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General Public Health

Types of Degrees General Public Health Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Associate’s Degree	547
Bachelor’s Degree	10,583
Master’s Degree	13,049
Doctor’s Degree	797

What General Public Health Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Public Health emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a General Public Health program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Public Health careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Public Health professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Public Health graduates include:

• Nutrition Educator
• Clinical Instructor
• Instructor
• Pediatrics Teacher
• First Aid Teacher
• Dentistry Teacher
• Medical Aides Teacher
• Medical Pathology Teacher
• Professor
• Recreation Therapy Aides Teacher
• Teacher
• Public Health Teacher
• Gastroenterology Professor
• Dietetics Teacher
• University Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	27.8%
Bachelor’s degree	25.6%
Doctoral degree	14.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	12.8%
Post-doctoral training	12.1%
Postsecondary certificate	3.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.9%
Some college courses	1.0%
First professional degree	0.7%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Public Health?

Gender Distribution

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

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	19,819	79.3%
Men	5,185	20.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	9,283	37.1%
Asian	3,263	13.0%
Hispanic or Latino	4,320	17.3%
Black or African American	4,167	16.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	176	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	71	0.3%
Two or More Races	1,005	4.0%
Race Unknown	1,390	5.6%
International Students	1,329	5.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Public Health Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Public Health graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 General Public Health Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General 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	10	1
Bachelor’s	45	30
Master’s	115	75
Doctoral (Research)	5	5

^{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 General Public Health Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General 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
Public Health	51.22
Behavioral Aspects of Health	51.2212
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	51.2208
Environmental Health	51.2202
Health Services Administration	51.2211
Health/Medical Physics	51.2205
International Public Health/International Health	51.2210
Maternal and Child Health	51.2209
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene	51.2206
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality	51.2213
Public Health Education and Promotion	51.2207
Public Health Genetics	51.2214

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.