Unlike the clinical health professions, public health focuses its activities on entire populations, rather than on individual patients. Public health professionals monitor and diagnose the health concerns of entire communities. The broadening of traditional public health efforts has generated a need for new types of health professionals. The field of practice is more vast and complex than ever before and the modern, effective public health professional not only must be competent in his or her particular scientific or administrative specialty, but also must be aware of other overlapping influences on the public's health. Local, national and even global legislative and social policy, newly emerging dilemmas in health ethics, and qualitative and quantitative aspects of the many factors influencing the health and well-being of various population groups are just a few areas which impact public health.
Schools of Public health aim to educate their students to prepare for careers in which they can perform their duties with efficiency and skill, and can understand and work with individuals from every area of biomedical, social and behavioral science. Areas of concentration within the Public Health field include Administration/Management, Education, Community Practice, Research, and Policy. Public health students come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, including health care, business, education and social services.
General Requirements:
Note: Requirements for admission at each school of Public Health vary. Check with the specific schools you are interested in for more information.
To find out about the common course requirements for most careers in the health professions, please visit our Prerequisite courses page.
For more information about Public Health Careers, please check out the following web sites.
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