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Public Health Education & Promotion

A program that focuses on the application of educational and communications principles and methods to the promotion of preventive health measures and the education of targeted populations on health issues, and prepares individuals to function as public health educators and health promotion specialists. Includes instruction in human development, health issues across the life span, population-specific health issues, principles and methods of public health education, administration of health education campaigns and programs, evaluation methods, public communications, and applications to specific public health subjects and issues.

Types of Degrees Public Health Education & Promotion Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Public Health Education & Promotion have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	15
Associate’s Degree	121
Bachelor’s Degree	2,423
Master’s Degree	1,141
Doctor’s Degree	85

What Public Health Education & Promotion Majors Need to Know

Studies in Public Health Education & Promotion emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Public Health Education & Promotion graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Public Health Education & Promotion 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

Skills developed in a Public Health Education & Promotion 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 Public Health Education & Promotion 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.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Public Health Education & Promotion 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 Public Health Education & Promotion professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Articulate Rapid E-Learning Studio	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Public Health Education & Promotion graduates include:

• Nutrition Educator
• Instructor
• Clinical Instructor
• Orthopedics Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Anatomy Teacher
• Veterinary Science Teacher
• Optometry Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Prosthetic Aides Teacher
• Dental Laboratory Technology Teacher
• First Aid Teacher
• Oxygen Therapy Teacher
• Recreation Therapy Teacher

What Can You Do With a Public Health Education & Promotion Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Public Health Education & Promotion 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 Public Health Education & Promotion 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 Public Health Education & Promotion?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.6% of Public Health Education & Promotion degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,164	83.6%
Men	621	16.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,801	47.6%
Asian	238	6.3%
Hispanic or Latino	546	14.4%
Black or African American	735	19.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	73	1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	18	0.5%
Two or More Races	145	3.8%
Race Unknown	116	3.1%
International Students	113	3.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Public Health Education & Promotion Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Public Health Education & Promotion 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 Public Health Education & Promotion Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Public Health Education & Promotion. 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	1	1
Bachelor’s	14	10
Master’s	15	12
Doctoral (Research)	2	2

^{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 Public Health Education & Promotion Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Public Health Education & Promotion 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, 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
Advanced General Dentistry	238

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.