Many freshmen students start out college undeclared; they aren’t sure what they want to major in and hope to use their first year to find something they want to study. Unfortunately, many students take up to 2 years to decide on a major, and they may even switch majors several times up into their junior year. This wastes a lot of time and money, and can significantly delay graduation.
If you have no idea what you want to major in, one option you might consider is taking time off from college. If taking a break isn’t an option for you, doing your research and finding a major you can be passionate about should be your number one priority. The sooner you declare a major that you want to stick with, the more you can focus on taking the classes you need to graduate, allowing you to stay on track to graduate on time.
This public health feature is one in a continuing series of “Undeclared” posts. Other majors that have been explored include social work, healthcare administration, business management, cybersecurity, education, linguistics, data sciences, communications, and accounting.
A Degree in Public Health
Public health is a broad field, with many often struggling to define all that it entails. As stated by experts at Public Health Online, “At one level, public health involves medical care provided within a community and outside a hospital setting. In a different context, public health can have global repercussions and refer to efforts to prevent epidemics and improve the health of entire nations.” Thus, the scope of a public health degree is vast and career options range from general opportunities to niche specialties.
At an undergraduate level, you are likely to study public health in a more general sense. While some students choose to focus their undergraduate level classes around a particular area, a more concentrated approach is usually taken at the master’s level. That being said, it is possible to start a career in public health with just an undergraduate degree. Many students choose to work in public health-related fields directly upon graduation, in order to gain experience and discover their areas of preference prior to pursuing a master’s degree.
Because of the depth of this field, salaries in the public health sector can vary significantly depending on the specialty of your choice. Here are some of the possible career options for those who want to pursue public health:
At an undergraduate level, you are likely to study public health in a more general sense. While some students choose to focus their undergraduate level classes around a particular area, a more concentrated approach is usually taken at the master’s level. That being said, it is possible to start a career in public health with just an undergraduate degree. Many students choose to work in public health-related fields directly upon graduation, in order to gain experience and discover their areas of preference prior to pursuing a master’s degree.
Because of the depth of this field, salaries in the public health sector can vary significantly depending on the specialty of your choice. Here are some of the possible career options for those who want to pursue public health:
Health Educator
Health educators, quite simply, teach people how to lead healthy lives. As a health educator, you will need to assess an individual’s health, take their health goals into account, and provide advice on how the individual can meet these goals and reach a state of optimum health and wellness. Your job might include providing advice on everything from simple matters such as how to eat healthy, to more complex matters such as safe sex education. Health educators can work in a variety of settings — from hospitals and wellness centers to nonprofits and colleges.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows a positive job outlook for health educators. At 11%, this job outlook between 2018 and 2028 is much higher than average. Additionally, health educators can expect an average wage of $54,220 per year.
To become a successful health educator, you need to hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. A Master’s in Public Health, with a focus on health promotion or health education is especially useful in this sort of career. Apart from academic knowledge, health educators should hone a variety of soft skills. You need to be able to communicate well, both in written and oral formats. You also need to be sympathetic and compassionate — no doubt you will deal with individuals from different cultural and economic backgrounds in this sort of career.
Epidemiologist
An epidemiologist’s job revolves around exploring the causes of diseases in humans, monitoring their spread, and developing solutions based on these insights. Epidemiologists work to reduce the chance of negative health outcomes for individuals and populations. As an epidemiologist, your duties might include collecting and analyzing data from relevant blood and body samples, planning public health programs, finding solutions to current health issues, and overseeing the work of personnel. While this career requires a good grounding in science, you must also be equipped to lead and manage projects.
As stated by the BLS, epidemiologists, “work in offices and laboratories, usually at health departments for state and local governments, in hospitals, and at colleges and universities.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also a potential employer for epidemiologists. The median annual salary for this career, based on findings from May 2018 is $69,660.
Biostatistician
A biostatistician is a type of statistician whose expertise lies in the biomedical field. Public health professionals who choose to focus on biostatistics identify trends in various facets of healthcare with the use of mathematical models. As a biostatistician, you could have a primarily academic career comprised of undertaking clinical research and trials. You could also have more of an “office job”, where you would be in charge of setting up statistical parameters for private organizations like pharmaceutical companies.
Experts at Study.com state that a bachelor’s degree is usually enough to enter the field of biostatistics. However, to progress into more advanced work, you may need to invest in a relevant master’s degree. As of August 2019, the average wage for biostatisticians is $75,423 annually.
To succeed in this career is no easy task. Biostatisticians need to have a strong interest and an aptitude for mathematics and numbers. Additionally, the analytical ability to glean patterns from the available data, determine outliers, and identify possible causes and solutions in regards to statistical data is a must.
Health Policy Analyst
Veering away from the hard science path, a degree in public health also leads to opportunities in law, economics, and public policy. One such career is that of a health policy analyst. Health policy professionals should not only understand the many aspects of healthcare, but they also need to be well-versed with current economic and legal knowledge. To quote the Public Health Online resource, “After graduation, health policy workers may be responsible for crafting policies that ensure access to medical care and provide uniform services across various populations.”
As a health policy analyst, a large part of your job will entail of researching and analyzing current healthcare policies. You might also be required to suggest improvements specific to certain policies, communities, and even the global healthcare systems. Healthcare policy itself is a vast field, and while a general background is necessary for this profession, you might choose to tackle a very niche aspect of healthcare policy through your career. From examining gun violence as a matter of public health to researching the links between poverty and epidemic outbreaks in developing countries; a career as a health policy analyst is one that will definitely keep you engaged. Due to the changing nature of policy, requirements for this job include adaptability, the ability to think critically, and the capacity to quickly solve problems.
Today, the demand for those specializing in health policy and management is on the rise. Salaries for such a professional can vary depending on location, type of employer (government, non-profit, private), qualifications, and experience.
These are just a handful of careers you can consider in the public health sphere. Being such a diverse field, the possibilities in terms of public health careers are numerous. If you are passionate about making an impact and improving the everyday lives of large populations, then consider studying public health — you might find that it is your calling!
