The Health Communication major prepares students to communicate and promote positive health behaviors in professional health care settings and in health advocacy.
Our students learn to design, evaluate, and implement health communication programs in a variety of professional settings. We take an interdisciplinary approach by emphasizing the intersection of strategic communication and health promotion as the foundation for educating individuals and creating healthier communities.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sees health communication as fundamental to all health–related occupations. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 of the 30 fastest growing occupations are related to healthcare and health education. A sample of job titles is listed below.
• Patient/ Victims Advocate
• Patient Services Coordinator
• Healthcare Marketing/ PR specialist
• Director of Employee Health & Wellness programs
• Human Resources Benefits Coordinator
• Health Educator
• Occupational Health Program Manager
• Hospital/ Practice Administrator
• Health Promotion Specialist
• Community Outreach Coordinator
• Lobbyist
• Social Worker
• Pharmaceutical Salesperson
• Positions in government and social service agencies
With advanced/additional degrees, health communication provides an excellent basis for careers in:
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Health Care Law
• Research
• Counselinghttps://thekeep.eiu.edu/commstudies_curriculum_programs/1005/thumbnail.jp
