Are you plotting your career course and wondering what jobs you could get with a Master’s in Public Health? Wise move! As a public health professional, your skills are sorely needed throughout the world, even more so with your Master’s in the bag. Because of this, as a public health worker, you’ll have your pick of the crop when it comes to where you want to work and what field of public health you want to work in.
In this article, we’ll cover some of the best jobs you can get with a Master’s in Public Health.
The Demand For Public Health Workers
First, we have to ask the question, “Why is there such a demand for public health workers?” There are quite a few reasons, actually.
With the improvements in the medical industry, the average life expectancy in many countries has gone up significantly. As a result, the population of the older generation is growing and putting more pressure on the medical system because of their medical needs. As you would imagine, older people are more prone to injury and illness; thus, they require more healthcare.
On the other hand, there’s also a higher percentage of people dying from non-communicable diseases (NCDS) – an average of 17 million people under 70 die from NCDS every year. Public health workers are at the forefront of working on the causes and solutions for these diseases. For instance, when the COVID pandemic arose in 2020, it was public health professionals who helped study the variables and statistics surrounding the virus and educated the public on the best ways to avoid catching it.
Careers In Public Health To Consider
From preventing pandemics and so much more, the career opportunities in public health are vast, and there’s a diverse range of career pathways. Here are 6 Master of Public Health (MPH) careers to consider.
From volunteering in poverty-stricken countries to being on the frontline when a pandemic strikes, public health professionals have a wide range of careers they can pursue. Here are a few jobs you can get with a Masters in Public Health:
1. Biostatistician
The health industry collects huge volumes of patient data every year. In Australia alone, 12.1 million people are admitted to hospitals every year, and this excludes general practitioner visits. Every time a patient is admitted, a medical form with the diagnosis is filled out and captured into a data system. In order to help the health systems process this data, a Biostatistician is hired to help sort and arrange dates.
This job is more than just about keeping things organized, though. By organising the data so it can be easily assessed, the healthcare system can better track outbreaks and health trends in the population. This data holds important answers to health issues countries are facing; thus, sorting the data can make these answers clearer.
Job responsibilities
The main responsibility of a biostatistician is to collect and analyse data to answer important questions about the healthcare industry. Whether it be questions related to a sudden upsurge in the common cold or studying the connection between smoking and illness, Biostatisticians will sift through the data to find connections and answers.
Salary Expectations
As a Biostatistician, you can aspect to get an average salary of $90,500 per year depending on the company you’re working for.
2. NGO Managers
NGO managers head up non-government organisations, working with vulnerable and marginalised people. Their role often focuses on protecting human rights and working to build sustainable community health initiatives.
NGOs are non-government organisations that often work with displaced, vulnerable or marginalised groups of people. A good example of NGOs in Australia are CARE Australia and the Australian Red Cross. These NGOs work as charities and on other humanitarian projects to help those who are unable to help themselves. With a master’s in public health, you could potentially manage an NGO.
Job Responsibilities
As an NGO manager, your role would be to facilitate the running of the entire organisation. Depending on its size, you might have to oversee the marketing, manage the volunteers, and select the issues your NGO plans to solve.
Salary Expectations
Usually, NGOs function in a very similar way to NPOs (non-profit organisations). This means your salary might depend on the extent of support you get from other businesses. That said, the average salary an NGO manager gets is around $80,000 a year.
Epidemiologist
If you remember the turmoil that the Covid pandemic thrust the world into in 2020, it was the Epidemiologists who were at the forefront of discovering the cause of the disease and how best to treat it.
Job Responsibilities
Their main role is to conduct research on the causes of diseases and breakouts in countries. They’ll often measure the severity of the disease and what impact it’ll have on the country or, for COVID-19 cases, the world.
Salary Expectations
As an Epidemiologist, you can find employment in a few places, including in the private healthcare industry, from the government, or in universities. Epidemiologists can earn up to $95,000 in a year.
4. Public Health Researcher
The role of a public health researcher is very similar to a Biostatistician. However, public health researchers study health data in order to uncover health trends that could be to the public’s detriment. For instance, after those insane fires in the Amazon in 2019, a public health researcher would conduct a study on the air quality of that area in the possible health impact it could have on the population.
Job Responsibilities
On a daily basis, public health researchers tackle health threats to the community by studying their causes and the potential impact they have on the community. In this role, you’d find that you’re often working alongside an epidemiologist.
Salary Expectations
A public researcher can expect a salary of around about $70,000 a year.
Final Thoughts
These are only a few career options that you can choose if you have a master’s degree in public health. Other opportunities include travelling as a volunteer to get experience and working in education. Either way, working in public health opens a lot of doors for you.
