What Can I Accomplish with a Master’s Degree in Public Health?

The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is quite possibly one of the most multifaceted graduate degrees one can earn during their educational career. Rather than asking what can be accomplished with the degree, perhaps a more appropriate question is – what can you not do? With a myriad of opportunities, it is easy to get lost in the many benefits an MPH degree can provide for you.

MPH degrees are often available in one of two forms:

A General MPH-Ideal for those who do not work in a highly specialized field like public health education, healthcare administration, and emergency response coordination.

An MPH with a specialization and/or concentration– Best for those who do work in a highly specialized field like epidemiology, biostatistics, and industrial hygiene. Which type of MPH you decide to go with generally depends on your career goals.

In regards to goals, it is ideal to note…..

The Field of Public Health is Diverse

Public health is a term covering a wide range of career opportunities. A good working definition of a job in public health is any career involving the overall improvement the general health of those living in your centralized community. There are well over 100 job titles fitting this definition.

Public health professionals often work directly with individuals. A prime example would be a public health nurse who aids in confirming that prospective patients who don’t have adequate medical insurance are able to get the medical attention they both need and deserve. Another useful example would be a dietitian who works with individuals to coordinate healthy, nutritious meals fitting their dietary specifications.

An additional task of Public Health professionals is assistance in the prevention of the spread of disease. Epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and other medical researchers study how diseases are transmitted and then formulate plans to prevent diseases from spreading. The work industrial hygienists do is similar. Rather than preventing the spread of disease, however, they work in factories and other industrial settings to identify ways to prevent on-the-job injuries.

A popular path some public health professionals take is the transition to healthcare management after spending a number of years working in a public health career of a specific nature. Healthcare administrators oversee hospitals, clinics, medical laboratories, and other healthcare facilities and enjoy higher salaries which often approach the six-figure mark.

Becoming a Public Health Professional

The path to beginning a career as a public health professional starts with obtaining a bachelor’s degree. There are some exceptions to this, such as a public health nurse, which is typically a registered nurse working in a public health facility. It’s possible to become a registered nurse with an associate’s degree in nursing and later by passing a state licensing exam.

To hasten the move up the career ladder in the field of public health, however, individuals should strongly consider earning an MPH. Thankfully, options have opened for acquiring an MPH, as individuals no longer have to quit their jobs or put their life on hold, to return to school full-time to earn the credential. It’s completely possible to earn an MPH entirely online, additionally there are many great schools that offer these flexible programs. This allows you to continue working full-time in your public health career while simultaneously advancing your education and earnings potential.

A Lucrative and Personally Rewarding Career

As a public health professional, you won’t have to work for starvation wages. In fact, you can easily obtain a salary many individuals working in other professions will envy. Most public health careers have starting salaries in the $40k – $50k range, which can only increase based on experience, education, and other factors.

The optimal way to achieve higher salary brackets as a public health professional is to earn an MPH. Being able to list an MPH on your resume is a fantastic way to stand out from your peers to either land a job or earn a promotion.

A career in public health is one that is personally rewarding, interesting, and potentially lucrative. It is a career where you can get started with a bachelor’s degree and work your way up the career ladder with an MPH. To answer the question of what can you do with an MPH – you can use the credential to stand out from your peers and take your career to new heights. The sky, as they say, is truly the limit.