Why Study Public Health?

Public health professionals work on improving the health of populations, especially through efforts to prevent illness and injury.

The field takes a broad approach and significant work is aimed at understanding and addressing the social determinants of health (e.g., housing, food security, education access, air and water quality, economic opportunity). This approach is different from clinical medicine where patients are seen one at a time and there is often a focus on treatment of conditions. Importantly, professionals in public health and clinicians regularly share information and work together to optimize prevention, early detection and treatment.

Since public health is a broad field, there is an opportunity to pursue areas that you find most interesting. You may be passionate about working with certain populations, like children or immigrants, or you may enjoy developing creative materials for social media campaigns that promote healthy behaviors. Alternatively, you might enjoy conducting research that provides new insight into preventing injuries or developing compelling summaries for policy makers that explain how a proposed policy would reduce food insecurity in your state.

Public Health 101

Key public health organizations’ websites are excellent resources for learning about the field of public health:

American Public Health Association (APHA): “What is Public Health?”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: “CDC 24/7” and “Introduction to Public Health”
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: “Our Mission and What We Do”
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: “Healthy People 2030”
World Health Organization, United Nations: “Our Work”

What kind of jobs can I get with a degree in public health?

This is an important question, especially because the field of public health is broad. Work settings for public health graduates include local and state health departments; federal agencies; international aid organizations; nonprofits; schools; and a variety of relevant organizations that conduct research, implement programs, and/or advocate for policies that improve public health.

Examples of public health jobs

health education specialists
community health workers
researchers and scientists
epidemiologists
nutritionists
occupational health and safety professionals
public policymakers
program coordinators
statisticians

You can get an idea of potential career options by exploring openings on these sites:

Gain international experience through Towson University’s study abroad program.

Study Abroad