Master of Public Health Careers
Increase Your Career Impact With an Online Master of Public Health
Become a more effective and influential advocate for public health with an online Master of Public Health from the Kent State University College of Public Health. Public health careers offer the satisfaction of making lasting contributions to the well-being of individuals and communities, and ultimately, contributing to a healthier and more equitable world.
The Kent State online Master of Public Health (MPH) can support you in doing more good for the communities you serve by developing the skills and confidence to succeed in your chosen area of public health. Tailor your degree to advance your career goals, whether you want to move from clinical practice into management, or want to work on research or health policy initiatives outside of clinical medicine.
Not only can your increased career impact give you more professional satisfaction, but your advanced degree will position you for leadership in a field that's expected to see unprecedented growth in the next several years.1
A Master of Public Health Is an Investment in Your Career
The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences has found that people with a master’s degree or above earn higher median salaries on average than those with a bachelor’s degree.
Advanced degree holders average 21% higher earnings.2
For example, the 2021 median earnings for those who had completed a master’s degree or above was $74,600, compared to $61,600 for those who had completed their bachelor’s.2
MPH Career Outcomes
A Master of Public Health degree prepares you for leadership roles in several health services and public health careers, where you can earn salaries like these:
for Medical Writers5
Kent State Outcomes by the Numbers
Recently surveyed KSU MPH alumni almost unanimously reported being able to apply their coursework to their careers. Most of them reported a salary increase and many saw a pay raise of more than 25%.9
Top Employers for MPH Graduates10-13
MPH graduates can be found in many employment sectors, with different industries and career roles based on their degree concentration. In general, the top employers for MPH graduates are:
- Federal, state and local government
- Life sciences research and development organizations
- Hospitals: state, local and private
- Healthcare organizations
- Individual and family services
- Nursing and residential care facilities
Customize Your Career Path with a Specialization
You have the choice of three specialization areas with your online MPH from the Kent State College of Public Health, so you can focus on what's important to you. This flexibility helps you create a rewarding career and make your best contributions to public health.
Follow these links to learn more about the skills and knowledge you’ll gain in each of the specializations. Stay on this page to explore career paths you can follow.
Hear From a Kent State Graduate
“My KSU CPH education really helped me begin to see and apply public health principles to my roles to discover new and innovative ways to grow them.”
Bright Career Outlook for Master of Public Health Graduates
Master of public health careers are rewarding and MPH graduates will have many opportunities through 2032. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the health care and social assistance sector to account for about 45% of all new jobs in this timeframe.14
Assistance Jobs Through 203214
Public Health Career Growth Rates
While the overall job growth rate is expected to be 0.3% per year through 2032, the healthcare and social assistance sector will grow significantly faster.
Three Routes to a High-Impact Public Health Career
Browse the sections below to review the rewarding career paths that Kent State’s three MPH specializations can equip you for.
HPM Career Paths
Online MPH graduates who have specialized in Health Policy and Management (HPM) have supported public health and health equity in roles that include:
- Healthcare administrator
- Social services director
- Systems analyst
- Development officer
- Financial analyst
SBS Career Paths
Graduates of the online MPH program who specialized in Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) have been successful in the following careers:
- Clinical research coordinator
- Research analyst
- Wellness coordinator
- Behavioral health program coordinator
- Public health educator
- Account specialist
Epidemiology Career Paths
Kent State MPH graduates who have specialized in Epidemiology have gone on to thrive in roles that include:
- Healthcare administrator
- Social services director
- Systems analyst
- Development officer
- Financial analyst
Public Health Career Resources
As an MPH student, you have access to a variety of career development resources, including drop-in advising sessions that are right-sized for help with quick questions about career development topics including:
- Resume and CV support
- Accessing and navigating the online career community, Handshake
- Improving networking skills
- Interview tips
Talk with an admissions outreach advisor to find out more about the drop-in sessions and other ways that Kent State and the College of Public Health support you on your career journey.
More MPH Career Options to Consider
Check out this infographic for a closer look at six roles an MPH can prepare you for.
Kent MPH Alumni Snapshots
Haris Ahmad, MPH ’22
Epidemiology Specialization
Recently accepted into the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellowship program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Haris Ahmad will be researching vaccine effectiveness to inform vaccine policy at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.
Shanice Cheatham, MPH ’21
Health Policy and Management Specialization
A Presidential Fellow at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, Shanice Cheatham is also an entrepreneur who founded a healthcare products company. Cheatham has an undergraduate degree in cellular and molecular biology and aspires to become a trauma surgeon. As a Presidential Fellow, Cheatham works on major projects for the Meharry Medical College.
Rebecca Jindra, MPH ’21
Epidemiology Specialization
Accepted into the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Applied Epidemiology Fellowship program after earning her MPH, Rebecca Jindra is on the epidemiology team at the Santa Barbara County (California) Public Health Department, where she's working to understand the health of residents living in Santa Barbara County and implementing evidence-based strategies to help address community needs.
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- Retrieved on November 7, 2018, from bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023 from nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Epidemiologist-Salary
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from payscale.com/research/US/Job=Medical_Writer/Salary
- Retrieved on October 12, 2020, from payscale.com/research/US/Job=Hospital_Administrator/Salary
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Health-Policy-Advisor-Salary
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Chief-Medical-Officer-Salary
- Based on a limited sample of self-reported data from Kent State alumni, 2019-2023.
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-3
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from bls.gov/ooh/management/natural-sciences-managers.htm#tab-3
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from bls.gov/ooh/management/social-and-community-service-managers.htm#tab-3
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-systems-analysts.htm#tab-3
- Retrieved on October 12, 2023, from bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf