Online Associates Degree in Public Health

Everyone has a stake in public health, which encompasses topics such as behavioral science, biostatistics, epidemiology, global health, health education and preparedness, health informatics, and public health administration. Since 9/11, bio-terrorism, crisis management and mass casualty have been added to the curriculum.

The Association for Prevention Teaching and Research reports that fewer than 2 percent of community colleges offered public health degrees in 2009-10. However, the field was identified by the Chronicle of Higher Education as "one of the five most rapidly growing undergraduate majors." Associate degrees in public health can be the first step toward a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree.

Beyond associate degrees in public health

If you decide to continue your studies, you could transfer to a four-year program. Among your choices for coursework are health policy and management, health communications, occupational health and safety, environmental health sciences, international health, nutrition, and women's and minority health. Other potential subjects span public health ethics, leadership, medicine, policy, law, research and prevention.

Graduate degrees range from Master of Public Health to Master of Health Administration to Master of Business Administration with a health policy and management concentration. Doctoral candidates can choose the Doctor of Public Health, which is practice-oriented, or the Doctor of Science and Ph.D. in Public Health, which are research-oriented.

Out of the accredited degree programs for public health, master's degrees are the most common, according to the Association of Schools of Public Health. Both master's and doctoral programs offer online studies.

Public health careers, outlook and salary

With an associate degree, you could explore the following occupations, shown with the 2010 median wage and job growth projections for 2010-2020 as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

1. Occupational health and safety technicians: 12.9 percent growth, $45,330 salary
2. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health: 23.6 percent growth, $41,400 salary
3. Other health care technologists and technicians: 23.2 percent growth, $38,500 salary

Additional training such as bachelor's degrees could lead to work as an occupational health and safety specialist, with a median wage of $64,660 in 2010, according to the BLS. Even though you can seek positions with an associate degree, over 40 percent of the professionals listed above hold four-year degrees or higher. Even if you are already working, you can get started on your public health career by earning an associate degree online.

Everyone has a stake in public health, which encompasses topics such as behavioral science, biostatistics, epidemiology, global health, health education and preparedness, health informatics, and public health administration. Since 9/11, bio-terrorism, crisis management and mass casualty have been added to the curriculum.

The Association for Prevention Teaching and Research reports that fewer than 2 percent of community colleges offered public health degrees in 2009-10. However, the field was identified by the Chronicle of Higher Education as "one of the five most rapidly growing undergraduate majors." Associate degrees in public health can be the first step toward a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree.

Beyond associate degrees in public health

If you decide to continue your studies, you could transfer to a four-year program. Among your choices for coursework are …