Public Health
Epidemiology, community health, biostatistics, and health policy.
Who It's For
You want to improve health at a community or population level rather than treating individual patients. If you care about health equity, enjoy analyzing data on disease patterns, and want to influence health policy, public health combines science with social impact. Students who think broadly about systems and populations, and who are motivated by social justice, do well here.
If you want to work directly with individual patients providing hands-on care, nursing or pre-med is a better path. Students who dislike statistics, policy analysis, or working within bureaucratic systems may find public health frustrating.
How Your High School Classes Connect
How much each subject matters in this degree
Common Coursework
Survey life science from cells to ecosystems — genetics, evolution, ecology, and physiology.
Study how communities prevent disease and promote health through policy, education, and surveillance.
Design studies, collect data, and analyze results using quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Apply statistical methods to biological and health data for experiments and clinical studies.
Track how diseases spread through populations and identify risk factors using outbreak investigations.
Study how psychological and social factors influence health behaviors and outcomes.
Study how air, water, food, and chemical exposures affect human health at the population level.
Design and deliver health education programs that change behaviors in specific populations.
Analyze how healthcare systems are organized, funded, and reformed through public policy.
Compare health challenges worldwide — infectious diseases, maternal health, and healthcare access disparities.
Craft health messages for diverse audiences using media, campaigns, and interpersonal strategies.
Study atoms, bonding, reactions, and equilibrium — the foundational chemistry for all sciences.
Common Next Steps
Brightest = most common path
Top Colleges for Public Health
Related Careers
Primary Path
Also Common
Job Market Outlook
Explore Career Paths
Interactive map showing how Public Health connects to 8+ careers
Is Public Health right for you?
Take our free 20-minute assessment to find out if public health matches your personality, interests, and strengths.
Take the Free Assessment