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Health professor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a health professor. Health professors usually study kinesiology, nursing, or health education. 45% of health professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 103 real health professor resumes to see exactly what health professor education sections show.

The most common colleges for health professors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online health professor courses to help get the education required to be a health professor.

What education do you need to become a health professor?

What degree do you need to be a health professor?

The most common degree for health professors is bachelor's degree, with 45% of health professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 33% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 45%
  • Master's, 33%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Doctorate, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a health professor?

You should major in kinesiology to become a health professor. 14% of health professors major in kinesiology. Other common majors for a health professor include nursing and health education.

Most common colleges for health professors

Health professors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Central State University, and University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus. Here are the most common colleges for health professors in the US based on their resumes.
Health professor common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix12.50%
Central State University9.38%
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus9.38%
Ashford University6.25%
Northcentral University6.25%

Best majors for health professors

RankMajorPercentages
1Kinesiology13.5%
2Nursing10.8%
3Health Education10.8%
4Biology9.5%
5Education8.1%

Best colleges for health professors

The best colleges for health professors are Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

A health professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for health professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become health professors.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

3. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for health professors

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1. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...

2. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective)

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HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is a 12-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. Also, it has additional, optional modules on other topics of interest or relevance. Although we suggest to complete the course within a month's timeframe, the course is self-paced and so you can start and...

3. Health Data 101

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An Introduction to Health Data for data analysts...

4. Abnormal Behavior & Clinical Psychology (Certificate)

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4.4
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Guiding students into the field of mental health services for either personal and/or professional development...

5. Health Systems Development: Introduction to Health Systems

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This specialization is intended for people interested in health systems and how they function. Participants will learn about the global health systems landscape and the challenges and opportunities to achieve better health outcomes. This specialisation is divided into three courses which are offered as massive online open access courses (Courses 1-3), and a fourth course which is offered as part of the Online MPH degree (capstone). The Health Systems Development specialisation is geared toward...

6. Health Equity Research & Practice: Local & Global Lessons

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This course introduces students to the local and global lessons in health equity research and practice, covering topics such as the effects of structural drivers and systems of power on health equity and inequities in reproductive health and immigrant health. This course then goes on to apply these lessons to health equity research projects in settings around the world. Through exploration of global interventions, learners will be prepared to take on health disparities in their local...

7. Health Coaching Certification Holistic Wellness Health Coach

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Health Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Prepared Health Coaching Specialists in Holistic Wellness Health Coaching...

8. Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist

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Health Information Technology HIT...

9. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

10. Leading Change in Health Informatics

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Do you dream of being a CMIO or a Senior Director of Clinical Informatics? If you are aiming to rise up in the ranks in your health system or looking to pivot your career in the direction of big data and health IT, this course is made for you. You'll hear from experts at Johns Hopkins about their experiences harnessing the power of big data in healthcare, improving EHR adoption, and separating out the hope vs hype when it comes to digital medicine. Whether you're a nurse, pharmacist, physician,...

11. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Health & Wellness

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Learn about holistic health, wellness, key biomarkers, good sleep and ways to optimize your health...

12. Mental Health Ambassador Certificate

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Be a leader in improving society's mental health and learn to provide mental health first aid...

13. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities

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A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...

14. Comparative Health Systems

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This course uses comparative analysis of health care systems to gain a better understanding of health care systems in several high-income, middle-income and low-income countries. One focus of analysis in this course will therefore be to develop a better knowledge of these health care systems. A second focus will be to use to this analysis to gain a better understanding of the health care system in the United States. This analysis is relevant for those who are directly interested in the United...

15. Clinical Aromatherapy For Health Certificate Course (4 CEU)

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How to use aromatherapy with aromatherapy essential oils to become healthier, happier and feel more energetic naturally...

16. Basic of Clinical Data Management

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Clinical Data Management...

17. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...

18. Deep learning in Electronic Health Records - CDSS 2

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Overview of the main principles of Deep Learning along with common architectures. Formulate the problem for time-series classification and apply it to vital signals such as ECG. Applying this methods in Electronic Health Records is challenging due to the missing values and the heterogeneity in EHR, which include both continuous, ordinal and categorical variables. Subsequently, explore imputation techniques and different encoding strategies to address these issues. Apply these approaches to...

19. Mental Health and Wellness Professional (MHW) Diploma Course

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Discover a flexible and comprehensive way of understanding mental health as a Certified Mental Health Professional (MHP)...

20. Occupational Health & Safety Training

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Workplace Health and Safety Course For Employees & Managers...

Top 10 most affordable universities for health professors

The most affordable schools for health professors are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for health professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for health professors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for health professors

The hardest universities for health professors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for health professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for health professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

10. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for health professors

The easiest schools for health professors to get into are D'Youville College, barry university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a health professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for health professors.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average health professor salary by education level

According to our data, health professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $132,326 annually. Health professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $89,065.
Health professor education levelHealth professor salary
Master's Degree$89,065
Doctorate Degree$132,326

Health professor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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