Top Public Health Jobs by Degree

Have you ever considered a degree in public health? It’s one of the fastest-growing health degrees, the masters being quickly adopted by many clinicians. A public health degree takes a more upstream approach to health by understanding all of the social determinants that affect a patient’s life so that we can provide more well-rounded care. Take a look at some of the highest paying public health jobs below.

Medical Degree

Public Health Doctor

Most public health doctors work in a university setting or for non-profit or government agencies. They may be considered preventative medicine doctors due to educating the general public through their work. They may serve as professors, work in management, or conduct research. 

Salary estimate: ~$200,000 annually

Tropical Disease Expert

This expert works to prevent the transmission of… you guessed it, tropical disease. Typically you’d run into one of these experts if you were traveling or visiting abroad and needed to be examined. West Nile Virus and Zika are some of the diseases these expects would be searching for. You’d typically find them in a lab analyzing tissue or working to find vaccines. 

Salary estimate: $115,000 – $190,000 annually

Public Health Veterinarian 

This veterinarian works to prevent the transmission of both human and animal diseases. Because a lot of animal diseases can be easily transmitted to humans their job to maintain awareness around these diseases and inform the public is crucial. You can find them monitoring farms with many animals or examining animal byproducts that are fed to humans. They typically work in labs, clinics, or onsite in outdoor settings. 

Salary estimate: $100,000 – $150,000

Public Health Dentist

You’ll find many public health dentists work in a clinic even though some may work at health centers and universities. In addition to their services, their role is to provide the community with knowledge and education about the role of good oral hygiene. 

Salary estimate: ~$30,000 – $250,000

Masters

Management Policy Advisor

A management policy advisor works with government and non-profit agencies as well as corporations. They typically work in an office setting and work closely with their employees to efficiently analyze and offer insight into their business operations. 

Salary estimate: $90,000 – $150,000 annually

Health Center Administrator

This person is in charge of running the show and managing a healthcare entity. This can either be on a department level within a healthcare organization or on a large scale managing the healthcare organization as a whole. The majority work in hospitals however many also works in private offices, practices, or nursing homes.

Salary estimate: ~$85,000 annually

Bioterrorist Researcher

A bioterrorist researcher aims to identify potential hazards by trying to understand different diseases and toxins and how to treat them. They work closely with federal and state agencies to be able to gauge the possibility of a biological agent being used as an attack from terrorists. This is a growing field due to bioterrorism becoming an increasing global threat as war methodologies advance. 

Salary estimate: $40,000 – $150,000

Epidemiologist

Epidemiologists learn to understand the mechanism that causes a specific disease when identifying public health issues. They then work to prevent the transmission of the disease by controlling that mechanism. Typically epidemiologists work in a hospital or laboratory and can often be found conducting field research in local communities. 

Salary estimate: $42,000 – $98,000 annually

Bachelors

State/Federal Environmentalist

These environmentalists identify environmental factors and threats that may cause disease or illness. These are typically pollutants or toxins that could prove to be a threat to the general public, say like air quality. 

Salary estimate: $40,000 – $107,000 annually

Health Communications Specialist

This person is in charge of managing the media and public information that is disseminated regarding healthy lifestyle choices and diseases. Their job is to breakdown complicated research and medical terminology in a way that the greater population can understand. 

Salary estimate: $30,000 – $96,000 annually

Disease Ecologist

A disease ecologist does intensive research to evaluate the way ecological changes have an impact on how pathogens and infectious disease spread. They serve to understand how human changes to plants affect public health issues. 

Salary estimate: $36,000 – $90,000 annually

Health Promotions Program Coordinator 

This person is in charge of health promotion programs and tackles every aspect of development, planning, and managing. They work to secure government grants for programs by creating necessary educational materials. Many works for universities or non-profit and government agencies. 

Salary estimate: $50,000 – $90,000 annually

These are only some of the careers available to individuals with a background in public health at every degree level. An increase in education results in a greater increase in salary but don’t let that deter you from getting your foot in the door early. Public health is such a large field with a variety of niches so the possibilities are endless. We hope this list encourages you to consider looking into public health as a career.