Health Sciences

Master of Science in Health Education and Promotion

The Master of Science in Health Education and Promotion is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in health education, health promotion, disease prevention, and community health development. The programme combines health education theory with practical community engagement, behaviour change communication, and research application.

Core areas include health education, health promotion, behaviour change communication, community health, disease prevention, health programme planning, health advocacy, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, field work, and research.

The programme is offered by Mount Kenya University as MSc in Health Education, Promotion and Development through the School of Public Health. MKU is a private university offering the programme over four semesters through full-time and part-time modes of study, with regular and digital learning options.

Students develop competencies in health education design, behaviour change communication, community health promotion, and health programme evaluation. The programme includes coursework, examinations, field work, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates to address contemporary health education challenges.

Mount Kenya University charges approximately KES 159,100/year (KES 318,200 total) for regular mode or KES 110,000/year (KES 220,000 total) for digital learning. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree with Second Class Honours Upper Division, or Lower Second with at least two years of relevant work experience.

Graduates pursue careers as health education officers, health promotion specialists, community health coordinators, behaviour change communicators, health programme managers, and lecturers in health education across government ministries, NGOs, health facilities, community organisations, and universities.

Skills Required

Health Education Design and Delivery
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Behaviour Change Communication
Community Health Assessment and Engagement
Health Programme Planning and Evaluation
Health Advocacy and Policy Influence
Health Communication and Media
Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Health Education
Research Methods in Health Education
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Health Education Design and Delivery
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Behaviour Change Communication
Community Health Assessment and Engagement
Health Programme Planning and Evaluation
Health Advocacy and Policy Influence
Health Communication and Media
Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Health Education
Research Methods in Health Education
Thesis Research

Certifications

IUHPE Health Promotion Certification
WHO Health Education Certification

Specializations

Health Education

Focuses on health education, covering design, delivery, curriculum, training, and managing health education.

Health Promotion

Examines health promotion, covering strategies, programmes, campaigns, advocacy, and managing health promotion.

Behaviour Change Communication

Covers behaviour change, covering theories, models, communication, interventions, and managing behaviour change.

Community Health

Focuses on community health, covering assessment, engagement, mobilisation, programmes, and managing community health.

Disease Prevention

Examines disease prevention, covering primary, secondary, tertiary, communicable, NCDs, and managing disease prevention.

Health Advocacy

Covers health advocacy, covering policy, influence, campaigns, lobbying, and managing health advocacy.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 326,400
Private, up to: Ksh 169,100
Job market: High

The programme

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

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 25 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Health Education Design and Delivery
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Behaviour Change Communication
Community Health Assessment and Engagement
Health Programme Planning and Evaluation
Health Advocacy and Policy Influence
Health Communication and Media
Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Health Education
Research Methods in Health Education
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Foundations of Health Education and Promotion
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines health education concepts, theories, models, history, and managing health education foundations.
Behaviour Change Communication
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers theories, models, stages, communication, interventions, and managing behaviour change.
Research Methods in Health Education
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, health education research methods, and conducting research, preparing students for their thesis.
Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Health Education
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines epidemiology, biostatistics, surveillance, data, and managing health data for education.
Health Promotion Strategies and Programmes
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers strategies, programmes, campaigns, settings, advocacy, and managing health promotion.
Community Health Assessment and Engagement
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines assessment, engagement, mobilisation, participation, and managing community health.
Disease Prevention and Control
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers primary, secondary, tertiary, communicable, NCDs, and managing disease prevention.
Health Programme Planning and Evaluation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and managing health programmes.
Health Communication and Media
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers media, messages, channels, audiences, campaigns, and managing health communication.
Health Advocacy and Policy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines policy, influence, campaigns, lobbying, governance, and managing health advocacy.
Health Education Materials Design and Development
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers design, development, production, evaluation, and managing health education materials.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 29 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a health education and promotion topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and health education knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Health Education
Focuses on health education, covering design, delivery, curriculum, training, and managing health education.
Health Promotion
Examines health promotion, covering strategies, programmes, campaigns, advocacy, and managing health promotion.
Behaviour Change Communication
Covers behaviour change, covering theories, models, communication, interventions, and managing behaviour change.
Community Health
Focuses on community health, covering assessment, engagement, mobilisation, programmes, and managing community health.
Disease Prevention
Examines disease prevention, covering primary, secondary, tertiary, communicable, NCDs, and managing disease prevention.
Health Advocacy
Covers health advocacy, covering policy, influence, campaigns, lobbying, and managing health advocacy.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Health Education and Promotion programme combines lectures, seminars, field work, practical workshops, and independent study. Sessions cover health education, health promotion, behaviour change, community health, and disease prevention. Health education sessions examine design, delivery, curriculum, training, materials, and managing health education. Health promotion sessions cover strategies, programmes, campaigns, advocacy, settings, and managing health promotion. Behaviour change sessions cover theories, models, communication, interventions, stages, and managing behaviour change. Community health sessions cover assessment, engagement, mobilisation, participation, and managing community health. Disease prevention sessions cover primary, secondary, tertiary, communicable, NCDs, and managing disease prevention. Health programme sessions cover planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and managing health programmes. Health advocacy sessions cover policy, influence, campaigns, lobbying, and managing health advocacy. Health communication sessions cover media, messages, channels, audiences, and managing health communication. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering research design, data collection, and analysis. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings and debating current health education issues. Field work provides hands-on experience with community health assessment, health education delivery, and programme evaluation. Practical workshops provide hands-on experience with health education materials design, behaviour change communication, and programme planning. Guest lectures from experienced health educators, promotion specialists, and community health practitioners provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a health education and promotion topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

High demand for health education professionals with growing emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion in Kenya.
MKU offers competitive fees at approximately KES 159,100/year for regular mode and KES 110,000/year for digital learning.
Programme offers flexible study modes including regular, part-time, and digital learning options.
Graduates are eligible for IUHPE and WHO certifications, enhancing career prospects in health education.

Against it

Only one university (MKU, private) confirmed offering this specific MSc programme, limiting institutional choice.
No public university confirmed offering this specific MSc in Health Education and Promotion.
Programme requires health or education background, limiting access for non-related graduates.
Career advancement may require additional public health qualifications for senior roles.

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

Public171k to 326k

171k at Kisii University326k at Kenyatta University

Private159k to 169k

159k at Mount Kenya University169k at Amref International 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 326.4k/yr (ku.ac.ke); Kisii~170.8k; MKU 79.5k/sem=159.1k; Amref unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. MKU may offer scholarships for eligible students. WHO may offer health promotion fellowships. Some NGOs and government agencies may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
MKU Scholarship
WHO Health Promotion Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
MKU Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
MKU offers scholarships for eligible postgraduate students.
WHO Health Promotion Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 500,000
WHO provides fellowships for health promotion training and research.

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: MKU requires Bachelor's degree with Upper Second from recognised university, or Lower Second with at least two years of relevant work experience. Contact the university for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, field reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering health education, health promotion, behaviour change, and community health.
Practical and Field Assessment
Practical30% of the mark
Practical assessment through field work, community health assessment, health education delivery, and demonstrating health education skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a health education and promotion topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and health education knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Mount Kenya University (private) offers MSc in Health Education, Promotion and Development through the School of Public Health. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in health education. Graduates are eligible for IUHPE health promotion certification and WHO health education certification.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Mount Kenya University (private) offers MSc in Health Education, Promotion and Development through the School of Public Health. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in health education. Graduates are eligible for IUHPE health promotion certification and WHO health education certification.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Health Education Officer
High demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Designs and delivers health education, overseeing programmes, training, materials, and managing health education.
Health Promotion Specialist
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Develops health promotion programmes, overseeing strategies, campaigns, advocacy, and managing health promotion.
Community Health Coordinator
High demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Coordinates community health programmes, overseeing assessment, engagement, mobilisation, and managing community health.
Behaviour Change Communicator
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Develops behaviour change interventions, overseeing communication, messages, campaigns, and managing behaviour change.
Health Programme Manager
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages health programmes, overseeing planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and managing health programmes.
Health Education Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches health education at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
SPSS for statistical analysis, covering data, statistics, analysis, and managing health education data.
EpiInfo
Software
EpiInfo for epidemiological analysis, covering surveys, data, analysis, and managing health data.
Canva
Software
Canva for health education materials design, covering graphics, posters, infographics, and managing health communication materials.
Adobe Creative Suite
Software
Adobe Creative Suite for health communication materials, covering design, video, print, and managing health communication.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Health education is just about teaching health.
Health education covers comprehensive design, delivery, curriculum, behaviour change, and community engagement beyond just teaching health.
Health promotion is just about campaigns.
Health promotion covers comprehensive strategies, programmes, advocacy, policy, and settings beyond just campaigns.
This programme is only for teachers.
Health education skills are valuable for nurses, community workers, programme managers, and communicators beyond just teachers.
Behaviour change is just about telling people what to do.
Behaviour change covers comprehensive theories, models, communication, and interventions beyond just telling people what to do.
Community health is just about outreach.
Community health covers comprehensive assessment, engagement, mobilisation, participation, and programmes beyond just outreach.
Disease prevention is just about vaccination.
Disease prevention covers comprehensive primary, secondary, tertiary prevention for both communicable and non-communicable diseases beyond just vaccination.