Become a CHES
CHES Exam Details
Exam Dates,
Deadlines, Fees
Exam Locations
Test Questions
School Codes
Degree Codes
Exam FAQs
Eligibility for the CHES Exam
Eligibility to take the CHES examination is based exclusively on academic qualifications. An individual is eligible to take the examination if he/she has:
_ A bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from an accredited institution
_ of higher education; AND one of the following:
An official transcript (including course titles) that clearly shows a major in health education, e.g., Health Education, Community Health Education, Public Health Education, School Health Education, etc.
Degree/major must explicitly be in a discipline of "Health Education."
An official transcript that reflects at least 25 semester hours or 37 quarter hours of course work with specific preparation addressing the Area of Responsibility for health educators listed below.
Assess individual and community needs for health education
Plan effective health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Implement health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Conduct evaluation and research related to health education
Administer health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Serve as a health education resource person
Communicate and advocate for health and health education
For a complete listing of the Responsibilities and Competencies click here.
90-Day Eligibility Option
The 90-day option is offered to students scheduled to graduate within 90 days of an exam date. To qualify for this option, a student must be enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education, and must submit an official transcript showing a minimum of 25 semester hours relating to the Area of Responsibility along with written verification from his/her faculty advisor assuring the student will complete all degree requirements within 90 days of the exam date.
Prescreening Service (optional)
This is a separate optional service offered to individuals and should ONLY be used if you are not sure you meet the requirements for the CHES exam. Upon receipt of the prescreen request form, fee and the applicant's official academic transcripts, NCHEC will review an applicant's credentials to determine eligibility. Deficiencies, if any, will be identified and guidance for exam qualification will be provided. This service is particularly useful to applicants whose academic preparation does not include a degree in health education, but who may have accumulated sufficient health education course work to qualify for the CHES examination. The prescreen request form requires a nonrefundable fee of $25.00. If eligible, the fee is applied toward the exam registration fee.
Prescreen Schedule:
April Cycle: November 1 - February 1
October Cycle: May 1 - August 1
Download Prescreen Request Form
In order to view articles in PDF format, you will need Adobe Acrobat 5.0. If you have an earlier version or receive an error message when trying to view the document, please click above to download the latest version of Acrobat Reader.
© 2002 The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.