Job Responsibilities and Career Paths with a Masters in Public Health / MPH : Online Masters in Public Health

Although you can get started working in the public health sector with just a bachelor’s degree, earning a masters in public health, often called an MPH, means you’ll qualify for more jobs with higher-level responsibilities and better salaries. Are you interested in a career in this field? Check out this ultimate guide to working in public health:

MPH Job Responsibilities

With an MPH, you can work in a variety of roles. Graduates often go on to work as administrators in hospitals and other large healthcare facilities, work in government roles, do disease research, participate in population study, and more. Your responsibilities will depend on the specific job you take, but in general, you’ll be concerned with two main things: disease prevention and population control. With an MPH, you could also take on a teaching role, working to help others understand health risks. Public health workers are often the first people who have contact with the media when there’s a public health concern, so you could act as a liaison between the press and the medical world in some situations.

MPH Career Paths

Entry-level jobs in the public health world usually have you working as part of a larger team to complete studies, put health safety plans into effect, and educate the public. With as a master’s degree, you’ll be eligible for advanced jobs from the start, and as you gain experience in the field, you’ll be tasked with higher-level jobs. You may also become a team leader or department head, and many people with MPH degrees do on to take administrative or management roles. Public health is a concern that doesn’t know borders, so you can also work for world-wide organizations or work in foreign countries.

MPH Salary and Job Outlook

The salary you can expect with an MPH depends on the job you take, your location, your experience in the field, your employer, and more, but most workers can expect to make $40,000 to $75,000 annually. As an experienced public health worker, you can even earn over $125,000 annually, especially if you take on a leadership role at a larger healthcare facility or laboratory. With an aging population, growing world-wide healthcare concerns, and advanced medical practices, the field of public health is growing quickly. By 2016, the need for medical and health service managers alone is expected to rise by 16 percent (which is faster than average).

Public health deals with the aspects of preventing disease and promoting health within a community, organization, or society. Today, many public health officials are increasingly finding that an MPH or other masters degree in public health or related subject is essential to career advancement. Below is a list of the top online colleges offering degrees in public health or similar fields.

MPH MPH: Epidemiology MPH: Health Management MPH: Intl. Public Health	University of Liverpool : The University of Liverpool's MPH program offers concentrations in epidemiology, healthcare management, and international health. The University of Liverpool attracts an international online student population which makes it easy to network with people around the world. This adds an important dimension to the learning experience that isn't found in other online classrooms.
MPH MPA: Health Policy	Walden University : Walden University's Master of Public Health and MPA in health policy degrees strengthen core competencies in diversity, communications, and leadership, as well as the core disciplines of public health. Each program uses real-world case studies and gives students access to scholars and experienced workers in government, health and nonprofit sectors to make the transition from theory to practice easy.
MPH MPH: Epidemiology MPH: Health Education MPH: Program Dev.	Kaplan University : Kaplan University offers Master of Public Health degrees in epidemiology, health education, and public health program development. These MPH programs are designed for those seeking leadership and managerial positions in government or non-profit organizations within the health industry. Courses include applying scientific research and statistics, developing public health policies and programs, and designing education programs for diverse communities.
MPH MPH: Disaster Mgmt MPH: Health Education MPH: Healthcare Policy MPH/MBA Dual Degree	Benedictine University : Benedictine University offers industry-specific Master of Public Health programs in disaster management, health education and health policy. These MPH programs incorporate responsiveness to local health issues along with the knowledge needed to meet public health care needs. The MPH/MBA dual degree combines health care industry best practices with business practices for a strong combination perfect for any healthcare industry leader.
MPH MPH: Behavioral Science MPH: Healthcare Policy	Capella University : Capella University's MPH in Behavioral Science explores the psychological and social factors that influence the health of communities, and gives practical knowledge of organizations, programs and policies pertinent to public health. The MPH in Health Policy combines case studies of public health issues with management theory and financial concerns of the industry.
MPH	Grand Canyon University : Consisting of a demanding 48-unit curriculum, the Grand Canyon University Master of Public Health program prepares students for a wide variety of careers in public health and medicine. The program ends with a practicum and capstone project that students can tailor towards their area of interest.
MHA: Health Education Master of Health Admin	University of Phoenix : The University of Phoenix features two marquee programs for aspiring public health administrators: the Master of Health Administration and MHA in Health Education. These degrees feature curriculums that teach the management skills and educational skills required to advance your career. Specialties include gerontology, informatics and education.
MS: Health Communication	Boston University : Boston University's MS in Health Communication offers a dynamic, exciting curriculum that stresses the promotion of health care messages, including public health and targeted disease education. Graduates will be able to communicate messages clearly and professionally on disease prevention and health awareness.
Master of Health Services MBA: Health Services	Strayer University : The Strayer University Master of Health Services and MBA in health services programs teach business management skills required to succeed in the field of healthcare management. The curriculum is geared towards developing thoughtful, global graduates.
MPH MPA: Health Admin MPH: Dental Health	A.T. Still University of Health Sciences : A.T. Still University of Health Sciences MPH in dental health program is for students working in the dental industry who want careers in dental public health services or administration. Courses cover the basics of public health with an emphasis on dentistry. Graduates are prepared to work in community health centers, colleges, government, and non-profit organizations.
MS: Disaster Management	Philadelphia University : Philadelphia University's MS in Disaster Medicine and Management is a distance learning program with a one week on-campus requirement. Students learn what steps to take to ensure business and organizational continuity of operations, how to plan for catastrophic events from human resources and technological perspectives, as well as organizational recovery.