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Guide to College Majors in Public Health

What is Public Health?

Those who choose to obtain a college degree in Public Health will find that such degrees offer many exciting and vital opportunities for personal growth and professional development in this vast and necessary field.

Professionals working in the field of Public Health evaluate and regulate the health needs of the public population in a general or specific geographic area. They deal with a complex set of problems having to do with health care systems and the availability of health care services. Public health professionals are also involved with the promotion of healthy behaviors and habits on an individual, family, professional, or community level.

Degree programs in Public Health are designed to provide enrolled students with a solid background of general knowledge about the ways in which health problems affect public populations. Students enrolled in a Public Health degree program will also learn about the complex politics that are integral to generating Public health policies.

In the past few years, the availability of online and distance learning programs in the field of Public Health has seen significant growth. The expansion of the industry of online and distance learning degree programs in the field has made it possible for students in all situations to obtain a college degree in Public Health while continuing to maintain their lives at work and at home.

Students who pursue a college degree in Public Health will find that professionals working in the Public Health field are constantly striving to uphold and fulfill the mission of the World Health Organization (WHO). This mission can be found in the World Health Organization's definition of health. It states, "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmary." This statement by the World Health Organization is at the heart of all professional careers in Public Health and is central to the coursework in any Public Health degree program.

Many online and distance learning degree programs in Public Health offer degrees at both bachelor and graduate levels. It is necessary to have a Master's degree in Public Health in order to obtain many higher-level jobs in the Public Health field. In some cases, though, students may find that a bachelor's degree in Public Health is sufficient for them to reach their career goals.

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Career Education in Public Health

Undergraduate and Graduate degree and certificate programs

Dealing with topics relating to both science and politics, an academic program in Public Health covers issues about the relationship between health problems and different populations. A Public Health degree program also examines the methods of designing and implementing health policy programs created to protect the public's best interests regarding issues pertaining to health.

Students who enroll in an online or distance learning degree program in Public Health may choose to study mental health and mental health policies, communicable diseases and how to handle policies regarding communicable diseases, or nutrition and how to implement nutrition programs in various communities. Some Public Health degree programs may separate the Public Health major into categories such as biostatistics, nutrition, and public health administration.

Each degree program in Public Health is different from the next. The degree programs tend to vary according to areas of academic concentration and according to areas of focus in career training. Some of the most common areas of academic emphasis in Public Health degree programs are health education, epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, child health, preventing diseases, and international health.

In addition to regular classroom coursework, students enrolled in an online or distance learning degree program in Public Health should expect to engage in lab study and field research in many different public healthcare capacities. Almost all degree programs in Public Health will require graduating students to prove their proficiency in a professional environment by passing both written and field tests. Most programs will cover topics pertaining to program management and public policy.

Bachelor's degree in Public Health
While many online colleges and universities offer degrees in Public Health only at the graduate level, some also offer undergraduate degrees. Students who wish to pursue an undergraduate level degree in Public Health may find it useful to have an educational background in biology, chemistry, and advanced level mathematics. It may be particularly beneficial for students to have some education in a second language. A background in Spanish may be the most appropriate. Some degree programs may actually require that applicants have completed coursework in these areas.

Undergraduate level coursework in Public Health
Most undergraduate level online and distance learning degree programs will require enrolled students to complete classes in the following areas:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Microbiology
• Psychology
• Statistics
• Public Health
• United States Health Care Systems
• Health Administration
• Health and Public Policy
• Epidemiology
• Principles of Statistical Inference
• Social Sciences
• Behavioral Sciences

Master's degree in Public Health
Most graduate level online and distance learning degree programs in Public Health do not require prospective students to have an undergraduate level educational background in Public Health. Most graduate programs in Public Health, however, do require applicants to have completed undergraduate coursework in calculus, matrix algebra, linear algebra, statistics, social science, biostatistics, chemistry, biology, and physics.

Other graduate program application requirements may include:

• A Bachelor's degree in a related discipline from an accredited college or university
• GRE test scores
• TOEFL scores
• Official transcripts from all academic programs attended
• Letters of recommendation
• Application forms
• Application fee
• Statement of purpose

Graduate level coursework in Public Health
While particular required courses vary from program to program, most online or distance learning degree programs in Public Health have similar requirements regarding the courses that students must successfully complete in order to graduate. In addition to the required courses, students will most often have the option to take many different elective courses that will define the focus of their studies. These electives may fall within academic departments or disciplines outside of the Public Health program.

Some common coursework requirements are:

• Environmental Health and Health Practice
• Principles of Biostatistics
• Health Services Administration
• Environmental Health
• Health Promotion
• Disease Prevention
• Philosophy of Public Health
• Social Foundations of Public Health
• Behavioral Foundations of Public Health
• Principles of Epidemiology
• Applied Statistics for Health Sciences
• Health Care Management
• Public Health Fieldwork

Graduate degrees in Public Health
There are many degrees available in the academic field of Public Health. Most students enrolled in a graduate level degree program will earn a Master's degree of Public Health (M.P.H.) or a Doctorate of Public Health (D.P.H.). Some students may wish to pursue a joint degree with a School of Public Policy. Some such joint degrees are a M.D./M.P.H., or a M.P.H./J.D., or a M.P.P./M.P.H. A possible joint degree with a School of Social Work is a M.P.H./M.S.W. Depending on the program in which a student enrolls, a combined M.P.H./N.P. (Nurse Practitioner) degree may also be available. A C.H.E.S. degree program makes a student eligible to be a Certified Health Education Specialist.

What to consider

When thinking about enrolling in an online or distance learning degree program in Public Health at any level, it is important to spend some time evaluating the various programs that are available. Because each college or university offers a unique program with different areas of academic focus in the field of Public Health, prospective students should know their own interests, academic goals, and career goals, in order to choose a degree program that is right for them.

The following is a list of questions that prospective students should ask themselves when researching online or distance learning degree programs in Public Health. This list of questions is simply a guide. Most students will come up with many even more specific questions to consider.

• What is the focus of the degree program?
• What different kinds of health issues does the degree program cover?
• What electives are offered?
• How many electives may I take?
• What research opportunities may students take advantage of?
• What kind of research is conducted by the faculty?
• What kinds of opportunities are there for community involvement through the degree program?
• Is an internship required in order to successfully complete the degree program?
• How much involvement do students have in the Public Health field?
• Does any required fieldwork take place in a wide range of Health Services facilities?
• What kinds of careers in Public health might I be interested in pursuing after my graduation?
• Will the degree program provide me with the education, training, support, and experience that I need to successfully pursue my Public health career goals?

The following is a list of colleges and universities offering online and distance learning degree programs in Public Health. Students interested in enrolling in a Public Health degree program should be familiar with the unique aspects of each program. A greater familiarity with the particulars of each degree program will help students to choose the Public Health degree program that will most effectively help them to reach their educational and professional goals in the field of Public Health.

Universities offering online public health degree programs:

Walden University - Online degrees in Public Health
A.T. Still University - Online Master of Public Health

What can you do with a College Degree in Public Health?

What do public health professionals do?

Professionals who work in the field of Public Health have a wide range of responsibilities. Public Health professionals are considered to be the watchdogs of the health status and behaviors of the population of a large or small geographic area. They might focus their careers on health issues such as spreadable disease or environmental hazards that affect the workplace or the community as a whole. They might devote their careers to the work of promoting healthy behaviors of the individual or family. They might choose to work within the politics of the health care system, evaluating the public's health needs and working to design and implement health care programs that will address those needs.

Some graduates of an online or distance learning degree program in Public Health choose to pursue a career in the field of Public health at an administrative or management level. These graduates may work in such institutions or health organizations as hospital supply organizations, HMO offices, healthcare-related agencies of the government, or pharmaceutical companies. Some may work at a community level as an infection control practitioner at a community medical center, as a director of public nursing, as a city health planner, or as an epidemiologist serving the community or county. There are many additional options for a Public Health program graduate who chooses to pursue a career in management or administration.

Other graduates of Public Health degree programs may choose to pursue careers as Public health educators. Public health educators may work within many different health-related organizations, such as state legislative committees devoted to issues regarding public health, consumer advocacy organizations, hospitals, and nonprofit organizations devoted to the promotion of accessible health programs and health education programs. The job of a Public health educator is to design and implement effective health education programs and strategies in particular populations of the community.

Some graduates of Public Health degree programs may choose to focus their careers on applied research. A Public Health researcher's job is to examine specific health issues affecting the public and particular communities, and to compile information and theories that will help to create effective strategies for dealing with the health issues. Some research topics may include the chemical and environmental effects of toxic waste, the psychological reactions to disease, the design of drug therapies, assessing behavioral changes and the prevention of disease, cancer epidemiology, and alternative care. There is a vast number and a wide range of topics that are examined by Public Health researchers.

Graduates of Public Health degree programs will find that the options for careers in the field are numerous. The career a graduate might successfully pursue will be directly related to the focus of his or her studies while enrolled in the degree program he or she chooses.

• Public Health Administrator
  Many graduates of online or distance learning degree programs in Public Health choose to pursue a career as a Public Health Administrator. Public Health Administrators may choose to work in a public office or they may choose to work in the private sector, helping individuals with their health issues. They may choose to work in hospitals or in people's homes, or in varying capacities of the community of which they are a part.
  
  Public Health Administrators must be confident and competent in their jobs. They must have strong skills related to monitoring an office environment. They must be able to advise and educate the community or the population of the work environment about preventative health care techniques. Community members must be able to trust a Public Health Administrator, coming to him or her for effective advice about issues relating to individual, family, or community health.
  
  As the political climate in regards to state and national health care services changes, so does the job of a Public Health Administrator. Graduates of degree programs in Public Health who choose to develop a career as a Public Health Administrator must be willing to establish a career in a changing environment. To do so, the Public Health Administrator must possess professional flexibility, patience, and creativity.

According to The Princeton Review, there are 33,000 people working as Public Health Administrators in the United States. Public Health Administrators work an average of 40 hours per week. The average starting annual salary for a Public Health Administrator is $18,000. The average annual salary after five years of working in the profession is $30,000. The average annual salary after ten to fifteen years of working in the profession is $41,000.

• Nutritionist
  Some graduates of an online or distance learning degree program in Public Health choose to pursue a career as a Nutritionist. A student who may wish to become a Nutritionist should consider focusing his or her undergraduate studies in the areas of dietetics, food services management, nutrition and food, or a related subject area. Students who pursue coursework related to nutrition will most likely be required to complete courses in biology, mathematics, psychology, sociology, statistics, and others.
  
  As American culture increasingly embraces fitness and the popularity of healthy living and eating, Nutritionists can feel secure that there will be a growing number of careers opportunities in this specialized area of Public Health.
  
  The job of a Nutritionist is to maintain a professional focus on using a healthy diet to prevent the development of disease and illness, such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Nutritionists must be able to assess health problems in the community and to effectively create dietary strategies to address and alleviate these problems. Nutritionists must engage in research to discover the most effective means of promoting health through diet in communities, schools, prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, and in other environments.
  
  Nutritionists usually work in a clinical capacity, a community capacity, or an administrative capacity.
  
  Clinical Nutritionists work in institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, daycare centers, and prisons, developing and implementing dietary programs for the residents.
  
  Community Nutritionists work in health clinics, clubs, and HMOs. They work to advise individuals, families, or groups about correct nutrition, even developing and recommending diet plans and menus.
  
  Administrative Nutritionists work in schools and other institutions that require large-scale nutrition and dietary planning. They research, develop, and implement dietary strategies for groups, using their specific knowledge about the dietary needs of specific populations. The job of an Administrative Nutritionist requires a lot of physical labor as well as the completion of records and evaluative paperwork.

According to The Princeton Review, there are 56,000 people working as Nutritionists in the United States. The average workweek for a Nutritionist is 40 hours. The average starting annual salary for a Nutritionist is $35,700. The average annual salary after five years of working in the field is $40,400. The average annual salary after ten to fifteen years of working in the field is $45,200.

Certification and Licensure

There are no state or national licensing or certification requirements for careers in the field of Public Health.

For more information about the field of Public Health, degrees in Public Health, and careers in Public Health, take a look at the material provided by one or more of the following organizations.

• The National Health Council
• The World Health Organization (WHO)
• The American Public Health Association
• The Society for Public Health Education
• *The United States Department of Health and Human Services
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• The Indian Health Service (IHS)
• The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• The Agency for healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

*The United States Department of Health and Human Services was formerly called The Department of Health, Education and Welfare, prior to 1980. The Department is credited with licensing the polio vaccine in 1955, the development and implementation of the International Smallpox Eradication program in 1966, which met success in 1977, and the development of the Vaccines for Children Program in 1993.

Explore Related Degree Programs

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