Become a Public Health Professional

If you choose a career in public health, you'll be concerned with the physical, mental and environmental health of communities and populations at risk for disease and injury. You'll focus on entire populations rather than on individual patients—and on the prevention of illness and the promotion of health—rather than treatment of existing illness. Public health is a wide-ranging field encompassing medicine, nursing and dentistry, in addition to law, education and the biological, social and behavioral sciences.

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Public Health Job Description

As a public health professional, you'll assess and monitor the health of populations at risk for disease, in addition to assuring that communities have access to appropriate and effective health care. Many public health professionals are educators, connecting people to needed health services and providing instruction on health promotion. Public health professionals also formulate public health policies designed to solve local and national health problems and priorities.

There are many specialties within public health. Students generally pick one concentration within the field for their area of study.

Public health specialties include:

• Behavioral sciences and health education
• Biostatistics
• Biomedical and laboratory practice
• Environmental health sciences
• Epidemiology
• Health policy and management
• International health
• Maternal and child health
• Nutrition
• Occupational safety and health

In addition, some schools offer joint programs with medicine, law, social work, dentistry or other fields.

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Public Health Job Market

People who have advanced degrees in public health are expected to have excellent job prospects during the next 10 years. Appropriate jobs vary by which specialty a student pursues in the degree program. Here are sample job titles for people with a master's in public health (MPH):

• Biomedical statistician
• Chronic disease epidemiologist
• Clinical trials analyst
• Director of environmental health
• Director epidemiology program
• Director municipal water treatment plant
• Director of operations of planned parenthood federation
• Health data manager
• HIV/AIDS epidemiologist
• Industrial waste director
• Infection control officer
• Infectious disease epidemiologist
• Genetics data analyst
• Occupational hygienist
• Director of industrial hygiene
• Project manager
• Public health officer
• Radiation safety specialist
• Radioactive water specialist
• Research data coordinator
• Survey statistician
• Water quality investigator

Public Health Workplaces

As a public health professional, you'll be able to find work in a variety of settings, including the following:

• State and local health departments
• Government agencies
• Health care consulting agencies
• Research firms
• Non-profit organizations
• Hospitals
• Community health centers
• Health insurance companies
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Colleges and universities

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Public Health Salaries

Here are the typical salary ranges for the most common public health fields, according to the Associated Schools of Public Health:

Specialty	Salary Range
Health Services Administration	$37,050 – $161,400
Biostatistics	$33,000 – $63,000
Epidemiology	$38,175 – $136,237
Health Education/Behavioral Science	$33,000 – $86,625
Environmental Health	$44,550 – $143,700
International Health	$31,500 – $86,625
Nutrition	$31,500 – $70,875
Public Health Practice/Program Management	$41,175 – $102,000
Biomedical Laboratory	$31,500 – $78,750

Public Health Education & Training

While a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement for a career in public health, a master's degree in public health or a related field has become the standard for many positions. You'll need a doctoral degree to obtain a research-level public health position.

Degree Options

Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH)

These 4-year programs often have a particular emphasis, such as nutrition, environmental science, health administration or health information management. Graduates often go on to earn advanced degrees in health fields such as nursing, medicine, dentistry or physical therapy.

Master of Public Health (MPH)

The MPH degree is the main professional degree within public health. Programs can be completed in one to two years. At some schools, programs are geared toward professionals who already hold advanced degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, law, biology, behavioral sciences or the social sciences.

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH)

The Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) is a 1- to 2-year initial program for the student who enters without an advanced degree and who plans to continue for the PhD.

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Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree is a professional degree that can be completed in three to four years. Candidates must have at least a master's in a related field to qualify for this degree program. DrPHs must have a comprehensive body of knowledge in the field of public health and related disciplines, and a proven ability to initiate, organize and pursue the investigation of significant problems in public health practice.

DrPHs are qualified to assume leadership positions that have major influence on the policies, programs and institutions of public health through the analysis, development and implementation of public health programs.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Health

The PhD degree represents the highest level of academic pursuit in public health. Students seeking to pursue careers in research more typically pursue the PhD degree. Recipients of this degree are qualified to assume leadership roles in developing and conducting research and in teaching. PhDs generally specialize in an area such as epidemiology, biostatistics or nutrition.

Accreditation Bodies

The accrediting body for schools of public health is the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). CEPH is an independent agency recognized by the US Department of Education to accredit schools of public health. These schools prepare students for entry into careers in public health. There are currently 29 schools accredited by CEPH.

Advantages to Attending an Accredited School

Accreditation creates a gateway for students to participate in federally funded and state entitlement program. Graduates from programs at accredited institutions also qualify to attend other accredited schools to pursue advanced studies, including master's and doctorate programs. A degree from an accredited school can also make you more competitive in the job market—employers prefer to hire people who have graduated from an accredited school because they are trained under nationally established standards.

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