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Occupational Health

A program that prepares public health specialists to monitor and evaluate health and related safety standards in industrial, commercial, and government workplaces and facilities. Includes instruction in occupational health and safety standards and regulations; health-related aspects of various occupations and work environments; health hazard testing and evaluation; test equipment operation and maintenance; industrial toxicology; worker health and safety education; and the analysis and testing of job-related equipment, behavior practices, and protective devices and procedures. Examples: [Industrial Hygiene]

Types of Degrees Occupational Health Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Occupational Health can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	77
Master’s Degree	231
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Occupational Health Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Occupational Health emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 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

Skills built by a Occupational Health program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Occupational Health graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Occupational Health professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Occupational Health graduates include:

• Physical Medicine Teacher
• Dietary Aide Teacher
• Nutrition Professor
• Neurological Surgery Teacher
• Medicine Teacher
• Infant Care Teacher
• Respiratory Therapy Instructor
• Childbirth Teacher
• Anatomy Teacher
• Roentgenology Teacher
• Neurology Professor
• Physiology Teacher
• Pharmacology Professor
• Medical Assisting Instructor
• Clinical Instructor

What Can You Do With a Occupational Health Degree?

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	33.3%
Doctoral degree	22.6%
Post-doctoral training	17.4%
Bachelor’s degree	17.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.2%
Postsecondary certificate	3.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%
Some college courses	0.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Occupational Health?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 60.7% of Occupational Health degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	123	39.3%
Men	190	60.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	192	61.3%
Asian	11	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino	35	11.2%
Black or African American	31	9.9%
Two or More Races	10	3.2%
Race Unknown	28	8.9%
International Students	6	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Occupational Health Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Occupational Health graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 Occupational Health Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Occupational 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
Bachelor’s	4	1
Master’s	3	1
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{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 Occupational Health Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Occupational 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
Public Health Education and Promotion	3,785
Public Health, Other	2,803
Health Services Administration	2,629
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	2,571
Environmental Health	1,269
Behavioral Aspects of Health	623
Health/Medical Physics	288
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Maternal and Child Health	180
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150

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.