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The differences between public health directors and department directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a public health director and a department director. Additionally, a department director has an average salary of $97,804, which is higher than the $85,569 average annual salary of a public health director.
The top three skills for a public health director include community health, public health and public health programs. The most important skills for a department director are patient care, patients, and healthcare.
| Public Health Director | Department Director | |
| Yearly salary | $85,569 | $97,804 |
| Hourly rate | $41.14 | $47.02 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 75,124 | 73,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Public affairs specialists, also called media or communication specialists, are responsible for communicating with the public on behalf of an individual, company, government, or politicians. This role will require you to perform various tasks including creating press kit materials, such as images, press releases, and pitch letters for media outlets, maintaining the reputation and identity of the client or employer, and evaluating clients' public opinion through polls, social media listening, and surveys. In addition, public affairs specialists are responsible for evaluating promotional and advertising programs.
A Department Director spearheads and oversees the operations of a department, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Although their responsibilities vary upon the functions of a department, they typically have the power to decide on projects and programs. Their responsibilities include setting goals, establishing budgets and guidelines, representing the department at meetings and media coverages, liaising with external business partners, managing staff, and monitoring the progress of operations. Moreover, a Department Director leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Public health directors and department directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Health Director | Department Director | |
| Average salary | $85,569 | $97,804 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $131,000 | Between $64,000 And $148,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Jefferson County Health Center | Anna Jaques Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Finance |
There are a few differences between a public health director and a department director in terms of educational background:
| Public Health Director | Department Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between public health directors' and department directors' demographics:
| Public Health Director | Department Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% | Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |