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Health Education

Types of Degrees Health Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Health Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	34
Bachelor’s Degree	894
Master’s Degree	524
Doctor’s Degree	20

What Health Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Health Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Health Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Health Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Health Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Educational Instructor
• Faculty Member
• Adult Basic Education Instructor
• Literacy Education Professor
• Outdoor Education Instructor
• Lecturer
• Physical Education Instructor
• Education Instructor
• Education Faculty Member
• Primary Education Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Music Education Professor
• Educational Leadership Professor
• Assistant Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	47.3%
Bachelor’s degree	34.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	7.2%
Master’s degree	6.3%
Less than a high school diploma	2.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.8%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 63.1% of Health Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	929	63.1%
Men	543	36.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	853	57.9%
Asian	74	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	195	13.2%
Black or African American	188	12.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	19	1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	64	4.3%
Race Unknown	47	3.2%
International Students	30	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Health Education 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	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Health Education Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Health Education. 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
Bachelor’s	4	8
Master’s	11	4

^{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 Health Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Health Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% 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	CIP Code
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	13.13
Agricultural Teacher Education	13.1301
Art Teacher Education	13.1302
Biology Teacher Education	13.1322
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	13.1303
Chemistry Teacher Education	13.1323
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	13.1339
Computer Teacher Education	13.1321
Drama and Dance Teacher Education	13.1324
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	13.1304
Earth Science Teacher Education	13.1337
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	13.1305

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.