Health Promotion and Behavioral Science program provides career readiness to students
San Diego State University’s Health Promotion and Behavioral Science program, one of four concentrations within the School of Public Health master’s program, is accepting applications until Feb. 1.
Students in the program can expect to gain skills in community advocacy, health communication, data analysis, and program development and evaluation. The program teaches students to work with communities to identify and address social, structural, and environmental factors that shape health and health behaviors that lead to morbidity, premature mortality and health disparities.
The program has seen many graduates go on to successful careers in diverse fields, from county and state health departments to research within hospitals, pharmaceutical and tech companies, and universities, including SDSU. Other graduates have pursued their doctorate, becoming professors or medical doctors.
Madisen Ferras became an administrative analyst with San Diego County’s Department of Strategy and Community Engagement after graduating from the program in 2021. Her current responsibilities include collection, analysis, and visualization of data as well as recruiting student workers and interns from local colleges.
Her time in the program helped her connect with and build relationships with public health professionals in San Diego, she said. It also equipped her with the skills necessary for her public health career, from strengthening her writing and research to conducting program plans and evaluations.
“[The program] emphasized the importance of community involvement in program planning and community engagement, which has been especially valuable in my work within the Department of Strategy and Community Engagement,” she said.
Pamela Padilla, who graduated from the program in 2024, now works with the SDSU Research Foundation as a program coordinator and with the Imperial County Clinical Research Network. As a first-generation college student, she entered the program uncertain of what to expect, but she quickly felt embraced.
“The guidance, support, and sense of community fostered by my peers and SPH faculty made all the difference and showed me that collaboration and support are truly at the heart of success in the program,” she said.
The combination of a “strong academic foundation” with hands-on learning experiences helped prepare Padilla for her career, she said. She also participated in the study abroad course to Vietnam, which she called a “transformative experience” that enhanced her passion for public health.
Full-time students typically complete the program in two years, according to the School of Public Health. The Feb.1 application date applies to the on-campus program. Students taking the program online as part of SDSU’s Global Campus have until May 1 to apply.
