Study prevention program planning and evaluation online
By successfully completing this graduate certificate, you will gain specialized knowledge in prevention science, including prevention theory, evidence-based prevention strategies, prevention program planning and design, and program evaluation. You will also analyze and discuss various prevention programs that schools, families, and communities have implemented to address a wide range of societal challenges.
How do you evaluate programs and measure success? Why do some prevention programs work while others fail to deliver results? Explore answers to these questions and more as you develop new analytical skills.
Build the foundation of skills you need to achieve greater long-term success as a prevention science practitioner working in career fields such as:
- Behavioral and mental health services
- Drug and alcohol addiction counseling and prevention
- Public health
- Education programming
- Aging and older adult services
- Youth programming
- Community education
- Social work
What is prevention science?
The multidisciplinary field of prevention science focuses on developing, implementing, and continually assessing evidence-based strategies to address societal challenges. People working in this field develop programs and provide resources with the goal of improving the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities.
Prevention science draws from a range of disciplines, including human development, psychology and behavioral science, public health, epidemiology, sociology, socioeconomics, gerontology, and other human systems sciences. By taking an ethical, culturally responsive, and research-based approach to collecting, analyzing, and understanding data, prevention science practitioners can develop programs that mitigate the harmful impacts of various health and social problems, such as:
- mental illness
- drug and alcohol addiction
- child abuse
- interpersonal violence
- sexually transmitted disease
- teenage pregnancy
- obesity and poor nutrition
What you will learn
Many human service providers and education professionals do not yet have specialized training in prevention science theory and program development. To achieve successful outcomes, it is important to understand the complexities of human development, family systems, communities, cultural dynamics, and socioeconomic systems. This will allow you to optimize prevention science programs that address overall human wellbeing in the context of family, culture, and society.
As a student in this program, you will learn to:
- Examine human developmental theory, methods, interventions, and standards of evidence in promoting well-being and preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders
- Practice research-based prevention programs from a school-based and family-centered, developmentally appropriate perspective
- Explain in-depth concepts and strategies in prevention science to others
- Conduct prevention science program evaluation and analysis
- Select and implement sustainable, effective, and evidence-based prevention programs
- Build the knowledge to develop, implement, and evaluate programs that cultivate the mental, physical, and emotional health of people across the lifespan
- Learn how to ensure that human service and education agencies are implementing evidence-based strategies in their communities
This combination of formal education and applied knowledge will prepare you for advancement in a variety of organizations, including educational institutions, community service agencies, governmental agencies, nonprofit advocacy organizations, research foundations, and more.
Apply credits toward your master’s degree
Credits earned in this graduate certificate program can be transferred into CSU's online Master of Prevention Science program (starting Fall 2022) after formal admission per University transfer policies. However, successful completion of this certificate does not guarantee admission to the degree program.
CHHS research podcast
Find out how CSU’s research is making an impact by tuning into the CHHS Health and Human Science Matters Podcast, a collection of lively, engaging conversations with members of the college community.