Public Health Degree Online Bachelor of Science

Flexible

With no set class meeting times, you can learn on your schedule and access online course materials 24/7.

Affordable

Take advantage of some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation, plus financial aid for those who qualify. We also make it easy to transfer to SNHU by accepting up to 90 credits from your previous institution.

Respected

Founded in 1932, Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution with over 100,000 graduates across the country. SNHU is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), which advocates for institutional improvement and public assurance of quality.

Recently, SNHU has been nationally recognized for leading the way toward more innovative, affordable and achievable education:

• “Most Innovative” regional university honors from U.S. News & World Report each year since 2015
• A $1 million grant from Google.org to explore soft skills assessments for high-need youth
• Recognition as a 2017 Digital Learning Innovator by the Online Learning Consortium

Network

At Southern New Hampshire University, you'll have access to a powerful network of more than 200,000 students, alumni and staff that can help support you long after graduation. Our instructors offer relevant, real-world expertise to help you understand and navigate the field. Plus, with our growing, nationwide alumni network, you'll have the potential to tap into a number of internship and career opportunities.

96.5% of students surveyed across all programs would recommend SNHU to a friend.*

Part of our mission to expand access to quality higher education means removing the barriers that may stand between you and your degree. That’s why you can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials.

Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year for our 6 (8-week) undergraduate terms.

Simply contact an admission counselor, who can help you explore financial options, answer all your questions and walk you through the application process. Start by:

• Completing a free undergraduate application
• Providing previous institutions attended – so we can retrieve transcripts for you at no cost

Test scores are not required as part of your application.

A public health professional looks at the health of groups of people rather than focusing on one person at a time.

"Public health looks at populations. It doesn't look at individuals," said Dr. Denise Bisaillon, associate dean of public health at SNHU. "It's not a clinical program. It's not a clinical field. Public health looks at whole populations and what diseases are out there and where they came from. They look at all the ways that disease and conditions take place and how to prevent them."

As you work toward becoming a public health professional, you'll study 5 core disciplines, one or more of which could be essential to your career:

• Behavioral and social sciences: Influencing behavior to encourage healthier habits
• Biostatistics: Designing studies and examining health data
• Epidemiology: Determining populations at risk for specific conditions or illnesses
• Health policy and administration: Formulating and writing the policies that impact the health industry

By becoming a public health professional, you can help alter the direction of health – for current generations and the generations to come.

Roles in the public health field may include:

• Community planners
• Epidemiologists
• First responders
• Health educators
• Nutritionists and dietitians
• Occupational health and safety professionals
• Public health physicians
• Public policymakers
• Restaurant inspectors
• Scientists and researchers
• Social workers

Some of these career paths may require additional education or licensing beyond a BS in Public Health – to both enter the field and advance in it. SNHU is one university that offers an MS in Public Health online program.

A job in the health field is always a rewarding one. In particular, public health is such a broad topic that there are so many places where you can effect change.

"There are a lot of opportunities," said Dr. Denise Bisaillon, associate dean of public health at SNHU. "It's a field that is growing due to the need to improve health before it requires medical treatment."

As all jobs in the health field are expected to grow 14% by 2028, it's also a practical career to break into.²

Bachelor’s degrees are traditionally known as 4-year programs. But the amount time your program takes depends on a few factors.

Like your full-time or part-time status. At SNHU, full-time students take 2 courses per term and part-time students take 1 course. With 6 terms per year, full-time students who start with no credits can finish in 3.5 years if they don't take a term off.

Most of our students, though, transfer in credits when they begin their degree. Bringing credits into your online public health degree program can help you get to the finish line faster, because the more credits you have, the closer you are to graduation.

Here, you can transfer up to 90 credits toward your program. Because you're able to bring so many credits into your bachelor's in public health, you have the opportunity to move into your career sooner.

The average salary of a graduate of a public health degree program is $52,000, according to PayScale.⁴

However, when you look at specific roles within the field, the pay can increase quite a bit.

For example, medical and health services managers received median annual wages of $99,730 in 2018.² What's more, the highest 10% of managers earned more than $182,600 in their role.²

You may also choose to move into positions like health educators, who received median annual wages of $54,220 in 2018 – with the top 10% earning more than $98,000.² Another option is moving into a community health worker position, which had median annual wages of $39,540 in 2018, while the top 10% earned more than $65,000.²