Public Health major
Public Health: courses, careers, and where to study
Public Health studies how to prevent disease and protect population health, suiting students who want to improve community well-being through data, policy, and programs rather than treating patients.
A Public Health major covers epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy and management, and the social and behavioral determinants of health. Coursework pairs foundational sciences (biology, anatomy, microbiology) with population-level methods, study design, survey research, data analysis, program planning, and evaluation. Most undergraduate programs award a BS or BA in Public Health and include a practicum or internship with a health department, hospital, nonprofit, or community organization.
Graduates work in disease surveillance, health education, program coordination, community outreach, and policy analysis across local and state health departments, hospitals, nonprofits, and global-health organizations. Many roles, including epidemiology and other analytical positions, expect a Master of Public Health (MPH); the bachelor's is a common stepping stone into that graduate path.
Public Health is also a growing field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of epidemiologists will grow about 16.2% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Public Health maps to CIP 51.2201, Public Health, General, within the HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS family. The official definition:
A program that generally prepares individuals to plan, manage, and evaluate public health care services; to function as public health professionals in public agencies, the private sector, and other settings; and to provide leadership in the field of public health. Includes instruction in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health principles, preventive medicine, health policy and regulations, health care services and related administrative functions, public health law enforcement, health economics and budgeting, public communications, and professional standards and ethics.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Public Health is awarded as
Of the 24,841 Public Health credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate<1%195
- Associate2%538
- Bachelor's42%10,527
- Graduate55%13,581
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 45 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 1 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Epidemiology: study design, disease surveillance, and outbreak investigation
- Biostatistics and analysis of population health data
- Environmental and occupational health (air, water, food safety, exposure)
- Health behavior and the social determinants of health
- Health policy, systems, and management
- Program planning, implementation, and evaluation
- Global and community health practice
- Practicum or internship with a health department, hospital, or nonprofit
Typical careers
- Epidemiologist
- Health Educator
- Public Health Analyst
- Community Health Worker
- Environmental Health Specialist
- Public Health Program Coordinator
Typical salary range: Varies by role; BLS reports a 2024 median of $83,980 for epidemiologistsRanges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Public Health, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $117,960 | 62,100 | +23.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $105,620 | 27,400 | +17.3% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Health Education Specialists | $63,000 | 7,900 | +4.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Community Health Workers | $51,030 | 7,800 | +11.3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 4 of these 4 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Public Health does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Public Health major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Public Health program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Public Health department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Public Health program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Public Health credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- University of the PeopleCA · 585
- University of California-BerkeleyCA · 516
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNC · 472
- Rutgers University-New BrunswickNJ · 468
- University of South FloridaFL · 429
- University of South Carolina-ColumbiaSC · 426
- University of Washington-Seattle CampusWA · 404
- Southern New Hampshire UniversityNH · 398
- Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY · 383
- California State University-FullertonCA · 375
- University of Alabama at BirminghamAL · 365
- Harvard UniversityMA · 356
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Public Health credentials were awarded
30 states have a distinct enough set of Public Health colleges to be worth its own page.
- California37
- New York36
- Texas28
- Pennsylvania21
- Massachusetts18
- Ohio17
- Florida16
- North Carolina14
- Georgia14
- Michigan13
- Virginia13
- Illinois13
- New Jersey12
- Arizona10
- Indiana10
- Alabama9
- Maryland9
- Tennessee9
- New Hampshire8
- Missouri8
- Minnesota8
- Connecticut8
- Iowa8
- Washington7
- Louisiana7
- Oklahoma6
- South Carolina5
- Oregon5
- Kentucky5
- Nebraska5
Related majors
Health Sciences
Health Sciences is a broad pre-professional major for students preparing for medical, dental, PA, PT, or pharmacy school, combining biology, chemistry, and patient-care exposure.
Healthcare Administration
Healthcare Administration prepares graduates to manage the business side of hospitals, clinics, and health systems, combining health-policy knowledge with management, finance, and operations.
Biology
Biology is the foundational pre-health major, covering molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecological levels of living systems.
Sociology
Sociology studies social institutions, group behavior, inequality, and culture, preparing graduates for research, policy, social services, and graduate school in law or social work.
Public Administration
Public Administration trains graduates for careers in government, nonprofits, and public-private partnerships, combining policy analysis with management practice.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Public Health degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Community & Social Service careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Public Health degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Public Health path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.