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Public Health

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.2201 - 51.2299.

Types of Degrees Public Health Majors Are Earning

Those studying Public Health can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	146
Associate’s Degree	1,080
Bachelor’s Degree	18,120
Master’s Degree	20,506
Doctor’s Degree	1,208

What Public Health Majors Need to Know

Studies in Public Health build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Public Health graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Public Health emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Public Health program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Public Health careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Public Health graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Public Health professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Public Health graduates include:

• Instructor
• Clinical Instructor
• Nutrition Educator
• Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• College Professor
• Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Adjunct Instructor
• Manual Arts Therapy Teacher
• Dietetics Teacher
• Pharmacology Teacher

What Can You Do With a Public Health Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Public Health commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Community Health Workers	13.4%	$73,901	$61,028–$86,775
Health Education Specialists	3.7%	$81,726	$64,644–$98,808

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Public Health graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	36.0%
Bachelor’s degree	22.8%
Doctoral degree	14.4%
Post-doctoral training	11.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.0%
Some college courses	1.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%
First professional degree	0.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Public Health?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 79.3% of Public Health degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	32,564	79.3%
Men	8,522	20.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Public Health graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	16,019	39.0%
Asian	5,200	12.7%
Hispanic or Latino	6,909	16.8%
Black or African American	6,652	16.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	329	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	109	0.3%
Two or More Races	1,650	4.0%
Race Unknown	1,964	4.8%
International Students	2,254	5.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Public Health Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Public Health graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$50,939
4 years	$60,432
5 years	$70,561

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $70,561 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Public Health Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Public Health. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	19	10
Bachelor’s	94	57
Master’s	206	124
Doctoral (Research)	12	13

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Public Health Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Public Health graduates earn a median of $60,432 four years after completion — roughly 59% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health Care Professions	994,689
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.