What Can You Do With a Public Health Degree?
Public health encompasses more than just controlling infectious diseases like COVID-19. It involves improving health equity and addressing social determinants of health. Public health professionals work on developing health education plans and creating healthier communities. If you’re interested in this field, it’s important to understand the various public health degrees and the career opportunities they offer.
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Public Health Nursing Explained
What Is Public Health?
Public health is the field of science dedicated to protecting and enhancing the health of individuals and communities at an institutional level. It encompasses three key functions:
1. Assessment: Identifying and measuring community health problems and needs.
2. Policy Development: Designing solutions to address health issues.
3. Assurance: Ensuring that people have access to these solutions.
Public health professionals play a critical role in bridging medicine and the social sciences. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they conducted research to understand the impact of the virus, developed government and organizational responses, and ensured access to vaccines. They also educated the public on vaccination and preventive measures.
Different Types of Public Health Degrees
There are several levels of public health degrees, each offering different career opportunities:
1. Associate Degree in Public Health:
Provides a foundation for roles like medical coder or medical transcriptionist. It can also serve as a stepping stone for entry-level positions in community health.
2. Bachelor’s in Public Health:
Prepares you for a range of public health careers, such as community health specialist, health educator, and public health program manager. Most public health positions require at least a bachelor’s degree. You can earn either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BS) in public health, with the BA focusing on nonclinical areas and the BS on natural sciences and medicine.
3. Master’s in Public Health (MPH):
Leads to management roles in public or community health. Many MPH programs offer specializations like epidemiology, health management, public policy and health, or health promotion. Some programs offer a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), which may include more coursework in biostatistics and epidemiology.
4. Doctorate in Public Health:
The terminal degree in public health, preparing you for high-level administrative careers or research and academia. It can be a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in public health or a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH). A Ph.D. is often for researchers and academics, while a DrPH is geared toward professionals who want to work directly in public health.
Can You Get a Public Health Degree Online?
Many schools offer online public health programs of equivalent quality to on-campus programs. Some online programs may require on-campus orientation or practical work, so it’s essential to verify the requirements before enrolling.
Career Options with a Public Health Degree
The type of public health degree you hold, whether associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, influences your career opportunities. Here are some potential careers based on your degree level:
Careers with an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health:
1. Health Information Technician: Handling health records and data, they collect and report on health information.
2. Medical and Health Services Manager: Performing administrative roles in healthcare settings, managing technology, personnel, or program logistics.
3. Occupational Health and Safety Specialist and Technician: Ensuring workplace safety by assessing and mitigating risks at factories, construction sites, and more.
4. Social and Community Service Manager: Overseeing social service programs, which can include public health initiatives in larger organizations.
5. Health Educator and Community Health Worker: Designing and implementing educational plans or connecting people to health services in the community.
Careers with a Graduate Degree in Public Health:
1. Healthcare Consultant: Providing expertise to healthcare organizations, offering guidance on various aspects like management, technology, or ethics.
2. Public Health Analyst: Gathering, analyzing, and reporting on public health data, often working in government or healthcare facilities.
3. Postsecondary Teacher: Teaching at levels beyond high school, conducting research, and publishing academic papers in four-year colleges and graduate programs.
4. Epidemiologist: Studying the transmission of contagious diseases, how diseases are contracted, and assessing health risks, often focusing on medicine, statistics, and social sciences.
Common Questions About Public Health Degrees
1. Is public health a good degree?:
The value of a public health degree depends on your career goals. If you’re interested in the intersection of medicine and social sciences and enjoy addressing health challenges, public health can be a rewarding field with growing job opportunities.
2. Is public health a difficult major?:
Public health programs often cover natural sciences, social sciences, medical concepts, mathematics, statistics, and technology. The difficulty may vary based on your specialization, program, and skill set.
3. What’s the difference between a public health degree and a health science degree?:
Health science degrees typically focus on clinical patient care, while public health degrees emphasize addressing health challenges in communities or populations. Health science degrees center on biology, chemistry, and medicine, while public health degrees focus on social sciences and medicine.
4. What public health jobs
are in demand?: Increased awareness of disease prevention and the impact of infectious diseases like COVID-19 has led to a growing demand for public health professionals. In-demand roles include epidemiologists, health education specialists, community health workers, social service managers, and health information specialists.
Public health offers diverse career opportunities to make a meaningful impact on community health and well-being, depending on your level of education and specialization.
What Can You Do With a Public Health Degree?
OVID-19 has drawn a lot of attention to public health, but public health is more than infectious disease control.
Public health careers can involve improving health equity and addressing social factors in health. You can achieve this by creating health education plans and helping to build healthy communities.
Learn about public health programs and public health degrees that will prepare you for this potentially rewarding field.
What Is Public Health?
Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and communities on an institutional level.
There are three main functions within public health. Assessment refers to identifying and measuring community health problems and needs. Policy development refers to designing solutions. The third part, assurance, means making sure people have access to these solutions.
The coronavirus pandemic highlighted how public health brings together medicine and the social sciences.
For example, during the COVID-19 crisis, public health professionals researched who is affected and how, developing government and organizational responses to the crisis, and making sure everybody has access to the vaccine. They also educated people about vaccination and other preventive measures.
Bachelor’s in Public Health
A bachelor’s degree in public health prepares you for a wide array of public health careers, like community health specialist, prevention specialist, entry-level public health program manager, public health investigator, or health educator. Most public health positions require at least a bachelor’s in public health.
Does it matter if you get a BA or BS in public health?
You can pursue either a bachelor of arts (BA) or a bachelor of science (BS) in public health. A BA in public health focuses more on nonclinical areas such as the social sciences, education, and policy. A BS focuses on the natural sciences and medicine.
BA graduates tend to find work in government agencies or nonprofits. In a field like infectious disease prevention, a BS degree would emphasize epidemiology, statistics, and the logistics of vaccination distribution.
A BA looks at modifying human behaviors to reduce risk factors for chronic disease and injury. A bachelor of arts in public health also teaches how to apply strategies to reduce public health disease or injury burdens.
Learn more about what you can do with a bachelor’s degree in public health.
Master’s in Public Health
A master of public health (MPH) can lead to a management role in public or community health. It can also lead to more specialized, advanced roles outside management.
Many master’s in public health degrees offer a specialization, such as epidemiology, health management, public policy and health, or health promotion. You can earn either an MPH or a master of science in public health (MSPH).
What is the difference between an MPH and MSPH?
Both MPH and MSPH students learn public health practice. MSPH students may have more biostatistics and epidemiology coursework.
Those who pursue an MSPH often view it as preparation for a doctorate in public health. Learners in MPH programs often must complete an internship or project in their specialization.
Learn more about what you can do with an MPH degree.
Doctorate in Public Health
A doctorate in public health is the terminal public health degree. It prepares you for a high-level administrative public health career, or one focused on research and academia.
A doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in public health requires original research and a doctoral thesis. The curriculum varies by program, and often involves courses in public policy, disease prevention, healthcare systems design, biostatistics, and behavioral sciences.
What is the difference between a DrPH and Ph.D. in public health?
A doctor of public health (DrPH) is for professionals who want to work directly in public health, while a Ph.D. in public health is often for researchers and academics.
If you plan to teach at a college, university, or research institution, you will need a Ph.D. If you wish to work in government or agencies that don’t require original research, you will need a DrPH.
Learn more about what you can do with a doctorate in public health.
Can You Get a Public Health Degree Online?
Many schools offer online public health programs whose quality is on par with on-campus programs. Students can earn the same degree online or on campus.
Many online programs do require some on-campus orientation or on-campus work. Programs requiring a practicum should arrange placement in your community, but ensure they do before enrolling.
Careers With an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health
Medical and Health Services Manager
Medical and health services managers perform administrative duties in settings such as hospitals, health systems, clinics, military bases, and other healthcare facilities. Their role might include technology and personnel management or program logistics.
Occupational Health and Safety Specialist and Technician
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians help ensure the safety of workplaces like factories and construction sites. They may work directly on site or in government offices that regulate worker health and safety.
- Minimum degree required: Bachelor’s degree
- Certification required (if any): The Board of Certified Safety Professionals offers several certifications, none of which are legally required.
- Median salary: $74,870 per 2021 data
Social and Community Service Manager
Social and community service managers design and administer social services programs, including public health programs. In a small organization, they may oversee general public health initiatives. In larger organizations, they often specialize in a particular type of program, such as prevention, or a program task, such as assessment.
- Minimum degree required: Bachelor’s degree
- Certification required: Specialty areas may have certifications, but these are not required.
- Median salary: $74,000 per 2021 data
Health Educator and Community Health Worker
Health educators and community health workers both offer services directly to the public. Health educators create and carry out educational plans. These can be online, in print, or in person. Community health workers help connect people to health services.
- Minimum degree required: Bachelor’s degree for health educator or associate degree for community health worker
- Certification required: Being a certified health education specialist from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing is often an employer requirement, though it is not legally required.
- Median salary: $48,860 per 2021 data
Careers With a Graduate Degree in Public Health
Healthcare Consultant
Healthcare consultants provide expertise to healthcare organizations in management, technology, strategy, or specialty topics. In public health, they provide guidance on designing facilities, ethics, interventions, or programs.
Most healthcare consultants need both advanced education and experience in the field.
- Minimum degree required: Master’s degree
- Certification required: Some employers prefer certification from the National Society of Healthcare Business Consultants, but it is not a legal requirement.
- Average salary: $81,000 per January 2023 Payscale data
Public Health Analyst
Public health analysts gather, analyze, and report on public health data. They work in government or healthcare facilities. This position requires considerable experience with data and analytics, including statistics and demographics.
- Minimum degree required: Master’s degree
- Certification required: Many employers prefer certification as a certified health data analyst, though not legally necessary.
- Average salary: $80,331 per January 2023 Payscale data
Postsecondary Teacher
Postsecondary teachers teach at any level beyond high school. In most schools, they also serve as academic advisors and on academic committees. In addition to teaching, four-year colleges and graduate programs often require instructors to do research and publish academic papers.
- Minimum degree required: Master’s degree (though many four-year programs may require or prefer a Ph.D.)
- Median salary: $79,640 per 2021 data
Epidemiologist
COVID-19 has put epidemiology and epidemiologists in the spotlight. Epidemiologists study how contagious diseases are transmitted, how other diseases are contracted, and how injuries and other health risks happen. Epidemiologists must understand medicine, statistics, and the social sciences, depending on their specialty.
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- Minimum degree required: Master’s degree (though research institutions often require a Ph.D.)
- Median salary: $78,830 per 2021 data