Mission

The Mission of the Department of Health Promotion and Nutrition Sciences is highly reflective of the mission of the college and the school, where we embody the ideals of the Lehman Principles to "Educate, Empower, Engage".

Aspiration

We aspire our graduates to be professionally qualified to gain fulfilling careers in community and public health education, school health, nutrition education, food systems and service, or as Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and Certified Health Education Specialists.

Students who graduate with their BS in Dietetics, Foods, and Nutrition pursue careers in culinary nutrition, food justice, health equity, food service, or community nutrition. Others pursue graduate study in nutrition (MS) or pursue a dietetic internship and develop careers in clinical healthcare settings (e.g., as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist). Dietetics, Foods, and
Nutrition is a rapidly growing area and food experts work in all types of settings and doing all types of work, including journalism, photography, activism and advocacy, policymaking, in community food settings, with older adults or children or athletes, and the list goes on. a

Students who graduate with their BS in Health Education and Promotion pursue careers that focus on health education, program planning, outreach, advocacy, and policy development around healthy living, disease prevention, and removing barriers to health equity. They are employed in many professional sectors including hospitals, government and health departments, community organizations, schools, and universities. Eligible majors can participate in the Dual-Credit Option and take graduate-level classes towards the MA in Health Education and Promotion. Graduates from the BS Program (and eligible seniors) can sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam, a nationally-recognized certification in the field of health education and promotion.

The MA in Health Education and Promotion was the first fully online graduate degree developed in the School of Health Sciences, Human Services and Nursing at Lehman College. Graduates of the MA in Health Education and Promotion are employed in various settings (e.g., city health department, non-profit organizations, hospitals and clinics) as health educators and community health professionals. Upon graduation, students are eligible to take the national Certified Health Education Specialist exam.

Graduates of our M.S. Ed (Health Teacher, Pre K-12), and Advanced Certificate in Health Education are qualified to apply for their NYSED Health Education Certification to teach Health in school settings as certified health teachers. The M.S.Ed and Advanced Certificate programs are offered fully online so that our students are able to earn their degree and complete their required fieldwork, while still teaching full time.