Electronic Health Reporter

The public health industry has many options for lucrative careers. However, employers prefer candidates who have relevant experience and a higher education degree in public health.

Career options and salaries vary depending on several factors. Some factors include the location, cost of living and the company you’ll choose to work for eventually. To make it easier for you, we’ve listed the most lucrative careers for those interested in pursuing a career in public health.

Before Choosing a Career

Nowadays, to get any job, you are required to have, at the very least, a bachelor’s degree. Public health is no exception. The minimum requirement for having a successful career in public health is a bachelor’s in public health or BPH.

You can choose to major in health administration, nursing, or informatics. Although it is not required to work in the field, most employees have a master’s in public health or MPH to qualify for higher positions in public health.

Most industry professionals in the public and private sectors recommend getting an MPH, which offers specializations in a variety of fields like epidemiology, global health, community health, and environmental health, among others.

One of the best universities that offer an MPH program is Lamar University. They provide an online MPH program, which is convenient for people who are too busy to attend universities. The program is 24 months long, with a total cost of $13,629. The last and final degree in public health is Doctor of Public Health or DPH, ideal for those who want to become college professors or assume a research position.

If you’ve earned a Master’s degree in public health, deciding your role can be confusing. Following are high-paying jobs in public health you should apply for.

1. Biostatistician

Statisticians are crucial to public health research. They create questionnaires, experiments, and surveys to allocate data on people and their health. In addition to collecting data, they analyze and explain their findings.

Statisticians can work in a variety of institutions. However, most work for governments, health care businesses, or research and development. Biostatisticians, in particular, research medicine and find answers to questions related to biology using statistics tools. Lastly, they research new drugs in the market or diseases and their causes.

Academic Requirements for Biostatisticians

Some jobs require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in statistics. However, most employers prefer candidates who have a master’s degree. You will need to take statistics and mathematics courses to be able to take a master’s program.

Biostatisticians usually earn a master’s in statistics and pair it with biology, sociology, and public health courses to get work in the field.

Salaries of Biostatisticians

At the start of their career, biostatisticians earn an average of over $55k per year. After a few years in the field, they can make an average of over $75k per year.  Top-level biostatisticians with over five years of experience can earn an average of over $115k per year.

2. Computer and Information Systems Manager

Computer and information systems managers are responsible for planning, coordinating, and managing computer-related tasks in healthcare organizations. They are also referred to as informatics specialists or information systems managers.

They are also responsible for identifying information technology goals and creating and implementing plans to meet those goals for an organization. In addition, they are responsible for:

• identifying and resolving software and hardware related issues
• Installing the latest computer systems
• Managing operating costs
• Developing and overseeing implementation of strategies to make computer systems and medical record-keeping more reliable.

Academic Requirements for Computer and Information Systems Manager

The role of IT managers requires a bachelor’s degree in computer and information science. It is a role that’s similar to that of a computer and information systems manager.

However, if you are only interested in becoming an information systems manager for a healthcare organization, a master’s in health care informatics is ideal. The program will cover health care systems, intro courses in health informatics, data analytics, developing databases and implementing information from them, and IT strategy and management courses.

Salaries of Computer and Information Systems Manager

At the start of their career, information systems managers can earn an average of over $50 per year. After a few years in the industry, they can make an average of over $80k per year. Top-level information systems managers with over five years of experience can earn an average of over $125k per year.

3. Emergency Management Director

Emergency management directors are mainly responsible for creating and implementing response strategies for natural disasters and other emergencies. They must evaluate the damage caused by hazards and initiate plans in response to them with minimal risks to public safety.

Academic Requirements for Emergency Management Directors

The minimum academic requirement for emergency management directors is a bachelor’s degree in business, emergency management, or public health. They are also required to have multiple years of work experience in the following fields:

• Public administration
• Disaster planning
• Emergency preparedness

For a career in the private sector, some employers want candidates who have a degree in computer science, information systems administration, or a related IT field.

Salary of Emergency Management Directors

The starting salary for Emergency management directors is an average of over $40k per year. After a few years on the job, they can make an average of over $70k per year. Top-level emergency management directors can make over $140k per year.

4. Environmental Scientist

Environmental scientists use their knowledge of natural sciences to protect the environment and human health. They collect data, create development plans, and share their findings with the government, businesses, or the public.

Most of the environmental scientists work for state or federal governments, but there are also those who work as consultants. They will spend most of their time in an office, out in the field, or a laboratory, researching data collected during fieldwork.

Academic Requirements for Environmental Scientists

The minimum academic requirement for environmental scientists is a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, or public health to get entry-level jobs.

If you are looking to advance your career, you will need a master’s level degree. The relevant coursework to start your career as an environmental scientist includes biology, physics, geology, and specialized courses that include data analysis, waste management, fluid mechanics, and computer modeling.

You will also need to develop effective communication and interpersonal skills as, more often than not, you will have to explain your findings to a wide range of people. Lastly, analytical thinking and creative problem-solving skills are also helpful.

Salary of Environmental Scientists

Environmental scientists, at the entry-level, can make an average of $40k per year. After a few years in the field, they can make an average of over $50k per year. Top-level environmental scientist with at least five years of experience can make an average of over $75k per year.

Conclusion

The public health industry is one of the most important and well-respected fields. Employees can earn lucrative salary packages and have a sense of fulfillment because of the impact they have in their respective fields.