BSPH Job Outlook
What do public health educators do?
- Prevent diseases like cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes
- Change people's behavior so they stop smoking, abusing alcohol and drugs, engaging in unprotected sex, bullying others, putting themselves at risk to HIV, eating unhealthy, drinking lead-tainted water, leading an inactive lifestyle and other health behaviors
- Work to pass laws, like the "no smoking in places where people work" law in Michigan, in order to protect lives
- Work with media and social media to deliver health messages to populations at greatest risk
- Increase access to health services, regardless of race, gender or any other factor that would discriminate one from living a long and high quality life
Where do public health educators work?
- Public health departments
- Non-profit agencies like American Heart Association, Planned Parenthood and community drug prevention agencies
- Hospital education and outreach centers
- Corporate worksites
- Health insurance organizations, like Blue Care Network
How much do public health professionals earn?
- The typical starting salary in Michigan is 50,000-$60,000, depending on agency and type of job.
Are jobs available?
- Yes! In fact the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics identified "health educator" as a career expected to increase 7% between 2022 and 2032.
Career paths for BSPH grads
- Public health educator
- Health educator
- Health education specialist
- Epidemiologist
- Nutrition educator
- Community health educator
- Community outreach manager
- Wellness program specialist
- Health education coordinator
- HIV prevention coordinator
- Worksite health promotion specialist
- Health promotion coordinator
- Certified health and wellness coach
- Patient program coordinator
- Sexuality educator
- Behavioral health education specialist
- Injury prevention coordinator
- Substance abuse prevention specialist
- Tobacco treatment counselor
- Wellness account manager
- Community educator
- Community initiatives coordinator
- Youth/family program coordinator
- Sexual violence prevention coordinator
- Event specialist
- Community development director