CPH Blog: 5 Rewarding Career Paths for MPH Graduates

George Mason University’s College of Public Health offers a CEPH-accredited Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with seven concentration options:

• Community Health Promotion
• Epidemiology
• Food Security and Nutrition
• Global Health
• Health Policy
• Health Equity and Social Justice
• Public Health Practice

This robust MPH program focuses on improving public health and well-being, especially among underrepresented communities. But what can you do with a master’s in public health? We’ve broken down five rewarding career fields for MPH graduates.

Career Fields for MPH Graduates

1. Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the branch of medicine which deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health. Epidemiologists study various diseases within a particular population for a variety of different purposes.

As an epidemiologist, your main responsibilities could include analyzing the possible causes for specific diseases, determining the reason for a suddenly wide spread virus, or testing the overall effectiveness of certain treatments.

Epidemiology is the most popular concentration in Mason’s MPH program, and for good reason — the field is vital to public health because of its enormous contribution to medical science. Our graduates go on to do exciting and important work in the fields. For example, one recent alum is working to prevent the spread of HIV and provide health services to those who need support and another is in the government sector advancing environmental health research as an environmental epidemiology fellow.

Epidemiology is a large part of the public health field with many different paths you can take within it. At Mason, you’ll discover the best route for you as you further your education and strengthen your skills.

2. Health Communications

An important fact to remember as a student of public health is that the field is broad with many different opportunities for you to make a difference. This gives you options to pick the public health career that suits your skills best. Although all of these professions require excellent communication skills, it’s essential to the health communications field.

Working in this field, you’d be responsible for empowering individuals and communities to spread awareness about prioritizing disease prevention and wellness best practices. Health communication professionals also collaborate with other public health experts to help people make the right health decisions for them.

Mason has many graduates working in this field, with titles such as senior communications specialist and health communications lead associate. Our alums work at hospitals, consulting firms, colleges, and a wide range of other professional settings.

At Mason, we’ll teach you how to make an impact in public health through strong communication skills, wherever your career takes you.

3. Community Health

Community Health professionals work to improve the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations. While other branches of public health can be analytical and data driven, this is a more human-centered field. A common profession within the field is that of health educator. Health educators teach best practices that promote health and wellness. 

As a community health professional, you’d be taking a social and cultural approach to health promotion, as well as analyzing how behavioral factors influence health. The work environment varies and includes health care facilities, colleges, non-profits, public health departments, and private businesses.

While you don’t need an MPH to work in community health, having the higher degree will enable you to land supervisory roles and other leadership positions within the field. For example, a recent Mason alum concentrated in Community Health Promotion and currently works as a community health worker supervisor at a public health institution.  

If you’re hoping to make an immediate impact on your community and work directly with the public on leading healthier lives, community health may be the MPH career field for you. 

4. Health Specialist

Working as a health specialist is another public health career path where there are many different routes you can take. From occupational, to family and youth, and even hazardous waste — there are many different aspects of health you can become a specialist in with your MPH from Mason.

As a health specialist, you’d specialize in assessing and analyzing health conditions within a specific environment and advise those in that environment on best practices, processes, and solutions to better their health. 

Many Mason alums are working in this field with titles such as environmental health specialist, wellness coordinator, community engagement specialist, and more. Our graduates are equipped to address the most pressing and emerging health problems, and they are prepared to lead in their specialties.

5. Health-related Project Management

Qualified project managers are an asset to every field, but in public health they’re essential. No matter what environment you’d prefer to work in or what branch of public health is calling to you, you can grow your leadership skills and use your MPH from Mason to elevate your career as a project manager.

We teach our students how to thrive in leadership positions so they can go on to make an impactful difference. Our graduates are currently working in health-related project management roles at prestigious universities, national nonprofit organizations, and other professional settings. You will also learn how to lead projects, manage teams, and advocate for radical change in the health care system. 

These five fields are just a fraction of the career possibilities available to you with a master's from George Mason University. Visit our website to learn more about our dynamic Master of Public Health program.