Create knowledge
You will learn how to work academically, understand study findings and answer questions in a structured way using solid methods.
Understanding health : promoting and supporting it
Health is much more than the absence of illness, the treatment of symptoms or the avoidance of risks. While medicine asks what makes people ill, the central question of health promotion is: What keeps people healthy? Health promotion is therefore concerned with people's resources and their living conditions, which contribute to maintaining and strengthening health. Health is understood as the result of a complex interplay of very different factors that act at the levels of the individual, the social environment, living and working conditions and society.
If health is complex, then the strategies for health promotion and prevention must also be comprehensive. Whether stress prevention programmes, the design of health-promoting working conditions or the implementation of major campaigns - health promotion always focuses on people and their starting points. The aim of health promotion is to enable people to take more responsibility for their own health and that of their fellow human beings. Participation and empowerment are two central strategies here.
In our study programme you will
- gain an in-depth understanding of different perspectives on health,
- learn about the connection between living conditions and health,
- learn specific methods for determining health needs,
- learn strategies for planning, implementing and evaluating measures,
- learn for and with practice & and much more!
At a glance
Degree
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
Type of programme
Campus-based programme
Start of study programme
Winter semester
Language of instructions
German
Standard duration
6 semester
Free of Admission Restriction
Yes
ECTS-Punkte
180 ECTS
- You hold a university entrance qualification.
- Are you wondering how conditions can be created under which people can live healthy lives?
- You are interested in how health inequality can be reduced.
- You want to support people in improving their own health conditions and those of their environment and making more health a part of their everyday lives.
- You are a team player and can imagine collaborating with representatives of other disciplines and working together towards the goal of supporting people's health.
- You are interested in familiarizing yourself with different academic disciplines and their approaches to health.
In the first three semesters of the full-time study programme, the basics are taught. This includes an insight into the numerous factors influencing the development of health and illness, the basics of health promotion and prevention and an understanding of the political and legal framework of the German healthcare system. You will also acquire basic knowledge of empirical social research.
At Fulda University of Applied Sciences, you will study interdisciplinary and related to practice, often with forms of project or problem-orientated learning. Natural science knowledge (e.g. on the development of diseases) is taught as well as social sciences knowledge (e.g. on social inequality or strategies for digitally supported communication). In order to understand relevant health promotion documents and academic texts in English, language skills in English are expected. These can be improved and specialized in during university studies through numerous offers at the university's language center.
Special emphasis is placed on the ability to conduct academic research. In addition to understanding academic research findings, the main focus here is on preparing academic research and the skills required for this, such as conducting a literature search or organizing your own writing process. This is an important condition for developing and implementing effective health promotion and prevention measures and evaluating their success. You will be prepared for this step by step over the course of your university studies and will end up with all the knowledge you need to write your thesis.
From the fifth semester onwards, you can specialize further by choosing a specialization. The specializations offered are innovative and optimally prepare you for work in central areas and promising fields of work in health promotion and prevention:
- Health promotion in institutional settings(Health Care Management e.g. companies, education and health facilities)
- Health communication in digital media (e.g. creating digital health information, campaigns or using digital media for your own health promotion and prevention projects)
- Health reporting and community health promotion (e.g. preparation of health reports or systematic planning and implementation of community health promotion measures)
In addition to research-based training, the health promotion study programme places great emphasis on practical experience. This is why you have the opportunity to complete an intership in a professional field of health promotion in the fourth semester. You will receive continuous support from the health promotion intership office. As early as the first semester, you will benefit from the experiences of students who have completed their intership in reflection events and may already find an area or an internship institution that particularly arouses your interest. You can also attend various elective modules on relevant topics such as project management or networking to accompany your internship. The fourth semester is also a suitable time to experience studying in an other country during a semester abroad. In the fifth and sixth semesters, you can develop your academic and practice-oriented skills as part of a course project. Various projects on different topics are offered for this purpose.
University entrance qualification
Applicants who have not received their university entrance qualification at a German-speaking facility must provide evidence of German skills at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (DSH-2 or equivalent).
With German educational certificates: 15 April to 30 September
With foreign educational certificates: 1 March to 30 September
Your career : with health promotion
Graduates work for example
- in one of the state associations for health. You implement state framework agreements. You also develop new concepts and project ideas in health promotion or manage further education and organize conferences.
- in associations for health promotion and prevention. You will implement health promotion projects in daycare centers, schools and other facilities.
- at a health authority. You coordinate regional health conferences, work in community health promotion and organize health networks with other disciplines, coordinate regional health conferences or are involved in health reporting or self-help.
- for a health insurance provider in the health promotion and prevention division. You support day-care centers, schools or local authorities in developing solution strategies for health-related problems together with all those involved. You will also prepare decisions on the funding of projects.
- in a statutory accident or pension insurance company in the prevention division. You will be involved in the development of prevention campaigns. You will advise companies on how they can make working conditions more health-promoting or offer services, e.g. in the legally prescribed company integration management programme.
- in enterprises and for public authorities in the field of workplace or official health promotion/management. For example, you are in charge of planning and evaluating evidence-based measures in the enterprise, manage health circles, advise managers on health issues or prepare health-related information in the form of internal campaigns.
- Freelance or employed by a management consultancy. You advise enterprises, organizations and authorities on how to maintain the performance of an ageing workforce, for example. You can also organize projects, workshops or other measures on health-promoting topics.
- in one of the national or European networks, umbrella organizations or state institutions. You contribute to the further development of health promotion. For example, they develop educational programmes or manage digital prevention or health promotion projects.
There are also good career opportunities abroad. At the same time, the study programme offers optimal access requirements for a subsequent Master's degree in Public Health at Hochschule Fulda University of Applied Sciences.
Students and alumni share their experiences : Impressions from the study program
”I'm studying health promotion to work towards equal health opportunities and give everyone equal access to health after my graduation. Health is a key factor for our quality of life, which is why the topic should be given greater prominence. It should also be consistently included in decision-making processes. The university with its wide range of programs supports me in deepening my knowledge and prepares me for my future professional life.
“
Lina, Study programme Health Promotion (B.Sc.)
”I studied health promotion because I want to empower people to do something beneficial for their own health. For this reason, the elective modules in the 5th and 6th semesters particularly appealed to me, as here you learn to create scientifically valid information and provide these to the population in such a way that everyone can read, understand and implement it in the best possible way. Above all, the interesting insights that the lecturers and professors were able to give us from practice aroused my interest in the content of the module.
“
Daniel, Study programme Health Promotion (B.Sc.)
”I'm studying health promotion because I want to deepen my knowledge concerning health issues, which I already acquired during my vocational training. I find it particularly exciting how targeted prevention and education can promote healthy lifestyles in the long term. The degree program not only offers in-depth insights into effective health strategies, but also valuable knowledge in project management and networking, which makes it possible to set up sustainable health projects in different environments.
“
Eva, Study programme Health Promotion (B.Sc.)
”I am studying health promotion because I want to understand which factors influence people’s health and how these findings can be applied in practice to promote the population’s health. Fulda University of Applied Sciences enables me to gain valuable insights into the diverse professional fields through guest lectures and information events and to customize my studies individually according to my interests. I particularly appreciate the familiar environment with fellow students and lecturers, which is created by the compact size of the degree program.
“
Julia, Study programme Health Promotion (B.Sc.)
”I'm studying health promotion so that I can explain the relevance of health to different target groups. With the help of the integrated internship component in the fourth semester, I was able to put my theoretical knowledge into practice. By choosing my specialization in the field of occupational health management, I was able to apply the health promotion strategies I had already learned during my studies. Fulda University of Applied Sciences is also a place where you quickly feel comfortable thanks to the close cooperation with lecturers.
“
Cora, Study programme Health Promotion (B.Sc.)
More about the subject
Your Department
The study programme is an offer of the Department of Health Sciences. Find out more about your new environment, teaching, laboratories and your future professors on the department's website.
Prior to the study programme
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Postgraduate / advanced degree programmes at Fulda University of Applied Sciences
Need : help?
Subject-related advice
Susan Wank
Programme coordinator of the programmes Health Promotion (B.Sc.), Public Health (M. Sc.)
susan.wank(at)gw.hs-fulda.de
+49 661 9640-6321
Subject-related advice
Kerstin Krüger
Advisor for the Health Promotion degree programme, Practice Department
kerstin.krueger(at)gw.hs-fulda.de
+49 661 9640-6150
Subject-related advice
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