Community Health Degree?

[FineGentleman]

I will be enrolling in Hunter for a Community Health Education degree.

Is this a good idea? Does anyone know anything about this major and its job prospects with just a bachelors?

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[cw625]

I've just enrolled for an MPH program in Community Health and Health Behavior. I absolutely believe there are positions in non-profit and even the government if you do the right networking. I was offered a full-time position in substance abuse prevention with only a BA in Psych and Sociology. That came from a couple months of internship. Your program seems more geared toward this type of work, and it should afford you plenty of opportunities to gain experience with actual agencies in your area. That's my best advice - craft your resume into something impressive and gain as much relevant experience as possible while still in school. It will shape and reshape your interests while building strong connections and references in the field.

Congrats on your acceptance!

 

[defygravity96]

I will be graduating with my BS in Community Health and going to school to get my MPH!

In your last semester of your undergraduate degree in Community Health. You are eligible to sit for the Community Health Education Specialist (CHES) Exam. It's quickly becoming a requirement for jobs in health education and it's great to be certified once you have graduated. I will be sitting for my exam later this month.

 

[FineGentleman]

What is a favorable job to get with this degree? or the MPH? I'm unsure as to what I would be doing with this. I'm cool with a salary at around 50k a year.

 

[k78o0n3o21h]

I think you'll be looking at around 30k/year, especially with the sequestering, and most likely for a non-profit org (there are so many working to improve communities' health). I agree that you will definitely need to start networking and interning as soon as possible to make yourself more competitive, but there is certainly possibility for you to get a job with your bachelor's degree. Do you know what you might be interested in? Research, community organizing/working in the field, mentoring, teaching, health admin, health IT? This will open a lot of doors for you. Congrats!

 

[FineGentleman]

I think you'll be looking at around 30k/year, especially with the sequestering, and most likely for a non-profit org (there are so many working to improve communities' health). I agree that you will definitely need to start networking and interning as soon as possible to make yourself more competitive, but there is certainly possibility for you to get a job with your bachelor's degree. Do you know what you might be interested in? Research, community organizing/working in the field, mentoring, teaching, health admin, health IT? This will open a lot of doors for you. Congrats!

Thank you for the reply! All those jobs sound really interesting although they may not pay very well. I mostly interested in mentoring, teaching, health admin. Anything that allows me to guide/help people is awesome. Maybe I'll use it to go to PT school.

 

[AustinTX]

I graduated last year with a BS in Community Health, and I found a job immediately after graduation (I was actually hired during my practicum). I have found the degree to be very useful, as it was heavy on program planning & evaluation, research, and conducting community health assessments.

If you can gain experience in some niche areas, such as GIS mapping, public health informatics/data analysis, etc. you may be able to earn more, but I highly doubt you could find a job making $50K with no experience.

I would also recommend getting as much hands-on experience with writing grant applications as possible.

Best of luck and enjoying your coursework!