Why earn a bachelor’s degree?

Earning a bachelor’s degree is a big commitment. Life and work can easily get in the way, so it’s no surprise that many people pause their educational pursuits so they can take care of family, career, or health-related concerns. If you’re looking for a new job, though—especially one with more responsibility and better compensation—a bachelor’s degree can go a long way in helping you succeed. Read on to explore professional, financial, and personal benefits of making your bachelor’s degree your priority.

People who have waited to earn an undergraduate degree often find that time works to their advantage. Since they were last in school, they’ve gained maturity and insight that helps them understand the value of their bachelor’s degree experience. Core courses in areas such as mathematics, communication, and critical reasoning, for example, are suited to diverse professional pursuits. Courses designed for the Public Health major and each concentration within it heighten the knowledge and expertise that foster career advancement in a growing, essential field. In completing your Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) online at Kent State, you’ll find that your coursework is immediately applicable to your current job and the ones you hope to attain.

Life experience also improves our relationship-building and networking skills. By earning a degree at a highly ranked university with an international alumni network, you position yourself to take advantage of career fairs, networking workshops, and other opportunities offered by your university’s career center.

As a student in Kent State’s online BSPH program, you’ll have access to:

Drop-In Career Advising
Get help with quick questions about majors and careers, resume and cover letter critiques, increasing your networking skills, learning interviewing tips, and more.

Future-Focused Fridays
Join workshops designed to help with your career pursuit. Each sessions includes 30 minutes of presented content and 30 minutes for questions and group discussion.

Handshake
Connect to motivated professionals across the country and seek out your next job on this online job board and networking platform.

Career Advisors
Meet to explore interests, skills, values, and lifestyle preferences as part of choosing a career.

The choice to earn a degree is often determined by money, and for good reason. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) confirm that employees with college degrees typically earn more and face less unemployment than those without. In 2021—the most recent year for which the BLS has published data—professionals with bachelor’s degrees, working full-time, earned a median weekly income of $1,334 ($69,368 per year) while those who had some college credits but no degree earned $899 ($46,748 per year).¹ That’s a 48% difference in annual salary alone. Further, degree-holders experienced an unemployment rate of 3.5%, while those without the credential faced 4.6% unemployment.¹

As if money weren’t a strong enough motivator, job opportunities that require an undergraduate degree often come with advantages that go beyond salary. These are benefits that improve the quality of life for employees and their families in the short- and long-term. They include:

• Paid time for vacation and healthcare
• Access to better health insurance, which translates to lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs, for employees and their dependents
• Access to life insurance
• Long-term savings and investment plans that are employer-subsidized
• Opportunities for further education through graduate study and continued professional training

In recent years, furthermore, many professionals with bachelor’s and graduate degrees have begun working from home with notable success. The New York Times has reported on the many resulting benefits:

More money
As estimated by the consulting firm Global Workplace Analytics, savings from reduced gasoline and daycare costs could total an average of $2,000-$6,500 per year, per person.²

Better health
By working from home, employees can remain protected from communicable diseases (including COVID-19, among others), and spend more time on physical activity,² cooking at home rather than eating at the office, and other health-related pursuits.

Less time and stress on the road
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute found that the average American who commutes by car spends 54 hours—nearly seven business days—stuck in traffic each year. In addition, driving to and from work has been linked to higher stress, pollution, and respiratory problems.²

Increased job satisfaction
A 2005 study published in the Journal of Management found that employees’ job satisfaction increased with each additional hour they worked remotely.³

A healthier environment
Based on their research, Global Workplace Analytics estimates that, if everyone in this country worked remotely half the time, vehicular travel-induced greenhouse gas emissions would decrease by more than 51 million metric tons a year.²

To graduate with your bachelor’s degree, you don’t have to quit your job or learn to navigate a new campus. In Kent State’s online BSPH program, you’ll take classes and complete your studies from home or anywhere else with a Wifi connection. Your college experience will include the long-term benefits of a richly diverse curriculum and opportunities to connect and work with supportive faculty and classmates—just as it would on campus.

In Kent State’s online BSPH program, you’ll gain all the benefits that a nationally recognized academic institution provides—delivered in a flexible format that fits your schedule. Offered entirely online, the BSPH prepares you for new career opportunities and expanded salary potential.