Public Health

Students who major in public health will attempt to improve the health of large and small populations by protecting them from disease and other harmful elements. They possess genuine concern for the well-being of others. When pursuing their bachelor’s degree, they learn about the relationships between society, science and health. They focus on health policies of the past and how they were implemented. Students follow a mostly science-based curriculum that includes classes in biology, biostatistics, environmental science, microbiology, nutrition, epidemiology and international health – to name a few.

After the global health scares of recent years, there has been an increasing demand for professionals who will work to prevent global epidemics or other problems that may arise. The world’s population is growing at a fast pace, and it’s becoming more challenging to provide clean water, food and maintain sanitary conditions. Graduates work in fields like public health administration, environmental health, and senior health care. They may become health program managers, community health workers or researchers. If students seek high pay, a couple of positions offer nice yearly salaries. Environmental health safety managers earn an average median salary of $76,471, according to PayScale. Industrial hygienists make an average median salary of $67,650. Of course, salaries rise as experience is gained.