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Maternal & Child Health

A program that focuses on the application of public health specializations, public policy studies, and the social and behavioral sciences to issues of health affecting women, children, and families; and prepares individuals to function as maternal and child health specialists. Includes instruction in research design and testing, program evaluation, public policy analysis, public finance, economics of health care, community health, family development and dynamics, women’s studies, social psychology, fetal and child development, biostatistics, health education and promotion, nutrition, neonatal development, psychology, and social services delivery.

Types of Degrees Maternal & Child Health Majors Are Earning

Those studying Maternal & Child Health can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	3
Master’s Degree	160
Doctor’s Degree	17

What Maternal & Child Health Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Maternal & Child Health emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Maternal & Child Health program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Maternal & Child Health careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Maternal & Child Health graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Maternal & Child Health professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Maternal & Child Health graduates include:

• Instructor
• Clinical Instructor
• Nutrition Educator
• Pathology Laboratory Aides Teacher
• Health Records Technology Teacher
• Public Health Teacher
• Medicine Teacher
• Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Hearing Therapy Teacher
• Recreation Therapy Aides Teacher
• Opticianry Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Physical Medicine Teacher
• Otolaryngology Teacher
• Orthopedics Teacher

What Can You Do With a Maternal & Child Health Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Maternal & Child 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 Maternal & Child Health graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	29.4%
Bachelor’s degree	20.7%
Doctoral degree	18.5%
Post-doctoral training	14.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.3%
Postsecondary certificate	2.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.5%
Some college courses	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Maternal & Child Health?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 95% of Maternal & Child Health degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	171	95.0%
Men	9	5.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Maternal & Child Health graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	82	45.6%
Asian	22	12.2%
Hispanic or Latino	16	8.9%
Black or African American	34	18.9%
Two or More Races	8	4.4%
Race Unknown	3	1.7%
International Students	15	8.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Maternal & Child Health Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Maternal & Child 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 Maternal & Child Health Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Maternal & Child 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
Master’s	3	1

^{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 Maternal & Child Health Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Maternal & Child 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
Public Health, General	25,004
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

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.