Find Bachelor’s in Public Health Degree Jobs
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- Public Health Administrators
- Health Educators
- Health and Safety Engineers
- Community Nutritionists
- Public Health Nurses
When choosing what kind of an undergraduate degree to pursue, there are a lot of options. A good choice is a bachelor’s degree in public health. Public health is a field that continues to need honorable and dedicated workers. There are a lot of great options for careers within the field of public health. After earning a bachelor’s degree in public health, the graduate has a few choices. They can either go on to pursue an advanced degree in the field or choose to enter the field. Either of these could be a good choice of public health careers. However, there are many lucrative and exciting job options for those who have earned only a BS in public health. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in public health jobs include a broad range of occupational choices. What makes these career options even more appealing is that they offer comfortable salaries. Not only that, but they also offer a great amount of self-satisfaction. Each of these public health careers includes the opportunity to help people on a daily basis and in a very direct way. When people are able to maintain good physical and mental health, it positively affects so many other areas of their lives. Whether graduates are interested in administration positions, educational careers, nursing, or nutritional counseling, there is sure to be a career that will match their interests and fulfill their goals. Let’s take a look at some of the best options out there for public health jobs for those who hold a bachelor’s degree.
1. Public Health Administrators
Graduates looking for a bachelor’s degree in public health job who would like to work in administration may want to consider a career as a public health administrator. This is an especially good option for those who enjoy positions of leadership and who excel in communication. The main goal of a public health administrator is to promote community-wide health and disease prevention. It is the job of a public health administrator to spread relevant health information to the community. To achieve this goal, they are responsible for many essential tasks. These tasks include leading community outreach programs and educating the public about health issues and disease prevention. They also include locating funds, maintaining budgets, and assessing current community health issues. On a day to day basis, public health administrators may need to assess specific local and community health issues. After assessing the needs, they will develop community programs that address these issues. Public health administrators are usually employed by government agencies. These government agencies could be on the local, state, or federal level. Public health administrators can also be employed by education institutions, non-profit agencies, hospitals, or insurance companies. There is a lot of room for upward mobility in the field, as the job opportunities for public health administrators are widespread. It is a great job option for someone who has earned a bachelor’s degree in public health and wants to further their career in a rewarding and exciting way.
2. Health Educators![]()
One of the most popular career choices for a graduate with a Bachelor’s in Public Health is in the area of health education. The main goal of a health education specialist is to inform those they work with about the various behaviors that can promote healthy living. Health educators can be employed in a variety of settings. Government agencies, hospitals, community health departments, non-profit agencies and various schools use trained health educators to partake in many important tasks. These tasks will likely include designing and distributing health education materials and developing and implementing health education programs. They may also include creating effective public health campaigns. These campaigns can be created by using various types of media. A health educator must also be able to accurately evaluate the health programs that are already in place to ensure that they are meeting the health education needs of a particular community. Health educators also have the unique opportunity to use specific knowledge or even an area of specialization in their jobs. Health educators can sometimes specialize in a specific health issue or a particular disease or environmental health concern. They can even specialize in an specific setting for health education. A health educator is responsible for helping to build normal health habits and trends in whatever setting they find themselves. The job outlook for health educators is much higher than the projected growth rate for other occupations. This makes it a very good bachelor’s degree in public health job option.
3. Health and Safety Engineers![]()
Another great career choice for someone who has graduated with a public health bachelor’s degree is that of a health and safety engineer. This job choice combines a knowledge of health with a knowledge of engineering. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the foremost responsibility of a health and safety engineer is to design and develop new procedures and systems that will promote a healthy work environment. Health and safety engineers make it their main concern to protect people from illness and injury. They also are responsible for protecting property from damage. Another common duty of a health and safety engineer is ensuring that new machinery and equipment meet safety requirements. They are also responsible for identifying and correcting potential work hazards. They are also responsible for reviewing employee safety procedures. Health and safety engineers are trained to identify potential problems, as well as to install safety devices on machinery. Some examples of specific types of health and safety engineers are fire prevention and protection engineers, product safety engineers, and systems safety engineers. Health and safety engineers make a good salary. This makes the job one of the higher paying job options for someone with a bachelor’s degree in public health. Although it is possible to pursue a a health and safety engineer with just a bachelor’s degree in public health, some related work experience may be helpful, as well.
4. Community Nutritionists
A public health bachelor’s degree will also qualify graduates for positions as community nutritionists. This type of community health worker can be found working in such places as public health departments, nutritional program offices, as well as in public and private schools. A community nutritionist could also work at a place such as a fitness center, a nursing home facility, or a corporate wellness program. Community nutritionists are often trained to work with a particular demographic or group of people. With this specific training, they can learn what particular challenges a people group faces. They can then work to establish programs to target these specific issues. Their knowledge of basic nutrition needs to be paired with an understanding of more localized nutritional issues and challenges that their clients may face. Community health workers’ main duties include counseling clients about proper nutrition and distributing nutritional materials to the public. They are also responsible for ensuring lunch menus are healthy and meet state nutritional guidelines, and helping clients locate food assistance programs. A community nutritionist is a great option for a graduate with a BS in public health who has a desire to make a meaningful impact on the health and well being of the people around them.
5. Public Health Nurses![]()
Public health nurses are nurses who provide healthcare to individuals who are not able to afford to get services through private practices. Because of this, public health nurses will often work with what is considered to be an at-risk part of any given population. The main job of a public health nurse is to prevent illness and injury. These nurses will also work to promote health outcomes and wellness, and help people to know how to maintain their health. Public health nurses will need to be able to evaluate the health of a particular patient, and then to create a treatment plan based on their findings. As well as delivering care, public health nurses will also have the very important responsibility to educate those they work with. This education should be based around relevant areas of health prevention and maintenance. Students who would like to work as public health nurses will need at least a bachelor’s degree in public health. While the most common places of employment for public health nurses are county health departments, some are also employed by various government offices. An example of this would be a job working for the Woman, Infants, and Children program (WIC). This government program can be found in every state. In some cases, public health nurses may also provide services by visiting the homes of their clients.
Related Resource: Top 10 Doctor of Public Health Degree Programs
BS IN PUBLIC HEALTH JOBS
A career in public health is ideal for a person who wants to make a difference in his community. Although these five jobs differ from each other in some ways, they are also very much the same in many areas. All these positions include using general health knowledge to educate, treat, and maintain the health of those around them. There are some essential qualities for someone who may be seeking a public health bachelor’s degree job. These qualities include good assessment skills, excellent communication, and leadership and planning skills. There are many terrific careers available for students who have earned a Bachelor’s in Public Health degree. These five careers discussed above are quite popular today. Each of them offers a slightly different job option for a graduate with a BS in public health. Hopefully each of the job descriptions will help to sort out the differences and similarities so that someone wanting to enter the public health field can find exactly what it is that they are looking for.
MPH Staff, Updated October 2022