[sanantone]

I may start with an Associates in Public Health. Then try to get a job with that plus ASNSM Biology and BSBA. (Marketing, and even Finance, seems a little related to Public Health.) If I get passed over by too many people with a Bachelor's in Health Promotion/Edu, I won't be surprised, but is it worth a try? The downside is I won't have financial aid for the Bachelor's in Public Health if I realize the Assoc isn't enough.

But if I try to get the Bachelor's in Public Health first, it's delaying everything else 6-9 months.

I'm going to research this more.

The upside is if I got a job with only the Associates, and could go straight into the Masters.

Have you tried looking at job openings in your area to see what they want? Most of the jobs in my area require a bachelor's degree or higher.

[cookderosa]

deleted- good luck with whatever you decide!

[Ideas]

Have you tried looking at job openings in your area to see what they want? Most of the jobs in my area require a bachelor's degree or higher.

Yeah, I'm not going to bother with the Associates, and probably not with a Bachelor's either.

I see some Health Education Masters degrees for under $5500  However I don't know if I can do them faster than 2 years, which sounds like a long time. I think I saw one that was 1 year only, but I assumed it was too expensive.

I have to research Health Education degrees versus Health Sciences, Public Health, etc. I might just go with whatever is self-paced and cheap, if there is one. (Cheap in this case is $5500 or less.)

I'm not sure there's enough demand in general, so I'm not totally set on these.

[sanantone]

Have you tried looking at job openings in your area to see what they want? Most of the jobs in my area require a bachelor's degree or higher.

Yeah, I'm not going to bother with the Associates, and probably not with a Bachelor's either.

I see some Health Education Masters degrees for under $5500  However I don't know if I can do them faster than 2 years, which sounds like a long time. I think I saw one that was 1 year only, but I assumed it was too expensive.

I have to research Health Education degrees versus Health Sciences, Public Health, etc. I might just go with whatever is self-paced and cheap, if there is one. (Cheap in this case is $5500 or less.)

I'm not sure there's enough demand in general, so I'm not totally set on these.

If you get the MPH, you'll have more flexibility. Even if you don't end up in health promotion, you can work in epidemiology, policy, research, enforcing health and safety regulations, or biostatistics. I think a CEPH-accredited program would be best. APUS has one.