Do you want to save lives, shape policies, or prevent outbreaks? You can do that with a public health science degree!
The public health side of the major focuses on preventing illness and promoting wellness for entire communities or groups of people. When you add the health science emphasis, you’ll also get the education of a pre-med degree. Because it gives you such a strong foundation in both fields, you have a long list of options after graduation. This article breaks down each one so you can get the full picture of all the possibilities your degree gives you.
Research & Data-Focused Roles
Some careers you can choose with the public health science degree uses numbers and science to understand health problems. You could:
- Study disease patterns, causes, and how to prevent them as an epidemiologist
- Use statistics to interpret health data, design studies, and support research as a biostatistician
- Analyze health trends and inform policy and disease prevention as a public health data analyst
These are all great careers, but if research isn’t your thing, public health also includes people-centered roles that work directly with communities.
Community & Education Roles
Many graduates with public health science find careers that involve educating and serving communities. In this sector, you might:
- Help people adopt healthy habits and access resources as a community health worker
- Plan programs that teach communities about disease prevention, diet, and wellness as a health educator
- Create campaigns that help people and populations make healthier decisions as a public health communication specialist
Beyond education and outreach, public health also shapes the regulations and systems that affect public health.
Policy, Planning, & Administration
If you like more of the behind-the-scenes work, you can find positions that develop regulations and systems that protect the public. With this path, you can:
- Write and evaluate health policies for governments or nonprofits as a health policy analyst
- Help communities prepare for outbreaks, natural diseases, or other crises in emergency and disaster management
While policies and regulations are important, it’s not for everyone. Your interest in environmental factors and public safety can guide you to another career path on a more global scale.
Environmental & Global Health Work
Public health isn’t just about the people in your neighborhood. It’s also about the environment and global systems that influence health around the world. With this field, you might:
- Study how the environment and workplaces affect health and create solutions for safer environments as an environmental health specialist
- Work with international groups to improve health outcomes around the world as a global health specialist
If you’re thinking about taking your public health science degree even further, you can use your coursework and experiences to prepare for medical or health professional school.
Apply to Medical or Professional School
With a public health science degree, you have a strong foundation for applying to medical and other health professional schools. You can learn more about it here. [LINK TO Can a Public Health Science Degree Lead to Medical School? ARTICLE]. If you want to pursue this route, you could:
- Diagnose illnesses, treat patients, and lead healthcare teams as a physician or surgeon
- Prepare and manage medications and advise patients on safe use as a pharmacist
- Help patients move better and recover from physical injuries as a physical therapist
There’s a lot more careers than that, so talk to your advisor about what kind of medical profession is right for you!
What Path Will You Take?
A public health science degree opens doors to improving population well-being, whether you work in research, community outreach, policy, planning, environment, global health, or go to medical school. You could work directly with communities, help shape health policies, pursue health professions, and so much more. Public health prepares you to make a meaningful impact in these positions and help populations and individuals live better.
If you want to get started on your path, check out the public health science degree page. [LINK TO Public Health: Health Science DEGREE PAGE]
Citation
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Epidemiologists
O*NET OnLine — Biostatisticians
Augusta University — What Does a Public Health Data Analyst Do?
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Community Health Workers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Health Education Specialists
CDC — A Day in the Life of a Health Communication Specialist
Ohio University — Health Policy Analyst
American Public University — Emergency and Disaster Management Careers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Environmental Scientists and Specialists
Masters in Public Health — Global Health Specialist
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Physicians and Surgeons
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Pharmacists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Physical Therapists