In an increasingly complex world, students in most disciplines find they need to specialize in a concentration in order to have the expertise desired by today’s employers. This is certainly true in the field of public health.

Although it is important for public health master’s students to identify the concentration that will lead to their chosen profession early on, choose wisely. Specialties in public health span a wide range of disciplines, including education, epidemiology and policy. Changing concentrations mid-stream frequently delays your graduation date and results in you spending additional money on extra courses you must make up in order to satisfy the new specialty.

To help you get the most out of your investment, each master’s degree program should identify a short list of the concentrations it offers. With this in hand, you can map out the courses you will need for each, identify overlap, and create a plan that will ensure you graduate on time, whichever concentration you ultimately choose. Most schools have fully embraced the twenty-first century’s commitment to data and put detailed information about their curriculum, degree requirements and potential employment for each concentration offered on their websites. To get you started, review this guide to the ten most popular public health concentrations.

Environmental Health Sciences

Concentrating on the impact people’s surroundings make on their health, environmental health scientists ensure communities are clean, safe and able to meet the needs of their inhabitants. Commonly, environmental health specialists work for local governments or state agencies on projects ranging from water pollution prevention to recycling programs. Students seeking Master’s degrees can expect to take courses in epidemiology, toxicology, public administration, and policy and regulations. Depending on the program, a Master’s thesis, capstone class or practicum may be required prior to graduation. Most students complete a typical program in two years.

Biostatistics

Biostatisticians mine data sets to produce revealing insight into public health. Working with existing data, creating new sets from existing records, and designing new studies, these numbers experts produce objective evidence about human health through complex analyses. Students in this specialty must be mathematically rigorous, as they frequently take six additional higher-level statistics and data analysis courses above the basic class taken by all public health graduate students. Although some schools may require a Master’s thesis, it is increasingly common for students to complete a field-based practicum or capstone project prior to graduation. Most programs can be completed in two to three years.

Epidemiology

By investigating the causes of outbreaks, epidemiologists seek to understand the roots, mitigate the spread and prevent the contraction of the world’s most devastating diseases. Frequently, epidemiologists work for state and local governments as well as international agencies, helping policymakers and first responders protect human health. Master’s students in the field typically take courses in social and behavioral public health and environmental science, as well as a full range of epidemiology courses like chronic and infectious disease epidemiology. Prior to graduating, students must either complete a practicum or internship or research, write, present and defend a master’s thesis. Depending on the program, this degree may be obtained within two to three years.

General Public Health

Public health generalists are very much in demand, as many agencies and institutions require people with a diverse background who can perform many tasks effectively. Frequently, MPH graduates work in communications and administrative positions, overseeing operations and ensuring all participants are on board with various programs.  In any week, they may design and oversee a school-based abuse prevention program or facilitate a community-wide drive to increase flu vaccinations.

The typical MPH student may dabble in the other specialties and take at least one course in biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, public administration, and policy and behavioral sciences. Most programs are completed within two to three years, and students graduate after completing either a master’s thesis, a practicum or a capstone project, depending on the requirements of the school.

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Exploring the relationship between psychological, social and behavioral influences on human health, behavioral and social public health scientists promote positive outcomes from a unique perspective. These professionals frequently work for non-governmental organizations, hospitals or non-profits. Some examine the global impact of psychological stress, while others investigate the negative consequences of domestic abuse on local children. Regardless of scope, these professionals contribute to our understanding and improvement of life in various ways.

In the degree program, social and behavioral scientists will take courses in statistics, epidemiology, and environmental health and health policy, as well as specific social and behavioral health classes. The typical program can be completed in two to three years, and culminates either with a capstone project, practicum, or master’s thesis.

Disaster Management & Emergency Preparedness

Working for state, local and federal government agencies, people who graduate from public health programs with disaster management concentrations are in high demand. Trained to deal with the unexpected, emergency preparedness professionals must be knowledgeable about a wide range of potential disasters that can negatively impact public health.

Coursework for this specialty covers a great deal of ground. Biostatistics, epidemiology, public administration, environmental health, toxicology, risk assessment, crisis communication and psychosocial response to disaster are among the diverse classes emergency responders take. Most programs are completed within two to three years and require a thesis, practicum or culminating experience prior to graduation.

International Public Health Management

Combining the policy, management and public health disciplines, professionals in this field typically find work with non-governmental organizations or local governments across the globe. Focusing on planning, implementing and evaluating health programs around the world, these professionals need training not just in public health, but in global political and cultural issues as well. Common coursework for this concentration includes public administration, policy analysis, statistics, epidemiology, and international institutions and health policy. Students typically graduate in two or three years after completing a master’s thesis, practicum, or capstone project.

Public Health Policy and Management

Unlike many other disciplines, graduates of public health master’s programs with a degree in public health policy and management are just as likely to work for private companies like pharmaceutical firms as they are to work in non-profit or hospital settings. Helping firms establish ethical standards, communicate with customers and regulators, comply with environmental and public health and safety regulations, and test and promote new products, these professionals are an integral part of the healthcare industry. In a typical master’s program, students take courses in statistics, epidemiology, behavioral and environmental health, policy and toxicology. Most programs are completed with a practicum, capstone project, or thesis. Typically, students graduate within two to three years.

Public Health Education

Public health educators work in a variety of roles, from program administration to community outreach to in-classroom education. Public health educators have a lasting impact on well-being within their communities. The typical master’s degree takes two to three years to complete. Most programs require coursework in community assessment, organizing and health education. Students will take classes in epidemiology, biostatistics and environmental health as well. The typical degree requires a thesis, practicum, or applied research project prior to graduation.

Health Services Administration

Graduates with master’s degrees in health services administration find work with hospitals, clinics, insurance companies and government agencies, administering programs that impact human health. Students in this specialty need a broad understanding of the field and its impact on the administration of an organization. Coursework frequently strays into the business field, and students take classes in economics and accounting as well as biostatistics, health policy, epidemiology and environmental health. Most programs can be completed in two to three years, and students graduate after completing either a capstone project, a practicum or a Master’s thesis.

In addition to these concentrations, there are dozens of other public health specialties available, including the following:

• Allied Health
• Clinical & Translational Science
• Clinical Effectiveness
• Decision Science
• Demography
• Dental Public Health
• Gerontology
• GIS
• Global Health
• Health Disparities
• Health Informatics
• Health Law
• Health Physics
• Joint Degree
• Maternal & Science
• Nurse Midwifery
• Nutrition
• Tropical Public Health
• Veterinary Public Health
• Zoonotic Diseases