If you want to help tackle global challenges ranging from pandemics to health disparities and social justice while making a positive impact on your own community, a career in public health may be the perfect fit for you. Through public health work, you can do meaningful, interdisciplinary work that encompasses medicine, sociology, environmental studies, and much more.
SDSU Global campus offers three unique graduate public health programs–two Masters programs and one Advanced Certificate. All three are fully online, and mostly asynchronous, making them perfect for working professionals and adult learners. So which of these public health programs is the best fit for you?
What is Health Promotion and Behavioral Science?
The Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science is focused on the intersection between health science and public policy. You’ll learn how to analyze health data and determinants in order to assess and fulfill the needs of a population.
You will learn the necessary skills to aid in the creation of public health solutions. You’ll be able to work in fields such as nonprofits, research, education, public policy, and corporate wellness and have opportunities to help the lives of everyone in your community–in particular those who are most vulnerable.
This MPH program covers a range of topics from health promotion program planning and assessment, theoretical foundations of health promotion, biostatistics, and health communication. It can be completed in just 22 months, is led by SDSU’s expert public health faculty who teach on-campus students, and includes field placement that gives you invaluable hands-on experience.
What is Epidemiology?
The Master of Public Health in Epidemiology shares a lot of similarities with health promotion, however it is focused on diseases and their spread. In the program, you’ll be learning how to conduct and analyze research on disease and injury in diverse human populations.
You’ll be working towards the same shared goal of protecting the health of populations. Your role in accomplishing this comes from tracking diseases, preventing future outbreaks, and evaluating health programs. Additionally, you have the job of amplifying community voices through participatory research.
This program shares all the same qualities with the MPH of Health Promotion–the completion time, expert faculty, and hands-on opportunities. Both programs allow you the flexibility to acquire public health knowledge and skills without having to put your life on hold. You don’t have to put your career on pause while you learn to advance it.
What is the Advanced Certificate in Public Health?
The Advanced Certificate in Public Health is a five-course program perfect for anyone who wants to test the waters of public health, as well as grad school in general. The certificate program gives you the opportunity to learn all about the core public health principles at a higher level.
Upon completion of the advanced certificate, you can choose to transfer the credits you earned into a master’s program and continue on your public health journey. This gives you the unique opportunity to accelerate the process of earning a Masters of Public Health.
Even if you don’t want to continue to a master’s program, earning an Advanced Certificate can still be a valuable endeavor. It can be leveraged into the opportunity for additional responsibilities at your current job, or even help land a promotion. Any of these three programs will aid you in becoming the best public health professional you can be.
Why Does Public Health Matter?
When it comes down to it, the job of public health professionals is to keep people safe and healthy. Their work in trying to correct disparities and disproportionate effects on certain communities is vital now more than ever. Real progress is being made every day, and those in the public health field are on the frontlines of this change.
“If your intellectual curiosity drives you to explore complex topics such as healthcare costs, disease outbreaks, and health equity, then the SDSU Global Campus is the perfect environment for you,” explained Professor Louise Gresham. “Our programs offer a comprehensive exploration of these issues, fostering a deep understanding that goes beyond the textbooks.”
Apply today to any of these graduate public health programs to advance your public health career and make a real difference in communities!
