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Public Health

Types of Degrees Public Health Majors Are Earning

Those studying Public Health have the option of earning 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

Programs in Public Health emphasize 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 built by 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

Innate 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 Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet 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
• Nutrition Educator
• Clinical Instructor
• Professor
• Teacher
• College Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• College Professor
• Associate Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Radiology Teacher
• Neurological Surgery Teacher
• Dietary Aide Teacher

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?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Public Health graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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

Fully online options are documented 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	CIP Code
Health Care Professions	51
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences	51.05
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	51.08
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	51.09
Alternative and Complementary Medical Support Services	51.34
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems	51.33
Chiropractic	51.01
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	51.10
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	51.02
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	51.06
Dentistry	51.04
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services	51.31

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.