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Public health officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a public health officer. Public health officers usually study public health, biology, or nursing. 50% of public health officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 219 real public health officer resumes to see exactly what public health officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for public health officers are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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

What education do you need to become a public health officer?

What degree do you need to be a public health officer?

The most common degree for public health officers is bachelor's degree, with 50% of public health officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 50%
  • Master's, 25%
  • Doctorate, 10%
  • Diploma, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a public health officer?

You should major in public health to become a public health officer. 38% of public health officers major in public health. Other common majors for a public health officer include biology and nursing.

Most common colleges for public health officers

Public health officers often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Northern Iowa, and Texas A&M; University. Here are the most common colleges for public health officers in the US based on their resumes.
Public health officer common collegePercentages
University of California, Santa Barbara18.52%
University of Northern Iowa7.41%
Texas A&M University7.41%
University of California - San Diego7.41%
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania3.70%

Best majors for public health officers

Best colleges for public health officers

The best colleges for public health officers are Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University.

A public health officer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for public health officers. 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 public health officers.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

5. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for public health officers

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1. Data and Health Indicators in Public Health Practice

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Epidemiology is often described as the cornerstone science in public health. Epidemiology in public health practice uses study design and analyses to identify causes in an outbreak situation, guides interventions to improve population health, and evaluates programs and policies. In this course, we'll define the role of the professional epidemiologist as it relates to public health services, functions, and competencies. With that foundation in mind, we'll introduce you to the problem solving...

2. Breastfeeding: Public Health Perspectives

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Engaging in this course will provide you with the opportunity to think about breastfeeding and its public health implications. The Socio-Ecological Model will be the framework of the course as we think about how each level of the Model (individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and public policy) impacts breastfeeding practices in the United States, and globally. Through short video lectures you will be introduced to relevant topics related to the public health perspectives of...

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5. Systems Thinking In Public Health

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This course provides an introduction to systems thinking and systems models in public health. Problems in public health and health policy tend to be complex with many actors, institutions and risk factors involved. If an outcome depends on many interacting and adaptive parts and actors the outcome cannot be analyzed or predicted with traditional statistical methods. Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and helps health policymakers build programs and policies that are aware of and...

6. Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 2

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This course, Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 2, addresses public health issues of people affected by disasters, both natural or conflict-related. It discusses the many changes that occur in people’s lives when they are uprooted by a disaster, including many important topics related to humanitarian crises, such as when there is an epidemic a public health emergency; what do we mean with the humanitarian development nexus; what are the basics of disaster epidemiology and surveillance;...

7. The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health

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The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health provides an engaging overview of the incredible accomplishments and promise of the public health field. The first module includes interviews with legendary public health figures whose work led to millions of lives saved with vaccines, air bags and car seats, and the federal Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program. The second module brings key public health tools to life -- including use of data, communications, and policy - through...

8. Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach

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Public Mental Health is the application of the principles of medicine and social science to prevent the occurrence of mental and behavioral disorders and to promote mental health of the population. This course illustrates the principles of public health applied to depressive disorder, including principles of epidemiology, transcultural psychiatry, health services research, and prevention. It is predicted that by 2020 depressive disorder will be the most important cause of disease burden in the...

9. Foundations of Public Health Practice

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This specialisation will enable you to reflect on and cultivate the behaviours you require to become an effective public health professional –whether as an academic, practitioner, clinician, manager or leader.The specialisation is shaped into four courses covering the origins of public health, health improvement, behaviour change, and health protection. The specialisation will draw upon learning from the Statistics for Public Health and Epidemiology for Public Health specialisations, and builds...

10. Leadership for Public Health Crises

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Leadership for Public Health Crises will enable current and prospective managers, directors, unit heads, and elected officials to effectively lead their organizational response to profound health-related emergencies and to build leadership capacity across multiple sectors, agencies, organizations, and divisions. This series of courses prepares graduate students (in, e.g., public administration, public health, social work, business, homeland security, education, and related fields) and...

11. Participatory Approaches in Public Health

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This specialisation guides learners through the process of designing an appropriate participatory approach to a given public health challenge, focusing on the history, theory and practice of participatory approaches to public health. You'll gain an understanding of the impact of social and cultural contexts in which public health programmes exist, as well as, why participatory approaches could better assist in meeting the population’s needs and solving certain health-related challenges...

12. Biostatistics in Public Health

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This specialization is intended for public health and healthcare professionals, researchers, data analysts, social workers, and others who need a comprehensive concepts-centric biostatistics primer. Those who complete the specialization will be able to read and respond to the scientific literature, including the Methods and Results sections, in public health, medicine, biological science, and related fields. Successful learners will also be prepared to participate as part of a research team...

13. Epidemiology in Public Health Practice

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This specialization is intended for people working or aspiring to work in the field of public health at the local, regional, and national level. Over five courses taught by faculty from the preeminent school of public health, you'll learn to use the core epidemiologic toolset to measure the health of populations, assess interventions, collect and analyze data, and investigate outbreaks and epidemics...

14. Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies

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The Center for Humanitarian Emergencies is a partnership between CDC's Emergency Response and Recovery Branch and the Rollins School of Public Health that drives global collaboration, research and evidence based training to improve the lives and well-being of populations impacted by humanitarian emergencies. - Center for Humanitarian Emergencies: http://www.che.emory.edu/ - CDC's Emergency Response and Recovery Branch: http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/healthprotection/errb/index.html This course...

15. Global Health Policy

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In this course, learners will become familiar with principles and theories of global health problems, and major challenges and controversies in improving global population health as well as practical applications of quantitative methods to analyze and interpret issues and challenges for policy. Topics will include health and foreign policy, health governance, acute disease surveillance, non-communicable diseases, burden of disease, universal health coverage, health systems strengthening, health...

16. Hypothesis Testing in Public Health

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Biostatistics is an essential skill for every public health researcher because it provides a set of precise methods for extracting meaningful conclusions from data. In this second course of the Biostatistics in Public Health Specialization, you'll learn to evaluate sample variability and apply statistical hypothesis testing methods. Along the way, you'll perform calculations and interpret real-world data from the published scientific literature. Topics include sample statistics, the central...

17. Climate Change, Sustainability, and Global Public Health

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The third course of the Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health specialization will introduce you to two major environmental health challenges facing the world today. The first is climate change –the preeminent threat to public health today, and a threat that will impact every human and ecosystem on the planet. We will evaluate the causes and impacts of climate change, as well as policies and approaches that can be used to reduce the impacts of climate change on human health. The...

18. Introduction to Digital health

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This course introduces the field of digital health and the key concepts and definitions in this emerging field. The key topics include Learning Health Systems and Electronic Health Records and various types of digital health technologies to include mobile applications, wearable technologies, health information systems, telehealth, telemedicine, machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data. These technologies are assessed in terms of the key opportunities and challenges to their use...

19. Health Behavior Change: From Evidence to Action

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Humans often fail to make rational decisions that affect their health. This course seeks to heighten understanding of the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health decisions and behaviors, with an ultimate goal of learning how to utilize these factors in improving public health efforts. Through a set of experiential learning exercises, students will learn to apply the science of health behavior change in their own lives. The course is appropriate for students interested in health...

20. Foundational Skills for Communicating About Health

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Effective communication is a core skill that nearly every health professional will need and use during their careers. Yet, few health professionals receive even basic training in how to design communications to be clear and successful. As “foundational skills,” the content in this course can be applied to both oral and written communication, within and beyond health. Learners will develop the skills to: analyze and tailor a communication effort for different audiences, develop clear messages,...

Top 10 most affordable universities for public health officers

The most affordable schools for public health officers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for public health officers 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 public health officers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

9. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public health officers

The hardest universities for public health officers to get into are Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University.

Some great schools for public health officers 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 public health officers 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

5. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

10. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,443

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public health officers

The easiest schools for public health officers to get into are D'Youville College, felician university, and curry college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a public health officer 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 public health officers.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. American International College

Springfield, MA • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

1,010

9. Dominican College of Blauvelt

Orangeburg, NY • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,038

10. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

Average public health officer salary by education level

Public health officers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $75,353 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, public health officers earn a median annual income of $62,922 compared to $61,607 for public health officers with an Associate degree.
Public health officer education levelPublic health officer salary
Master's Degree$75,353
High School Diploma or Less$54,580
Bachelor's Degree$62,922
Some College/ Associate Degree$61,607

Public health officer 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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