Overview
For more information on careers in this field, click on the appropriate profession(s) in the Career Explorer section of this site. Public health is the science and art of creating healthy communities through education, research, and promotion of healthy lifestyles. In public health, the focus is on health promotion and disease/injury prevention; this is in contrast to the medical model of care,which focuses more heavily upon diagnosing and treating illnesses and conditions after they occur.
Because of their "big picture" perspective, public health experts play a key role in emergency preparedness and response.* This may be why public health has become such a growing field in recent years.
To pursue a career in public health, you must hold at least a master's degree from an accredited school of public health. There are seven different types of advanced degrees in this field:
- Master of Public Health (MPH)
- Master of Health Administration (MHA)
- Master of Science (MS)
- Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
- Doctor of Science (ScD)
Regardless of which advanced degree you pursue, you must concentrate your studies in one of these tracks:
Alternatively, your degree may be in one of several other core public health areas:
For more information on pursuing a career in public health, visit the Association of Schools of Public Health, What is Public Health, the American Public Health Association and Public Health Works!
NOTE: The Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) is the centralized online service for all students applying to an accredited school of public health.
* Note: to help people understand just how important public health is in terms of emergency response, the University of Minnesota recently created an interactive online game called "Outbreak at Watersedge."
Also of interest: Context is a peer-reviewed electronic journal for health professions students who are working to improve the health of communities.
For more information about current issues related to public health, check out the American Journal of Public Health.
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