Dec 05, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences


 Formerly known as the Department of Educational Psychology

College of Education  > Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences

Who’s Who

Chair:

Lorraine R. Reitzel

Professors:

Consuelo Arbona, Jorge E. Gonzalez, Zenaida Aguire-Munoz, Roberta L. Nutt (Clinical), Ezemenari M. Obasi, Norma E. Olvera, Jonathan Schwartz, and Bradley H. Smith

Associate Professors:

Madelyn N. Coleman, Weihua Fan, Milena Keller-Margulis, Lorraine R. Reitzel, Nathan G. Smith, and Margit Wiesner

Assistant Professors:

Chakema Carmack, Toya Conston (Clinical), Virmarie Correa-Fernandez, Kelli Drenner (Clinical), Leslie A. Frankel, Sara Jolly-Jones, Erica Jordan (Clinical), Han Joe Kim, Yu Liu, Sarah S. Mire, Rosenda Murillo, Marcel de Dios, Saira Rab (Clinical), Ken Ripperger-Suhler (Clinical), Rachael Whitaker (Clinical), and Kayce Solari-Williams

Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences Overview

The Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences offers undergraduate programs in Human Development and Family Studies and in Health.

A degree in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of family relationships and applied human development across the lifespan focusing on contexts in which individuals and families operate. Coursework in the Human Development and Family Studies program trains students both to understand the conceptual base of theories, applied research, and methods of psychology and to apply those fields of study to the processes of education and human development in practice and internships. The Human Development and Family Studies Program offers options for both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts. Students may also choose coursework leading to the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Certificate , which prepares students for leadership in nonprofit enterprises or choose coursework that incorporates preparation for teacher certification.

The coursework for the BS in Health is designed for those students who wish to prepare as health educators in government, schools, agencies, patient-care, community or worksite settings. The major can also prepare students for application to health-related graduate programs such as medicine, pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, dentistry or public health. The program offers an undergraduate degree with three track options:

  • Public Health
  • Health Promotion or
  • Health Promotion for Allied Health Professionals

Students with an assistant or associate degree in allied health (e.g., dental hygiene, respiratory therapy) are eligible to follow the BS in Health (Health Promotion for Allied Health Professionals). All three degree plans tracks address the competencies necessary for students to qualify for (CHES) Certified Health Education Specialist. CHES competencies are generic to the practice of health promotion and health education, whether it takes place in schools, colleges, workplaces, health care settings, or other settings within a community.

In addition, the Health program offers the following Dual Degree Option:

BS in Health/MPH 4+1 Degree Program

  • The University of Houston
  • The University of Texas School of Public Health - Houston Campus

Public Health is the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized community efforts. The overarching goal is to improve the health of the individual and population at large. 4+1 graduates will be prepared to enter many public health careers, such as: health educator, safety and health inspector, environmental health expert, risk assessor, and policy analyst just to name a few. MPH graduates work in both the public and private sectors and some continue onto doctoral-level programs in public health or other professional areas, such as medicine, dentistry or pharmacy. Through a program design allowing students to complete a defined program of graduate-level coursework during the last year of undergraduate studies, students in the 4+1 Program will be able to earn a Bachelor’s degree with emphasis on Public Health and earn a Master’s in Public Health within five total years, rather than the six years it would take separately.

The department emphasizes a prevention, intervention, and consultation approach that encourages students to develop skills that respond to the unique assessment, academic, and social needs of individuals in a variety of settings.

Programs

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