HHS Points of Pride
THIS IS HHS
The College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS) is one of the largest colleges at Purdue University and comprises nine academic units: Health and Kinesiology; Health Sciences; Hospitality and Tourism Management (with a Division of Consumer Science); Human Development and Family Science; Nursing; Nutrition Science; Psychological Sciences; Public Health; and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. HHS offers undergraduate majors and graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. HHS offers extension programming in all 92 counties in Indiana.
Together, we cultivate an environment that supports innovative research and creative thinking by promoting interdisciplinary research, supporting collaborative initiatives and providing cutting-edge technology. Within this environment, no challenge is too great, and no goal is beyond our reach. From fighting human disease to tackling food insecurity to improving financial literacy, each of our research laboratories and centers aspire to discover new knowledge that contributes to our persistent pursuit to improve human health and well-being across all stages of life. Against this backdrop, the College of Health and Human Sciences is a key pillar of Purdue’s initiative to advance One Health.
Fast Facts
Data as of September 2024
MISSION
The College of Health and Human Sciences prepares scholars; develops leaders; translates theory to practice; and advances knowledge of human behavior, health and quality of life.
Vision
Our college’s people and programs have an increasingly positive impact on the mental/physical, health and quality of life of people.
POINTS OF PRIDE
Research
- A record $45.6 million in HHS Research Expenditures (FY 2025).
- HHS researchers named in 2025 list of world’s most-cited scientists, representing nearly 20% of current tenure-line faculty
- MRI facility
Fostering Success
HHS seeks to recruit and retain faculty, staff and students who are broadly committed to our shared vision. We cultivate and sustain an environment that supports individual success and enables a sense of teamwork and mentorship. We intentionally seek to establish and maintain the highest standards in our practices, procedures, policies and learning opportunities to promote successful outcomes.
Health and Human Sciences Extension
Purdue Extension Health and Human Sciences delivers research-based education across Indiana, both in person and online, to help individuals strengthen relationships, eat smarter, improve health and achieve financial wellness. In 2024-25, HHS Extension delivered more than 10,200 high-impact educational sessions, reaching nearly 204,000 participants statewide.
More than 560 adults participated in Purdue Extension’s A Matter of Balance program, helping to prevent falls and avoid an estimated $7.18 million in direct medical costs. This program, made possible through partnerships with county health departments and funding from Health First Indiana, reflects a broader goal of reaching residents where they are and improving key public health indicators, including chronic disease and injury-related deaths. With an economic impact of more than $2 million, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program — supported by Purdue Extension in partnership with the IRS and other organizations — delivered critical financial literacy and tax preparation services across Indiana counties.
The Purdue Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) helps make healthy choices easier for limited-resource Hoosiers where they live, work, learn and shop. NEP delivered 9,923 nutrition education lessons and had a positive impact on the health of more than 1 million people.
Department of Health and Kinesiology
- Predicting injury: Health and Kinesiology researcher focuses on factors influencing tendon health for individuals with diabetes
- Voll becomes Purdue Athletic Training’s 12th inductee into the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame
- Purdue Health and Kinesiology faculty, students cradle data to enhance Purdue wrestlers’ performance
- Alumnus Scott Hutton named among the Top 25 Biotech Executives of 2024
School of Health Sciences
- The biomedical health sciences undergraduate major primes students for professional careers.
- The medical laboratory sciences major prepares students for careers in health care, offering extensive options of medical affiliates where students build advanced clinical competence and diagnostic skills in their final year.
- The medical physics program is CAMPEP-accredited.
- The MS program in occupational and environmental health sciences is accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of ABET.
- The health physics program offers opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research in instrumentation development and nuclear security risk assessment.
- The toxicology program offers a funded summer internship for external undergraduate awardees and has a NIEHS-funded T32.
White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
- No. 3 ranked hospitality and tourism program in the U.S. and No. 7 globally (Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, 2025)
- White Lodging LAUNCH Hospitality Immersion Program, offering students hands-on experience at the Union Club Hotel — part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection
- Nationally recognized Center for Professional Selling partners with companies to support students in their journey to career readiness.
- Financial counseling and planning major is the only major on campus that satisfies the education requirement for CFP® certification.
- Annual, signature experiences, including the Spirit of Hospitality Summit and the student-led Purdue Black Tie Dinner
- Expansion to Purdue University in Indianapolis, fall 2026.
Human Development and Family Science
- Internationally recognized scholars and award-winning educators who are extensively funded by extramural agencies and translate their findings into the classroom and community
- Small-college environment with large university advantage
- Ninety-six percent of students are employed or accepted into graduate programs upon graduating.
- All majors offer hands‑on experiences through practicum and lab courses, service learning projects, and a capstone requirement that takes place “in the field.”
- Interdisciplinary programs: certified family life educator credential; certificate in gerontology; addiction studies concentration; accelerated (4+1) master’s degree in applied behavior analysis; and combined (4+1) Master of Public Health
- Military Family Research Institute; Center for Early Learning; Center for Families
- Ben and Maxine Miller Child Development Laboratory School celebrates 100 years (2026).
Nursing
- Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building (opening January 2027)
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing program ranked in top 8% in the nation, Master of Science in Nursing program ranked No. 23 (top 4%) and Doctor of Nursing Practice program ranked No. 25 (top 9%) (U.S. News & World Report)
- North Central Nursing Clinics, four nurse-managed Federally Qualified Health Centers founded by the Purdue School of Nursing, serve as interdisciplinary clinical training sites and provide quality care to approximately 30,000 patients annually.
- High RN licensure and nurse practitioner certification pass rates
- Nationally and internationally recognized nursing simulation and education experts
Nutrition Science
- Nutrition Science provides students with strong training in biological and physical sciences coupled with clinical experience, offering a distinctive, human-centered perspective that enhances student readiness for attending medical school, becoming a registered dietitian, leading corporate wellness, working with athletes and much more.
- The undergraduate didactic program in dietetics and the graduate MS in dietetics are ACEND-accredited with pass rates on the registered dietitian nutritionist credentialing exam well above the national average.
- The nutrition, fitness, and health major has formal recognition from the National Strength and Conditioning Association; students may sit for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) credential upon graduation.
- Students work alongside and are taught by internationally recognized faculty with extensive history of extramural funding and contributions to setting national policies (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans).
- Home to the Purdue Clinical Research Center
- Member of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, contributing to lifelong health and wellness of the population
- Founding member and continuing leadership of Ingestive Behavior Research Center
- Alumni in prominent leadership positions, such as head sports dietitian for the New England Patriots
Psychological Sciences
- Purdue Psychology Treatment and Research Clinics
- Center for Research on Brain, Behavior, and NeuroRehabilitation
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience
- No. 7 industrial-organizational psychology program in the country (U.S. News & World Report)
- Ingestive Behavior Research Center
- Purdue Autism Research Center
Public Health
- A collaboration between Public Health and Pharmacy, led by Monica Kasting, associate professor of public health, to provide no-cost vaccines to the community resulted in 1,295 vaccines (e.g., HPV, T-dap, meningitis, etc.) being administered.
- Natalia Rodriguez, associate professor of public health, received the 2025 American Public Health Association Ayman El-Mohandes Young Professional Public Health Innovation Award for her years of successful development and implementation of innovative health technologies.
- Over 60 Purdue Public Health alumni faculty and students gathered for a networking social during the 2025 American Public Health Association to learn more about Purdue’s public health and One Health initiatives.
- All undergraduate and Master of Public Health students complete an immersive experiential learning program where they are housed within community-based organizations, local health departments, hospital systems and other public health entities.
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
- No. 2 speech-language pathology and No. 5 audiology programs (U.S. News & World Report) — consistently named among the top in the country
- 90-year history of linking mechanistic to translational research to advance evidence-based practice
- M.D. Steer Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinics allow clinical faculty to provide cutting-edge clinical practice and education through their award-winning teaching and national engagement
- 30+ community engagement initiatives synergizing with teaching, clinical education and research
- SLHS supports two community-engaged research labs in Indianapolis: the Accessible Precision Audiology Research Center in the 16 Tech Innovation District and the Purdue SLHS Satellite Laboratory at Keystone Crossing.
- Community engagement with rural communities is expanding with a newly acquired mobile outreach van equipped with a sound booth.