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 would recommend SNHU.³ Discover why SNHU may be right for you.

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.

Notes: 

• Laptop or desktop?  Whichever you choose depends on your personal preference and work style, though laptops tend to offer more flexibility. 

• Note:  Chromebooks (Chrome OS) and iPads (iOS) do not meet the minimum requirements for coursework at SNHU. These offer limited functionality and do not work with some course technologies. They are not acceptable as the only device you use for coursework. While these devices are convenient and may be used for some course functions, they cannot be your primary device. SNHU does, however, have an affordable laptop option that it recommends: Dell Latitude 3301 with Windows 10. 

• Office 365 Pro Plus is available free of charge to all SNHU students and faculty. The Office suite will remain free while you are a student at SNHU. Upon graduation you may convert to a paid subscription if you wish. Terms subject to change at Microsoft's discretion. Review system requirements for Microsoft 365 plans for business, education and government. 

• Antivirus software: Check with your ISP as they may offer antivirus software free of charge to subscribers. 

A public health professional assesses the health of populations rather than focusing on the health of one person at a time.

As you work toward becoming a public health professional, you'll study 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
• Occupational health and safety professionals
• Public health nurses
• Public policymakers
• Restaurant inspectors
• Scientists and researchers

You may also find yourself in positions where you are:

• Serving as a program assistant with an international health organization
• Carrying out health-related assessments at construction sites
• Working as a research assistant with a nonprofit organization
• Doing consulting work related to disease prevention
• Working at a company that does health communication and health marketing
• Conducting air quality sampling and surveying
• Responding to calls at a West Nile virus hotline

Some public health professionals take advantage of government programs to gain more experience, such as:

• Serving in the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps
• Participating in a CDC training fellowship

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 a master's in public health online program.

Absolutely. In fact, if you're passionate about the work, a job in the public health field could be an incredibly impactful and rewarding one.  

Because public health is such a broad topic, there are many places you can effect change. This also adds to job security and the opportunity for growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the health field is expected to grow 15% through 2029, adding about 2.4 million new jobs.¹

A bachelor's degree in public health can offer a perfect entryway into a field is so increasingly vital – not just in the United States but around the world.

Dr. Sarah McCool adds that, for a field as dynamic as public health, it's critical that graduates are as prepared as possible to hit the ground running.

Public health is particularly useful for those interested in finding solutions to a population's overall health problems. Rather than respond to individual patients with health concerns, this field values a more proactive than reactive approach to keeping communities safe.

"We want to get involved and prevent something from happening rather than fix something once it has happened," said Dr. McCool.

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

Take, for example, your full-time or part-time status. At SNHU, full-time students take 2 courses per term while part-time students take 1 course per term. 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.

Here, you can transfer up to 90 credits toward your program. The bachelor's in public health takes 120 credits to complete, so a student with the maximum number of transfer credits could already be 3/4 of the way to graduation.

It all adds up to less time and tuition, and a much faster pathway to reaching your goals.

Depending on the role you're aiming for, you could position yourself for some significant earning potential.

For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that medical and health services managers received median annual wages of $104,280 in 2020 – much higher than the median annual wage for all U.S. workers.¹

You may also choose to become a health educator, a role whose median annual wages were $56,500 in 2020.¹ Another option is moving into a community health worker position, which had median annual wages of $42,000 in 2020.¹

In short, public health is concerned with protecting entire populations – from local communities to an entire country. Community health is a subset of public health that focuses on promoting and improving the health of those in the community.

Public health initiatives can be seen everywhere - from diabetic awareness and needle-sharing programs to seatbelt awareness and – even more recently – the effects of COVID-19. These officials try to get ahead of the work of doctors and nurses so that individuals won't need to be treated for sickness or injury.²

Public health officials promote healthcare equity and quality, advocating for all members of the population to have access to the care they need. They also take science into consideration when creating solutions to problems the population is facing.

Community health is similar, but focuses on specific needs and resources available within the community.

Think weight-loss programs, breast and cervical cancer screenings, food pantries, reduced-rate fitness center memberships, free and reduced lunch programs, nutrition education or asthma management. These are often held at hospitals, schools or workplaces, to meet people where they are.

¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the internet, at:

• https://bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm (viewed April 19, 2021)
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm (viewed April 19, 2021)
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm (viewed April 19, 2021)

Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

² CDC Foundation, on the internet, at

• https://www.cdcfoundation.org/partners (viewed April 19, 2021)
• https://www.cdcfoundation.org/what-public-health (viewed April 19, 2021)

³ According to more than 9,200 SNHU online students in survey responses from the fall of 2019.