Health Sciences

Bachelor of Science in Health Education and Promotion

This programme prepares students for careers promoting health, preventing disease, and educating communities on health matters, equipping them with health education expertise and health promotion training. Students develop expertise in health education, health promotion, public health, and behavioural science, enabling them to serve as qualified health education and promotion professionals. The programme builds skills in health

education, health promotion, public health, health behaviour, health communication, health advocacy, health psychology, behavioural science, social determinants of health, epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, nutrition education, reproductive health education, HIV/AIDS education, communicable disease education, non-communicable disease education, mental health education, substance abuse education, occupational health and safety, school health programmes, workplace health promotion, community health needs assessment,

programme planning, programme implementation, programme monitoring and evaluation, health policy, health systems, primary healthcare, health research, data collection, data analysis, health informatics, cultural competence, and research methods. Graduates apply these skills to work as health education officers, health promotion officers, public health educators, school health coordinators, workplace health officers, health programme officers, health advocacy officers, health

research assistants, and NGO health programme officers across the Ministry of Health, county governments, health facilities, schools, workplaces, NGOs, faith-based organisations, international health organisations, WHO Kenya, UNICEF Kenya, AMREF Health Africa, and as independent health education consultants in Kenya where health promotion is a priority under the Universal Health Coverage agenda, the growing burden of communicable

and non-communicable diseases requires health education, the Kenya Health Policy Framework guides health promotion, mental health and substance abuse are emerging concerns, and the need for qualified health educators creates demand for health education and promotion professionals. Students examine how health education theory, health promotion, Kenya's health landscape including the Kenya Health Policy Framework, UHC agenda,

and disease burden, the regulatory framework including health regulations and Ministry of Health guidelines, the growing emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, and the challenges of limited resources, cultural barriers, health misinformation, and lifestyle changes shape health education and promotion practice across the country, where communities and institutions need qualified health educators for effective health promotion.

Duration: 4 years
Public, up to: Ksh 275,400
Private, up to: Ksh 115,100
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time
Attachment: 3 months
Average class: 40 students
Award: Bachelor

What you study

10 subjects

Health Education and Health Promotion
Public Health and Epidemiology
Health Behaviour and Health Psychology
Health Communication and Advocacy
Nutrition, Reproductive Health and Disease Education
Biostatistics and Health Research
School and Workplace Health Programmes
Programme Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Education
Health Education Research Methods

Modules

12 in the programme

Health Education and Health Promotion
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Health education, health promotion, health behaviour, designing health education, understanding health promotion, and supporting effective health education and promotion.
Public Health and Epidemiology
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Public health, epidemiology, understanding disease patterns, understanding public health, and supporting effective disease surveillance and control.
Health Behaviour and Health Psychology
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Health behaviour, health psychology, behavioural science, understanding health behaviour, understanding behaviour change, and supporting effective behaviour change interventions.
Health Communication and Advocacy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Health communication, health advocacy, designing health messages, advocating for health, and supporting effective health communication and advocacy.
Nutrition, Reproductive Health and Disease Education
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Nutrition education, reproductive health education, HIV/AIDS education, communicable disease education, non-communicable disease education, and supporting effective disease prevention education.
Biostatistics and Health Research
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Biostatistics, health research, data collection, data analysis, health informatics, understanding statistics, and supporting effective health data analysis.
School and Workplace Health Programmes
Year 3Semester 13 creditsCore
School health programmes, workplace health promotion, occupational health and safety, designing school and workplace health programmes, and supporting effective institutional health promotion.
Programme Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
Year 3Semester 23 creditsCore
Programme planning, programme implementation, programme monitoring, programme evaluation, community needs assessment, and supporting effective health programme management.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Education
Year 3Semester 33 creditsCore
Mental health education, substance abuse education, understanding mental health, understanding substance abuse, and supporting effective mental health and substance abuse education.
Environmental Health and Occupational Safety
Year 4Semester 13 creditsCore
Environmental health, occupational health and safety, understanding environmental health, understanding occupational safety, and supporting effective environmental and occupational health education.
Health Education Practicum / Industrial Attachment
Year 4Semester 23 creditsCore
Supervised health education practicum or attachment at a county health department, health facility, school, workplace, or NGO, applying health education and promotion skills.
Final Health Education Research Project or Dissertation
Year 4Semester 36 creditsCore
Final year health education research project or dissertation, assessed through written report and oral defence.

Specialisations

School Health Education
Focuses on school health programmes, health education in schools, school-based health interventions, and supporting child and adolescent health.
Health Communication and Social Marketing
Concentrates on health communication, social marketing for health, health advocacy, and designing effective health communication campaigns.
Disease Prevention Education
Concentrates on communicable and non-communicable disease education, HIV/AIDS education, and supporting disease prevention programmes.
Workplace Health Promotion
Specialises in workplace health promotion, occupational health and safety, employee wellness programmes, and supporting workplace health.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Education
Focuses on mental health education, substance abuse education, stress management, and supporting mental health and substance abuse programmes.

A day as a student

A typical day starts with a morning lecture on health education, health promotion, or public health, followed by health education practicum, field visits, or health campaign planning. Students work on health education materials, health promotion campaigns, community needs assessments, programme plans, evaluation reports, health behaviour surveys, and health research. Health education practicum in communities and health facilities, field visits to health programmes, and health campaign implementation provide practical experience. Industrial attachment at a county health department, health facility, school, workplace, or NGO provides real-world experience.

The trade offs

In its favour

High demand — UHC, disease prevention, and health promotion create strong demand for qualified health education and promotion professionals.
Versatile career — graduates work in government, counties, schools, workplaces, NGOs, and international organisations.
Meaningful career — promoting health and preventing disease directly improves community well-being and saves lives.

Against it

Cultural barriers — health education must navigate cultural beliefs, practices, and misinformation that can resist health messages.
Fieldwork can be challenging — working in remote communities with limited resources and infrastructure is demanding.
Behaviour change is slow — health education results are not always immediate or measurable, requiring patience and persistence.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public275k to 275k

275k at Kenyatta University275k at Kenyatta University

Private115k to 115k

115k at Mount Kenya University115k at Mount Kenya University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KU 275,400/yr (ku.ac.ke); MKU ~115,100/yr (victormatara.com). Private verified.

Students can access HELB undergraduate loans, Universities Fund government scholarships, and county government bursaries. Some health NGOs, international health organisations, and UHC initiatives offer scholarships for health education students.

Funding options

HELB Undergraduate Loan
Universities Fund Government Scholarship
County Government Bursaries

Scholarships

5 recorded

TSC Teacher Training Support
BursaryKenyan
Teachers and trainee teachers in recognised institutions
Higher Education Fund (HEF)
GrantKsh 200,000Kenyan
Government-sponsored (KUCCPS) students in public universities. Awarded through the Higher Education Funding Model.
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
SponsorshipKsh 500,000
Academically talented but economically disadvantaged African students at partner universities.
Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) Loan
LoanKsh 60,000Kenyan
Kenyan students admitted to accredited universities. Means-tested based on family income.
County Government Bursaries
GrantKsh 50,000Kenyan
Students from specific counties. Criteria vary by county.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: C+ (plus) mean grade at KCSE
Alternative entry: Diploma holders with credit pass in Health Education, Public Health, Nursing, Community Health, or related health fields from recognised institutions may join.

English or Kiswahili
C (plain)
Biology or Biological Sciences
C (plain)
Mathematics or Chemistry
C (plain)
Any other subject
C (plain)

How you are assessed

5 components

Continuous Assessment Tests
Cat30% of the mark
Regular tests, health assignments, behavioural science exercises, and health education case studies throughout the semester.
Final Health Education Research Project or Dissertation
Research5% of the mark
Final year health education research project or dissertation, assessed through written report and oral defence.
Health Education Practicum / Industrial Attachment Report
Practicum5% of the mark
Assessment of supervised health education practicum or attachment at a county health department, health facility, school, workplace, or NGO. Includes logbook, supervisor evaluation, and written report.
Project / Practical Assessment
Practicum20% of the mark
Assessment of health education materials, health promotion campaigns, community needs assessments, programme plans, evaluation reports, and behaviour change projects.
End of Semester Examinations
Exam40% of the mark
Comprehensive written examinations covering health education, health promotion, public health, epidemiology, health behaviour, and programme planning.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). PHOTC registration may be required for public health practice. The Ministry of Health guides health promotion practice through the Kenya Health Policy Framework.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education
NationalRequired
CUE accredits all university programmes in Kenya. PHOTC registration may be required for public health practice. The Ministry of Health guides health promotion practice through the Kenya Health Policy Framework.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Health Research Assistant / Data Officer
Medium demandKsh 45,000 to Ksh 160,000
Conducts health research, collects and analyses health data, supports health surveys, and ensures effective health data management.
Health Promotion Officer
High demandKsh 45,000 to Ksh 170,000
Plans and implements health promotion, designs campaigns, supports health behaviour change, and ensures effective health promotion programmes.
Health Programme Officer (NGO)
Medium demandKsh 50,000 to Ksh 180,000
Manages health programmes, supports health projects, implements health interventions, and ensures effective NGO health programme delivery.
School Health Coordinator
Medium demandKsh 45,000 to Ksh 160,000
Coordinates school health programmes, supports health education in schools, manages school health interventions, and ensures effective school health promotion.
Health Education Officer
High demandKsh 45,000 to Ksh 170,000
Designs and implements health education, promotes health, prevents disease, supports behaviour change, and ensures effective health education in communities and institutions.
Workplace Health and Safety Officer
Medium demandKsh 50,000 to Ksh 180,000
Manages workplace health promotion, supports occupational health and safety, designs workplace wellness programmes, and ensures effective workplace health.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates work as health education officers, health promotion officers, and public health educators. Health education and promotion is in high demand driven by UHC and disease prevention. Starting salaries range from KES 45,000 to 70,000 per month, with experienced officers earning KES 80,000 to 180,000. The Ministry of Health, county governments, schools, workplaces, NGOs, and international health organisations offer the main opportunities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

Canva
Design
Google Classroom
Learning managementPrimary
Microsoft 365
Productivity
Moodle
Learning managementPrimary
ChatGPT / Claude
Ai
Khanmigo
Ai

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Health education and promotion is just about giving health talks.
This programme covers health behaviour, health psychology, epidemiology, biostatistics, programme planning, monitoring and evaluation, health policy, health communication, and research. It's a comprehensive health and behavioural science discipline.
Health education officers are not real health professionals.
Health education officers are qualified health professionals registered with PHOTC. They play a critical role in disease prevention, health promotion, and the UHC agenda.
Health education and promotion is the same as community health education.
While related, this programme focuses specifically on health education and health promotion — designing health interventions, behaviour change communication, and health campaigns — while community health education has a broader community health focus.
This programme has limited career opportunities.
Graduates pursue diverse career paths across multiple sectors in Kenya and internationally.