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General Public Health

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. Examples: [Public Health, General (MPH)], [Public Health, General (DPH)]

Types of Degrees General Public Health Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Public Health can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Associate’s Degree	547
Bachelor’s Degree	10,583
Master’s Degree	13,049
Doctor’s Degree	797

What General Public Health Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Public Health emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Public Health graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Public Health emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a General Public Health program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Public Health careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Public Health graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Public Health professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Public Health graduates include:

• Clinical Instructor
• Nutrition Educator
• Instructor
• Therapy Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Hospital Aides and Assistants Teacher
• Clinical Assistant Professor
• Neurosurgery Professor
• Correctional Therapy Teacher
• Podiatry Teacher
• Neurology Teacher
• Hearing Therapy Teacher
• Optometry Teacher
• Dental Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Neurological Surgery Teacher

What Can You Do With a General Public Health Degree?

Graduates with a degree in General Public Health commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Public Health graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	27.8%
Bachelor’s degree	25.6%
Doctoral degree	14.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	12.8%
Post-doctoral training	12.1%
Postsecondary certificate	3.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.9%
Some college courses	1.0%
First professional degree	0.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Public Health?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 79.3% of General Public Health degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	19,819	79.3%
Men	5,185	20.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Public Health graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	9,283	37.1%
Asian	3,263	13.0%
Hispanic or Latino	4,320	17.3%
Black or African American	4,167	16.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	176	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	71	0.3%
Two or More Races	1,005	4.0%
Race Unknown	1,390	5.6%
International Students	1,329	5.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Public Health Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Public Health graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$50,939
4 years	$60,432
5 years	$70,561

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $70,561 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Public Health Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General Public Health. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	10	1
Bachelor’s	45	30
Master’s	115	75
Doctoral (Research)	5	5

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Public Health Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Public Health graduates earn a median of $60,432 four years after completion — roughly 59% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Health	41,086
Health and Wellness, General	5,611
Public Health Education and Promotion	3,785
Public Health, Other	2,803
Health Services Administration	2,629
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	2,571
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	2,298
Environmental Health	1,269
Behavioral Aspects of Health	623
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene	313
Health/Medical Physics	288
Maternal and Child Health	180

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.