With the increased interest of Americans in matters of health, it stands to reason that there must be a demand for professionals to aid people in their quests for healthier lifestyles.

There is, says UNLV professor Charles Regin, and that's why the university will begin offering a graduate degree in health promotion this fall.

"Health educators, public school teachers, school nurses, community nutritionists, drug prevention specialists, wellness center managers, and people who work for organizations such as the American Cancer Society or other health-related organizations are among the many people we expect will be interested in our new program," said Regin, who chairs the department of health and physical education within UNLV's College of Education.

"Any individual who wants to help make a person, a family, a company, or a community healthier will be interested in our master of education in health promotion program," he predicted.

"We designed the program to have a multi-disciplinary approach that will allow students to choose one of four concentrations within the health promotion field," he said. Students may choose education, administration, counseling, or an interdisciplinary tract.

"All students are required to take a number of core courses, naturally, but beyond that they can choose from quite a variety of classes," Regin said. "This 'individualization' should make them more marketable within their niche of the health promotion field, whether they are seeming employment or perhaps applying for a promotion where they already work."

Because it is anticipated that most of the students applying to the program already will be working full time, the courses will be offered in the late afternoon and early evening, with start times of 4:15 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Regin said he knows there is a great amount of interest in the program, which was approved by the Board of Regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada earlier this year. Already he has received e-mail inquiries from South Africa, Alaska, and Nor~ Dakota.

He said he also has received many requests for information from Nevada residents. Until now, Nevadans wanting a graduate degree in health promotion have had to go out of state.

For additional information on UNLV's new master of education program in health promotion, call Regin at 895-4030.