Developing a Master's Degree Program in Health Promotion

In response to current healthcare trends and public health needs, the Council on Chiropractic Education added “wellness” as the fifteenth clinical competency in the accreditation standards for the doctor of chiropractic program effective on February 1, 2007. However, at this time, health promotion and prevention, which form the basis for the delivery of clinical services related to patient “wellness,” are not systematically integrated into chiropractic programs. In order to address this topic in chiropractic training and to meet the increasing public interest in health promotion/wellness, our college has developed a thirty-six (36) credit hour Masters of Science in Health Promotion degree program.

The steps for developing this program were 1) a needs assessment, 2) hiring of an appropriately credentialed director to develop and supervise the program, 3) development of the actual curriculum, course syllabi and course materials, 4) identification of the potential student base, 5) preparation for regional accreditation, 6) development and approval of a program budget, and 7) investigation of the most compatible delivery system for such a degree program in today's educational environment. This program appears to be congruent with trends for direct entry students as well as educators and health professionals who desire additional training in health promotion. The presentation will detail the process that the New Programs Team utilized to develop this program, which is anticipated to enroll its first students in September 2008.