Britannica Concise Encyclopedia defines public health as the "science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized community efforts."

As the name suggests, public health is focused on entire populations rather than individuals. In that sense it is different from clinical health. While clinical health is concerned with providing diagnoses and treatment for diseases to individuals, public health is involved with promotion of health and prevention of illness in a community.

Public health professionals promote wellness in a community by identifying and controlling health threats, developing and implementing education programs on hygiene and sanitation, and monitoring environmental hazards.

Some of the reasons why this is an exciting time to pursue a career in public health are:

1. It’s a growing field full of exciting job opportunities.

2. It offers job security at the time of economic uncertainty.

3. It is one of the most gratifying and fulfilling careers.

4. It offers a good paycheck and excellent growth potential.

5. You can choose from a broad range of specialties depending on your interest.

While public health professionals come from varying academic backgrounds, a Master’s in Public Health degree is perhaps the most appropriate educational credential for this field. That’s because an MPH degree usually covers courses in various public health specialties such as community health, environmental and occupational health, biostatistics, epidemiology, healthcare administration, etc.

Other than an MPH degree, those interested in a public health career can also explore degree programs in healthcare administration or community health. However, these degrees will be focused on a specific field rather than provide a foundation in all disciplines of public health.

Let’s look at some of the popular public health disciplines:

Environment Health: Environment health is the branch of public health that is concerned with the theory and practice of assessing and controlling environmental factors that impact human health. According to World Health Organization, environment health services involve developing and implementing policies aimed at preventing environment health hazards and promoting public health and environment.

Biostatistics: Biostatistics is the application of statistics to a variety of biology disciplines. Biostatistics has widespread application in the field of public health. It uses statistical science to identify health trends and analyze public health problems.

Epidemiology: Epidemiology refers to the study of factors affecting the health of a community. This branch of public health studies the risk factors for a disease and how to control its spread in a community, among other things.

Healthcare Administration: Healthcare administration is concerned with ensuring the smooth function of a healthcare organization. Public health administrators plan, coordinate, and supervise community health programs or manage the day to day operations of a public health organization through activities like employee supervision, staffing, budgeting, policy making, etc.

Health Education: Health educators work with communities to promote healthy lifestyles and wellness. They educate populations about disease and injury prevention and other health problems. Health educators are responsible for planning and implementing various community health education programs as well as evaluating their success.

If the above mentioned fields pique your interest, then a Master’s in Public Health degree is what you need. With the availability of many public health online programs, it’s become more convenient than ever to enter this remarkable profession!