Community Health & Education

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Program Overview

Degrees & Certificates

Expand career opportunities and build on two-year technical degrees with BAS programs that emphasize hands-on learning, typically focused on a particular industry.
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  • Credits to complete: 180.0
  • Estimated program length in quarters: Full Time - 3 to 6 | Part Time - 5 to 10

About the Program

If you are a healthcare professional with strong interpersonal and problem–solving skills and a desire to help others, then Seattle Central's Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Allied Health—Community Health and Education may be right for you. With this degree, you will receive the education and training needed to promote health and prevent disease within communities.

Career Opportunities

The healthcare industry is growing substantially in our region and nationally, and demand for qualified community health educators is projected to increase 21 percent by 2022 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. This bachelor's degree track opens the door for you to work as a Health Educator or Community Health Professional in a variety of settings, including:

  • Nonprofit health organizations
  • Government agencies
  • Hospitals
  • Medical clinics
  • Colleges

Certified Health Education Specialist

Our courses prepare students to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) examination offered through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC). Learn more about the CHES exam and eligibility.

Pre–Physician Assistant Coursework

MEDEX NorthwestIf you are interested in a career as a Physician Assistant (PA), the pre-Physician Assistant option of the Community Health & Education program can help you meet the academic admissions requirements for the Physician Assistant master's degree at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine's MEDEX Northwest program.

Flexible and Convenient

The Community Health and Education program is designed especially for working professionals. In this flexible program, you can earn your applied bachelor’s degree at either a part-time or full-time pace, and we accept students quarterly. All the core classes of the program are taught in a hybrid style (combining reduced face-to-face time with online learning), with the in-person meetings scheduled for weekday evenings.

Seattle Central College's Health Education Specialist program is intended to meet the educational requirements for licensing/certification in the State of Washington only. Seattle Central College has not determined if the Health Education Specialist curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensing/certification in any other state. Additional information about licensure/certification concerns can be found on the NC-SARA webpage. Please contact eLearning with any questions at eLearning@seattlecolleges.edu.


Program lengths are estimates, not guarantees. For the most current program information, please check with the program contact.