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Online Public Health Degree
With all the quackery claims out there these days, wouldn't it be lovely to have real answers at your disposal? Nutritionists can tell you if that bagel's really worth banning, for example. These might be useful friends to have when you’re hungry, am I right? And to get to that point, earning a public health degree online might behoove you.
What about when your pandemic fears keep you up at night? Epidemiologists can assuage them for real. Just keep hope alive that they don’t mind if you call them real late…
Or how about when the news at eleven claims "a new study" says eating more chocolate can actually make you lose weight? That's when you're grateful to chat with your Biostatistician neighbor over a chili dog at your buddy's BBQ.
All these particularly pertinent friends have one thing on common - they earned a Public Health degree. In fact, these degrees come in handy for more than just boosting your social status - they boost your brain! Best of all, these bros aren’t just making parties better, they bring the fanciest booze too.
The Facts from a Nutritionist
Eggs get a bad rep but don't raise blood cholesterol in the majority of people and have no effect on heart disease in otherwise healthy individuals.i So, eat up, hot stuff!
PUBLIC HEALTH INDUSTRY INSIGHT
We asked professionals within Public Health: Why is emotional intelligence an important ability for the field of Public Health?
"Emotional Intelligence is critical in Public Health today because there is that risk of a patient confusing physical symptoms with emotional symptoms."
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- Min S. Lee, SVP, Business Development at Companion Animals
Why Public Health Degree Online?
Not only do Public Health degrees have loads of everyday applications like the ones we mentioned above, they also have global impact. That's because world health organizations are packed with these do-gooders. From the National Institute of Health to the CDC, the goal of Public Health is to make our world better on a grand scale.
Speaking of the CDC, they define Public Health as “the science of protecting and improving the health of families and communities through promotion of healthy lifestyles, research for disease and injury prevention, as well as detection and control of infectious diseases.”
Those are some mighty tall boots to fill! But they get lots of help across the globe from the World Health Organization (WHO) along with locally from the FDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on a national, state, and even city level.
But let's get back to Nutritionists.
What Do Nutritionists Do?
These people matter big time. In fact, they're more critical than ever in this age of gluten-free claims on soda bottles. Not everybody knows that gluten's not the soda ingredient to watch. Others aren’t yet aware that serving size doesn't actually equal serving bowl circumference - no matter how hungry you are.
Did You Know?
A typical bagel of 20 years ago had about 140 calories and a three inch diameter while bagels in 2017 have about 350 calories - 210 calories more - and they're twice the size. ii
So Nutritionists are providing a vital service in our apparently ravenous communities, but how much are they paid to do so? With an annual median wage of $58,920 in 2016, Nutritionists earn twenty thousand dollars more than the median salary for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.iii
Continual breakthroughs in nutrition, technology, and food science keep this particular career on the cutting edge and continually relevant. So, nutritionists have a job outlook with double the projected growth expected for all occupations up until 2024.iv In other words, snap.
While most Nutritionists have attended graduate school, about a third did so just for a certificate, while a third have a Master's degree, and the rest entered the arena with a Bacheler's.v
But no matter the education or experience, this is a career that directly influences people's everyday lives. Because nothing is more fundamental for us humans than eating - crunchy stuff especially. So, changing the way we eat, as Nutritionists do, thus transforms a major part of our lives, hopefully for the better. They make the world a better place, one bowl of Lucky Charms (less) at a time.
The world is indeed looking brighter for many of these careers in Public Health and Biostatistician is a perfect example.
Why Biostatisticians?
As you can see in the Bureau of Labor Statistics pictures below, this career has grooving job growth. For instance, for the year 2016 Biostatisticians had an average median wage of $80,500 annually. This is significantly more than the average of that year for all occupations (which was $37,040).vi
So, what do they do? Biostatisticians analyze health data and statistics to identify trends and relationships among variables.vii They do this at a high level, revealed not only by their large salaries but also their graduate degrees.
Specifically, 44% have a Master's degree and 40% have a Doctorate, while the rest have Post-doctoral training. Biostatisticians are thus taking the realm of Public Health to the next level, quite literally.viii
Not only that, look at their job outlook! The work Biostatisticians do has a projected job growth, at 34%, compared to the 7% projected growth that "all occupations" must endure. ix Fact is, it feels amazing to be wanted.
Did You Know?
Even among statistics grad departments, Biostatistics is hot stuff. The 2014 US News Report hit list for statistics includes three Biostat departments in the top five spots.
Epidemiologists and Public Health Degrees
There are still more ways to leverage a Public Health degree. Remember in the movie Contagion when they figure out the crazy coincidental and kinda cool origin of the epidemic? Well, Epidemiologists aren’t just about funky fresh job names; they're also behind these revelations. Indeed, they're a special breed. In fact, Epidemiologists are like the Sherlock Holmes of Public Health.
It's a key example of another career that applies Public Health principles worldwide. Epidemiologists don’t just discover disease origins either, their studies and research uncover solutions as well. So, you can see how this career in Public Health strives to make the world safer through science.
With a median salary of $70,820 in 2016,x Epidemiologists have the capacity to earn more than double the average wage for all occupations.
That's because, essentially, their work investigates patterns and causes of disease and injury in people.xi So, just as there aren’t many exceptional detectives in the medical field; Epidemiologists are not a large lot. The good news, though is that even though there were fewer than 6,000 of them in 2014, their job's projected growth up to 2024 is about as fast as the average for all occupations.xii
Fun Fact: Epidemics
We can go all the way back to Ancient Egypt to learn from epidemics. For instance, a plague from 1715BC reveals a lesson in the immunity of the Hebrews among massive devastation. Apparently, it was their contact with animals that protected them. xiii
Speaking of history, there's a longstanding history to Public Health in action. In 1930, Congress established the NIH (National Institute of Health) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while the Center for Disease Control (CDC) was established in 1946. Today Public Health action and education combine government, academic, and non-profit efforts to help keep everybody, safer, healthier, and even smarter.
How Can I Specialize My Public Health Degree Online?
Many schools allow you to choose a specialization to "fine tune" your Public Health degree. These are the most common concentrations while pursuing your public health degree online.
Epidemiology
Epidemiologists study the health of populations to determine causes of disease, risks, and susceptibility. They also create strategies for illness prevention.Biostatistics
Biostatisticians collect and analyze health data for human populations to spot trends in health or sickness. Biostatistics is also used to evaluate how a disease spreads.Environmental Health
Environmental health specialists study how our natural and man-made environments affect our health and propose ways to reduce health risks within our environments.Behavioral Science / Health Education
Health educators promote healthy behaviors such as hygiene, smoking cessation/abstinence, safe sex, etc. to ultimately reduce disease incidence and increase longevity.Health Services Administration / Management
With a focus on health care services, study the financial, legal, and human issues that arise and its effects on a health organization's operational success.
17 Courses in a Public Health Degree Online
While the exact curriculum in a Public Health Degree Online will vary from school to school, here are some of the courses you might take in your online public health degree program:
- Principles of Epidemiology
- Principles of Health Promotion and Education
- Public Health Profession and Practice
- Introduction to Public Health Research
- Global Issues in Public Health
- Introduction to Biostatistical Methods
- Environmental Health
- Psychological, Behavioral, and Social Issues in Public Health
- Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System
- Law and Ethics in Health Administration
- Computers in Health Administration
- Introduction to Health Organization Leadership
- Introduction to Contemporary Health Issues
- Research Methods in Public Health
- Health Programs Administration
- Health and Human Behavior
- Health Office Operations
How Can I Start the Search for a Public Health Degree Online?
If you think smarter sounds best of all, you're in the right place. Here at eLearners.com we have links to sponsored schools that offer degrees in Public Health. So, you can start right here and now with a simple click of a link. You can even find one year MPH programs!
Get matched with the perfect program for you. Find your best next step now at eLearners.com.
[i] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16340654 [ii] nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/portion/documents/PD1.pdf [iii] bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dietitians-and-nutritionists.htm#tab-5 [iv] bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dietitians-and-nutritionists.htm#tab-6 [v] onetonline.org/link/details/29-1031.00 [vi] onetonline.org/find/quick?s=biostatistician [vii] bls.gov/ooh/math/statisticians.htm#tab-5 [viii] onetonline.org/link/summary/15-2041.01 [ix] bls.gov/ooh/math/statisticians.htm#tab-1 [x] bls.gov/ooh/math/statisticians.htm#tab-6 [xi] bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/epidemiologists.htm [xii] bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/epidemiologists.htm [xiii] bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/epidemiologists.htm#tab-2 [xiv] bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/epidemiologists.htm#tab-6 [xv] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15488667 [*] bls.gov/careeroutlook/2008/summer/art03.pdf