A master of public health, or MPH, focuses on the science of creating good health in the local community through education, research and promoting good health. As a public health professional, you will stress preventing illnesses and diseases from occurring in the first place through healthy practices. This is opposite from the medical model, which is to diagnose and treat illness and disease. Public health professionals play a critical role in preparing for emergencies and responding to them. With an MPH, you can focus your career in these areas: health education, biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, and health services administration.
Master of Public Health Salary
There are a wide variety of jobs available with an MPH, but these are the median salaries that you can expect in the field. Note that the top 10% can earn much more than this, and the bottom 10% much less:
- Epidemiologists: $61,300
- Health educators: $44,000
- Medical and health service managers: $80,000
- Behavioral health scientists: $68,000
- Biostatistician: $75,000
Master of Public Health Jobs and Careers
The public health field provides professionals with a great many opportunities to boost the health of the community, and the opportunities in the field are growing as there is more recognition on the importance of preventing illness and disease, rather than just treating them.
YouTube Feature
Why Public Health? Allison Martin
Some of the areas where you can focus your MPH career include:
- Health administration and community health
- Health education
- Health policy
- Environmental health
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
Master of Public Health Requirements
To obtain your master’s in public health, you will need to have a 3.0 GPA from undergraduate work, and probably at least a year of work in the health field. Depending on which area of MPH you want to focus on, you will need to have had specific coursework completed. For example, if you are interested in epidemiology, you will need to have had calculus. If you are interested in biostatistics, you will need to have had 1.5 years of calculus, and semester of computer programming. During your MPH program, you will take classes in biostatistics, public health administration, epidemiology, environmental health, data management, and much more. See more about requirements for Masters in Public health.
Master of Public Health Scholarships
While it is true that more scholarships are available to undergraduate students, you still can qualify for substantial financial aid for your master of public health. Schools and programs that offer scholarship assistance include:
- Oregon Health and Science University
- Columbia University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- University of Pittsburgh
Read more about the Most Common Public Health Scholarships.
