Public health careers go far beyond government health departments. The field includes data analysts, educators, environmental specialists and policy experts. What connects them is a focus on prevention: addressing problems before they require treatment.
Maybe you’re drawn to healthcare but want a career built around prevention. Public health may be a better fit than nursing or clinical care.
For students weighing where to start, programs like the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Public Health online program at Campbellsville University are built for exactly this. They cover the science, policy and communication skills the roles below all draw on.
This guide breaks down eight core public health career paths. It covers what each pays and where public health professionals work. It also explains which roles require a bachelor’s degree versus a graduate degree. Maybe you’re comparing public health to a nursing or health administration program, or you just want to know what a “public health career” looks like. Either way, the sections below cover the field’s full range.
What Does a Public Health Worker Do? Roles, Settings and Responsibilities
A public health worker prevents disease and protects the health of entire communities, rather than treating individual patients. According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), “public health promotes and protects the health of all people and their communities.” Its goal, per APHA, is “to give everyone a safe place to live, learn, work and play.” That mission sets public health apart from clinical healthcare.
As APHA puts it: “The health care industry treats people who are sick, while public health aims to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place.” In practice, public health workers study disease patterns and design education campaigns. They assess environmental risks and analyze health data. They also help shape the policies that determine how communities access care.
Some hold clinical backgrounds; many do not. What they share is a population-level lens. Success is measured in outcomes across a city, state or country, not a single patient chart.
This is also why public health appeals to people who like healthcare’s mission but not its bedside setting. A nurse or physician assistant sees one patient at a time. A public health worker might spend a career lowering a county’s diabetes rate, closing a gap in vaccination coverage or making sure a water system meets safety standards. Neither approach is “better.” They’re different tools aimed at the same goal: a healthier population.
Public Health Careers: What Professionals in the Field Actually Do
Public health careers cover a wide range of daily responsibilities, work settings and pay scales. The eight roles below are the field’s most common entry points and mid-career paths.
They run from community-facing work to data-driven policy roles. Salary figures come from BLS and Payscale, and they reflect national medians, which vary by employer, location and experience.
Public Health Careers at a Glance
| Role | Median Annual Salary | Projected Growth (2025-35) | Typical Entry Education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Worker | $51,850 | 13% | High school diploma |
| Health Educator | $64,070 | 6% | Bachelor’s degree |
| Epidemiologist | $87,220 | 19% | Master’s degree (often MPH) |
| Environmental Health Specialist | $82,220 | 6% | Bachelor’s degree |
| Public Health Analyst | $73,608 (average) | N/A | Bachelor’s degree |
| Health Services Manager | $123,860 | 24% | Bachelor’s degree |
| Biostatistician | $105,650 | 11% | Master’s degree |
| Health Policy Advocate | $72,769 (average) | N/A | Bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) |
Community Health Worker
A community health worker is a public health professional who connects underserved communities with health resources, education and services they might otherwise miss. Community health workers build trust within neighborhoods. They help residents navigate insurance and care systems, and they run outreach on issues like vaccination or chronic disease management. Many work for local health departments, community clinics or nonprofit organizations, and much of the job happens in person: home visits, community centers, local events, rather than behind a desk.
Most positions require only a high school diploma or equivalent, making this one of the field’s most accessible entry points. Some employers do prefer an associate or bachelor’s degree, along with a community health worker certification. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for community health workers was $51,850 as of May 2025, with employment projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average.
Health Educator
A health educator is a public health professional who designs and delivers programs that teach people how to adopt healthier behaviors. Health educators develop curricula and run workshops. They also evaluate whether programs change outcomes, often inside schools, hospitals or community organizations. Day to day, that can mean building a diabetes-prevention workshop for a hospital system, training peer educators at a nonprofit, or writing a school district’s health curriculum.
The role typically requires a bachelor’s degree, ideally with coursework in health promotion or behavioral science. BLS classifies this role as “health education specialists” and reports a median annual wage of $64,070, with 6% projected job growth from 2025 to 2035.
Epidemiologist
An epidemiologist is a public health professional who tracks how diseases and health threats spread through a population. Epidemiologists investigate outbreaks and analyze surveillance data. They also advise health departments on containment strategies. Much of the work happens in offices and laboratories, though some roles involve field work during emergency responses.
The role sits behind most infectious-disease news stories: When a health department announces a foodborne outbreak’s likely source, an epidemiologist typically ran that analysis. Most epidemiologist roles require a master’s degree, frequently a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in epidemiology. According to BLS, epidemiologists earned a median annual wage of $87,220 in May 2025, with employment projected to grow 19% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average.
Environmental Health Specialist
An environmental health specialist is a public health professional who evaluates how environmental conditions affect community health, from air quality to water safety to food handling. Common tasks include inspecting restaurants and water systems and testing for contaminants. Specialists also enforce environmental health codes for a local or state health department, splitting their time between office or lab work and field inspections.
The BLS groups this work within its broader environmental scientists and specialists category, which typically requires a bachelor’s degree in environmental science or a related field. That category reports a median annual wage of $82,220, with 6% projected growth from 2025 to 2035, faster than average.
Public Health Analyst
A public health analyst is a public health professional who collects and interprets health data to guide program and policy decisions. Analysts translate raw data, such as case counts, survey results and program metrics, into recommendations for health departments, hospital systems or nonprofits. Often, that means building the dashboards and reports leadership uses to decide where to direct funding or staff.
The role typically calls for a bachelor’s degree in public health, statistics or a related field, plus strong data and spreadsheet skills. According to Payscale, public health analysts earn an average annual salary of $73,608, with most professionals earning between $51,000 and $101,000 depending on experience and location.
Health Services Manager
A health services manager is a public health professional who administers public health programs, clinics or departments. Health services managers oversee budgets, staffing and compliance. They also run the day-to-day operations of hospitals, ambulatory care settings or government agencies, and the role often becomes a leadership track for people who start in more hands-on public health jobs.
BLS reports this role typically requires a bachelor’s degree, though requirements vary by employer, and larger health systems increasingly prefer a master’s degree for senior positions. Medical and health services managers earned a median annual wage of $123,860 in May 2025, with employment projected to grow 24% from 2025 to 2035, among the fastest growth rates in the field.
Biostatistician
A biostatistician is a public health professional who applies statistical methods to public health and medical data, from clinical trial results to population health trends. Biostatisticians design studies and run the statistical models behind published research. They help determine whether a treatment or public health intervention works, most often working closely alongside epidemiologists and physicians.
Biostatisticians typically need at least a master’s degree in statistics or biostatistics, though some entry-level roles accept a bachelor’s degree with strong quantitative coursework. BLS reports statisticians, the broader category that includes biostatisticians, earned a median annual wage of $105,720 in May 2025, with job growth projected at 10% from 2025 to 2035.
Health Policy Advocate
A health policy advocate is a public health professional who works to shape health legislation and regulation, typically inside government offices, nonprofits or advocacy organizations. Health policy advocates research proposed laws and brief lawmakers. They also build public support for policy change, translating public health evidence into language legislators and the public can act on.
Most roles favor a bachelor’s degree at minimum, and many advocacy and government positions prefer a master’s degree in public health or public policy. Dedicated salary data for health policy advocates specifically isn’t published, so the figures below reflect the closely related role of health policy analyst. According to Payscale, health policy analysts earn an average annual salary of $72,769, with a typical range of $57,000 to $109,000.
Careers in Public Health: A Look at the Full Spectrum of Roles
Careers in public health aren’t limited to government offices, though public agencies remain a major employer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), public health work happens across “state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments,” supporting community-level services and emergency response. Public health professionals also work inside federal agencies, including the CDC, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Outside of government, public health careers extend further. They reach nonprofit organizations focused on specific health issues, and hospitals and health systems that run community health programs. Colleges and universities conducting public health research are part of the mix too, along with international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) addressing global health challenges.
That breadth is part of what makes the field flexible: A public health degree can lead to work in a health department, a hospital system, a research university or an advocacy nonprofit, often without changing your job title. Campbellsville University’s B.S. in Public Health, for example, is built to prepare graduates for several of these settings at once, rather than locking them into a single employer type.
A health educator at a hospital might spend the day running patient workshops, while a health educator at a university studies which teaching methods work best instead. A data-focused public health analyst could work for a state health department one year; the next year, that same analyst might work for a hospital system. Which of these roles fits best often comes down to the degree behind them, since some require only a bachelor’s degree and others call for graduate study.
Ready to turn your interest in prevention into a career?
Explore Campbellsville University’s online Bachelor of Science in Public Health, a 100% online program with a required internship that you can complete in as little as two to 3.5 years.
View ProgramPublic Health Degree Jobs: Which Roles Require a Bachelor’s or Higher
Most entry-level public health degree jobs require a bachelor’s degree, while several specialized and leadership roles call for a master’s degree, most often an MPH. Health educator, environmental health specialist and health services manager roles typically start with a bachelor’s degree. Most community health worker positions require only a high school diploma. Other roles are built on advanced data analysis or disease investigation: Epidemiologist and biostatistician are two examples, and both generally require a master’s degree, based on the education levels the BLS lists for each occupation.
A bachelor’s degree in public health doesn’t just open entry-level roles. It also builds the foundation for graduate study, without requiring students to start from scratch on core concepts once they enroll in an MPH or a related master’s program.
For students who aren’t sure whether they want a hands-on community role or a data- and research-heavy career, that’s a real advantage. A bachelor’s degree keeps both paths open. You can start in an entry-level public health job and gain a few years of field experience, then decide whether an MPH is worth pursuing for a role like epidemiologist or biostatistician.
How CU’s B.S. in Public Health Prepares You for These Career Paths
Campbellsville University’s online Bachelor of Science in Public Health is built around core areas including community health, health promotion, infectious disease, behavior change, epidemiology and health policy. The 120-credit-hour program combines general education, major coursework and electives, and it’s designed to be completed in as little as two to 3.5 years, depending on transfer credits. Because the program is delivered 100% online, students can complete coursework while working or managing other responsibilities.
Graduates of the program are positioned for entry-level roles such as community health worker, health educator, environmental health specialist and program coordinator, several of the exact career paths outlined above, while also building the academic foundation for graduate study in public health. Students interested in the physical activity side of community health can pair their studies with CU’s Fitness and Sport Training certificate, which complements a public health background for students interested in wellness-focused careers.
If a community-focused, prevention-driven healthcare career sounds like the right fit, Campbellsville University’s online B.S. in Public Health is designed to prepare you for it.
Public Health Careers FAQ
Here are quick answers to a few common questions about starting a career in public health.
Do I need a master’s degree to work in public health?
No. Several public health careers, including community health worker, health educator and environmental health specialist, typically require only a high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree. A master’s degree, often an MPH, is generally required for more specialized roles like epidemiologist or biostatistician.
What is the highest-paying public health career?
Among the roles covered above, health services manager pays the most, with a BLS-reported median annual wage of $123,860 as of May 2025. Biostatistician and epidemiologist roles also pay well above the group’s overall median.
Is public health a good career if I don’t want to work directly with patients?
Yes. Public health careers focus on population-level work rather than one-on-one patient care, making the field a strong fit for people who want a healthcare-adjacent career without a clinical, bedside role.
About Campbellsville University’s B.S. in Public Health
Campbellsville University was founded in 1906 and is a Christian institution grounded in the liberal arts, with a mission centered on academic excellence and servant leadership. The university has been recognized as one of America’s Best Christian Colleges and ranks among the top institutions in Kentucky and the South in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings. It also holds a Military Friendly School designation and has been named to the President’s Higher Education Honor Roll for Community Service.
Campbellsville operates multiple regional centers across Kentucky in addition to its fully online programs, giving students several ways to access a Campbellsville education beyond the main campus. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and every student in the online B.S. in Public Health completes a required semester-long internship to gain hands-on field experience before graduation.