Today’s Master’s in Public Health, or MPH, is a growing degree pursuit for many college students, but is it really a good choice? While this is certainly a matter of opinion, we will provide you here with the facts on this degree as well as a rundown of some of the doors it opens so that you can come to an informed conclusion. Here’s the scoop on the MPH right now.
What the MPH Provides
The Master’s in Public Health, as its name suggests, provides mastery over the world of public health know-how. What factors affect public health? How does the state of public health affect other areas of functional society? How is public health affected when different communities interact or when governments get involved? These are the areas of knowledge the graduate of this degree will come to know well.
As to coursework, students along this degree path will encounter a rigorous path designed to instill the deepest know-how of this area into everyone in attendance. The following represent some of the actual courses in the typical MPH degree program.
- Epidemiology
- Epidemiology is the study of diseases and their transmission and even prevention. This course teaches students the core understandings of disease in society.
- Healthcare Policy
- Healthcare Policy teaches students all about how government policy and law-making affect health and healthcare methods in said communities.
- Biostatistics
- Biostatistics is a branch of statistics that specifically looks to quantify figures and facts on living organisms. Students here will learn of the established data as well as how that data is actually generated.
- Culture and Global Health
- In this course, students explore the implications of culture on the health of communities as well as the entire planet as a singular community.
- Environmental Health
- The health and status of the world’s environments, natural and man-made, have a great effect on everyone living within or near to them. This course dives into these implications and provides some solutions for many of the predicaments faced by living things here.
Resulting Career Opportunities, Salary Potentials
So, what types of actual careers can one gain entry to with the MPH degree? Because of the broad range of subjects covered in this degree, graduates of the program have the potential to work in a very wide range of positions. Government and civic roles, planning and design, research, many areas of the medical industry – these are some of the many directions one can take upon graduation. For a better look, here are just a handful of the careers made possible with the MPH as well as their approximate, annual salary figures, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Environmental Scientist – $71,130
- Health and Safety Engineer – $89,130
- Biostatistician – $88,190
- Healthcare Administrator – $99,730
- Urban/Regional Planner – $73,050
Current Demand Levels
Finally, a look to the demand found in this area of working knowledge is a great way with which to draw further conclusions about the field and the MPH degree. We can begin to gauge just how in-demand workers of this knowledge area really are by simply looking to some of the roles filled by them. In the above-mentioned roles, for example, demand is quite healthy.
Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics urban and regional planners are experiencing a strong, 13 percent growth in demand and healthcare administrators are seeing an excellent, 20 percent increase in demand. Likewise, biostatisticians, environmental scientists, and health and safety engineers are also experiencing very healthy expansions in demand across the board.
Related Resource: 10 Most Affordable MPH Degrees Online
While the determination as to the value of an MPH degree is ultimately yours, there is certainly plenty of great information with which to base that decision on. Those with this degree are shown to gain entry to some great jobs and associated salaries as well as experience some great demand in the greater job market. Armed with this knowledge, will you pursue a master’s in public health today?