<div class="edu-card" data-widget-id="3" data-cy="edu-card"> <div class="edu-card-banner" data-cy="edu-card-banner"> Advertisement </div> <div class="edu-card-container" data-cy="edu-card-container"> <div class="edu-card-content" data-cy="edu-card-content"> <div class="edu-card-title" data-cy="edu-card-title"> <h1 class="edu-card-title-heading" data-cy="edu-card-title-heading"> UNC's Online Master of Public Health Program </h1> <p class="edu-card-title-subheading" data-cy="edu-card-title-subheading"> UNC's Online MPH: Full-Time and Part-Time Options. GRE Not Required. </p> </div> <div class="edu-card-content-description" data-cy="edu-card-content-description"> <div class="edu-card-content-description-content"> <p>Advance your public health career with UNC's online Master of Public Health program. Learn more.</p> </div> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore"> <input type="checkbox" id="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-3" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input" /> <label for="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-3" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label"> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label-arrow"></span> </label> </span> </div> <a class="edu-card-content-button" target="_blank" href="https://onlinemph.unc.edu/requestinfo/index/">Learn More</a> <span class="edu-card-content-caption"> </span> </div> <div class="edu-card-action" data-cy="edu-card-action"> <picture class="edu-card-picture" data-cy="edu-card-picture"> <img src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UNC-MPH_GILLINGS_School_Vertical_RGB.png?w=250&amp;h=165" class=""> <span class="edu-card-picture-label"> </span> </picture> <div class="edu-card-action-cta" data-cy="edu-card-action-cta"> <a class="edu-card-action-button" target="_blank" href="https://onlinemph.unc.edu/requestinfo/index/">Learn More</a> <span class="edu-card-action-caption"> </span> </div> </div> </div></div><script> function checkWidgets() { document.querySelectorAll('.edu-card-content-description-content').forEach((content) => { const readMoreBtn = content.nextElementSibling; if (!readMoreBtn) { return; } if (content && content.clientHeight === content.scrollHeight) { readMoreBtn.style.display = 'none'; } else { delete readMoreBtn.style.removeProperty('display'); } }) } window.removeEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); window.addEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); checkWidgets();</script>

<div class="edu-card" data-widget-id="4" data-cy="edu-card"> <div class="edu-card-banner" data-cy="edu-card-banner"> Advertisement </div> <div class="edu-card-container" data-cy="edu-card-container"> <div class="edu-card-content" data-cy="edu-card-content"> <div class="edu-card-title" data-cy="edu-card-title"> <h1 class="edu-card-title-heading" data-cy="edu-card-title-heading"> MPH@Simmons </h1> <p class="edu-card-title-subheading" data-cy="edu-card-title-subheading"> Earn Your MPH Online. No GRE Required. </p> </div> <div class="edu-card-content-description" data-cy="edu-card-content-description"> <div class="edu-card-content-description-content"> <p>MPH@Simmons is designed to give you the real-world skills you need to positively impact public health and address health inequity on a local, national, and global level.</p> </div> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore"> <input type="checkbox" id="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-4" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input" /> <label for="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-4" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label"> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label-arrow"></span> </label> </span> </div> <a class="edu-card-content-button" target="_blank" href="https://online.simmons.edu/requestinfo/mph/">Visit Website</a> <span class="edu-card-content-caption"> </span> </div> <div class="edu-card-action" data-cy="edu-card-action"> <picture class="edu-card-picture" data-cy="edu-card-picture"> <img src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SC-ENT_University_MPH_Color_Stacked.png?w=250&amp;h=165" class=""> <span class="edu-card-picture-label"> </span> </picture> <div class="edu-card-action-cta" data-cy="edu-card-action-cta"> <a class="edu-card-action-button" target="_blank" href="https://online.simmons.edu/requestinfo/mph/">Visit Website</a> <span class="edu-card-action-caption"> </span> </div> </div> </div></div><script> function checkWidgets() { document.querySelectorAll('.edu-card-content-description-content').forEach((content) => { const readMoreBtn = content.nextElementSibling; if (!readMoreBtn) { return; } if (content && content.clientHeight === content.scrollHeight) { readMoreBtn.style.display = 'none'; } else { delete readMoreBtn.style.removeProperty('display'); } }) } window.removeEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); window.addEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); checkWidgets();</script>

<div class="edu-card" data-widget-id="5" data-cy="edu-card"> <div class="edu-card-banner" data-cy="edu-card-banner"> Advertisement </div> <div class="edu-card-container" data-cy="edu-card-container"> <div class="edu-card-content" data-cy="edu-card-content"> <div class="edu-card-title" data-cy="edu-card-title"> <h1 class="edu-card-title-heading" data-cy="edu-card-title-heading"> MPH@GW: An Online MPH With Connections in Washington, D.C. </h1> <p class="edu-card-title-subheading" data-cy="edu-card-title-subheading"> No GRE Required to Apply to GW's 12-Month Online MPH </p> </div> <div class="edu-card-content-description" data-cy="edu-card-content-description"> <div class="edu-card-content-description-content"> <p>Customize Your Degree Through Electives. Accelerated One-Year Online Program!</p> </div> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore"> <input type="checkbox" id="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-5" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input" /> <label for="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-5" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label"> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label-arrow"></span> </label> </span> </div> <a class="edu-card-content-button" target="_blank" href="https://onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/requestinfo/index/">Learn More</a> <span class="edu-card-content-caption"> </span> </div> <div class="edu-card-action" data-cy="edu-card-action"> <picture class="edu-card-picture" data-cy="edu-card-picture"> <img src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GWU_University_Stacked_RGB_COLOR_2C_900x900.png?w=250&amp;h=165" class=""> <span class="edu-card-picture-label"> </span> </picture> <div class="edu-card-action-cta" data-cy="edu-card-action-cta"> <a class="edu-card-action-button" target="_blank" href="https://onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/requestinfo/index/">Learn More</a> <span class="edu-card-action-caption"> </span> </div> </div> </div></div><script> function checkWidgets() { document.querySelectorAll('.edu-card-content-description-content').forEach((content) => { const readMoreBtn = content.nextElementSibling; if (!readMoreBtn) { return; } if (content && content.clientHeight === content.scrollHeight) { readMoreBtn.style.display = 'none'; } else { delete readMoreBtn.style.removeProperty('display'); } }) } window.removeEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); window.addEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); checkWidgets();</script>

ad_Public-health

cat_Graduate

Low Intent

ptype_Explainer

Peter Olsen-Phillips

<p>Public health officials must grapple with a complex array of conditions spanning behavioral, environmental, and social categories, among others. And just as the factors that affect a community’s health vary widely, so do the specializations that are available to students of <a href="https://fortune.com/education/public-health/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-public-health-programs/">online master’s degree programs in public health</a>. </p><div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



<p>There are <a href="https://www.aspph.org/study/all-areas-of-study/">48</a> separate areas of study, according to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, ranging from aging to epidemiology to tropical medicine. And work on those tracks takes place across an equally diverse array of settings, whether in school districts, large corporations, hospitals, or public health districts.</p>



<p>The wide range of concentrations means that students should think carefully about the area of population health that they are most passionate about and the type of workplace they envision themselves in. Those considerations are particularly important for a degree that emphasizes applied learning and engagement with the population they’ll be serving.</p>



<p>“Know that it’s a practitioner degree,” says Catherine Gihlstorf, associate director of the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/public-health/masters/rankings/university-north-carolina-chapel-hill-gillings/">University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health’s</a> online programs, noting that good MPH programs prioritize practical experience. “Part of our accreditation requirement is a 200-plus hour practicum, and so it really is learning and applying in practice.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mph-concentrations-offer-different-angles-on-public-health">MPH concentrations offer different angles on public health</h2>



<p>All MPH programs that are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) must ensure that students master the core <a href="https://media.ceph.org/documents/D2_guidance.pdf">competencies</a> of the field, which include epidemiological methods and an understanding of health systems, along with structural and social inequities. This knowledge assures that public health practitioners across disciplines speak a shared language, because different types of public health practitioners will often work on different aspects of the same issue, and sometimes in concert.</p>



<p><a href="https://fortune.com/education/public-health/masters/rankings/tulane-university/">Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine</a> offers online master of public health degrees in community health sciences, disaster management, occupational health and safety management, and occupational and environmental health.  </p>



<p>People with different specializations within public health often work in tandem, as Alicia Battle, associate dean of the institution’s online programs, illustrates with an example from the 2019 collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel, then under construction in downtown New Orleans.</p>



<p>“There were occupational and environmental people assessing [the collapse] because that’s outside of the workplace,” Battle says. “Then you had some of the occupational and safety management people; their goal was, ‘How do we determine whether or not the specs were safe for the workers that were working in the building?’ The other people were talking about safety for the people walking around the building.”</p>



<p>The building collapse is but one example of how a wide range of public health professionals are often needed in a time of crisis. “I tell my students all the time, public health done well is a team sport,” says Battle.</p>



<p>There is also a great need for public health specialists in disaster management—whether those disasters are natural or man-made. Battle says that a coal mine collapse is another pertinent example of the role public health experts play in questions raised in the aftermath: “How do you ensure that that doesn’t happen in the future? What happens to the outlying community? What are the structures and programs and policies that we need to have in place to ensure its safety?”</p>



<p>At the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, online MPH degrees are offered in epidemiology, nutrition, a combined nutrition and dietetics program, and leadership.</p>



<p>“Leadership is a little more broad than the other concentrations because you can apply those leadership skills in a policy setting, in a public health setting, a nonprofit setting, in a government setting—in a lot of different ways,” says Gihlstorf.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, the nutrition concentration prepares students to promote knowledge of and access to healthy diets across a variety of different job opportunities. For example, some MPH grads may go on to work in a WIC program (a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) or a SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Gihlstorf notes. “They may work with schools to promote nutritious and healthy eating. [They could be] nutrition coaches; they may work in government doing policy around food access, food availability, food deserts, things like that.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community-health-offers-a-broad-overview-of-public-health">Community health offers a broad overview of public health</h2>



<p>For those MPH students who are seeking a wide range of practice settings, community health (also referred to as population health or community health science) tends to be the broadest of MPH concentrations. This concentration prepares students to monitor and diagnose health issues and engage communities to ensure effective programmatic responses—which can take place in a variety of different workplaces. </p>



<p>“I have to tell prospective [students] coming into my program all the time that you can’t Google what we do,” Battle says.</p>



<p>A community health specialist generally works in one of six main practice areas. In addition to areas we may traditionally associate with public health workers, like governments and international organizations, community health scientists also find roles in K–12 educational systems, hospitals and other clinical settings, businesses, and colleges and universities.</p>



<p>“We’re the ones that are tying together the school nurses, that have to make sure that the environment—and that’s the physical environment and the social environment for kids—is safe,” explains Battle, whose own professional background is in community health science.</p>



<p>Community health also applies to workforce communities.</p>



<p>“Businesses and large companies—most of them have some chronic work-site wellness plans going, right?” Battle points out. “We’re the people that are sending those love notes saying, ‘Hey, join the gym’ or ‘You’ll get a deal on your health insurance if you stop smoking.’ Running the smoking cessation [program], the yoga classes—those are community health scientists.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-mph-concentrations-will-affect-day-to-day-work">How MPH concentrations will affect day-to-day work</h2>



<p>Above all, master of public health degrees put a premium on real-life implementation.</p>



<p>“I talked to a number of students who say, ‘Oh, I’m so excited. I want to be an epidemiologist. I want to do research.’ I say, ‘That’s fantastic. We have an MS program that’s great for you, or a Ph.D. program,’” says Gihlstorf. “If you want to be a practicing, applied epidemiologist, then the MPH is the way to go.”</p>



<p>In addition to understanding the different prerequisites and practice settings of the various tracks in public health, it can be helpful for those applicants who are stuck on the fence to ponder the locale, work life, and deliverables of a given concentration.</p>



<p>When talking through options with students, Battle encourages them to imagine their life in five years—including whether they’re living in a city, a suburb or a rural area. “If you know you don’t like wearing a suit to work, then there are some kinds of health fields you just aren’t going to be suited for,” she says. “At the end of the day, what legacy are you looking to leave? When students start answering those questions for themselves, they can then start gravitating towards what it is that they would like to do in public health.”</p>



<p><em>See how the schools you’re considering fared in </em>Fortune’<em>s rankings of the best <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/education/public-health/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-public-health-programs/" rel="noreferrer noopener">master’s in public health programs</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/education/business-analytics/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-business-analytics/" rel="noreferrer noopener">business analytics programs</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/education/data-science/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-data-science/" rel="noreferrer noopener">data science programs</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/best-parttime-mba-programs-in-2022/" rel="noreferrer noopener">part-time</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/best-executive-mba-programs-in-2021/" rel="noreferrer noopener">executive</a>,<a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/best-mba-programs/" rel="noreferrer noopener"> full-time</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/best-online-mba-programs/" rel="noreferrer noopener">online</a> MBA programs.</em></p>



<div class="wp-block-group pro-tip-box-widget"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained">
<h3 class="wp-block-heading pro-tip-box-heading">Read more</h3>



<li>If you want to find great resources to become a health coach, check out the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/articles/best-health-coach-certifications/">best health coach certifications</a>.</li>
<li>Interested in a psychology degree? Here are some of the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/health/best-online-masters-in-psychology-degree-programs/">best online masters in psychology programs</a> you can find.</li>
<li>Want a more flexible way to earn an online master’s degree in nursing? Explore our list of the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/health/best-online-msn-nurse-practitioner-programs/%22">best online MSN nurse practitioner programs</a>.</li>
<li>Choose one of the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/health/best-online-masters-in-public-health-programs/">best online masters in public health programs</a> to help you find the right school for you.</li>
<li>Our ranking of the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/health/best-online-masters-in-nursing/">best online masters in nursing programs</a> can be a useful tool in your search for advanced online learning.</li>
<li>Many universities offer <a href="https://fortune.com/education/health/most-affordable-online-msn-nurse-practitioner-programs/">affordable online MSN nurse practitioner programs</a>.</li>
<li>For those looking to learn the basics of nutrition, one of the programs in our list of the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/articles/best-nutritionist-certifications/">best nutritionist certifications</a> is a great first step.</li>
<li>Fulfill your ambitions of being a personal trainer with one of the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/articles/best-personal-trainer-certifications/">best personal trainer certification</a> programs. </li>
</div></div>
</div>

Students have a wide range of concentrations to select from in a master's degree programs in public health—and these can lead to different career paths.

How to choose a concentration in a master of public health program

F-Search

Education

Education Articles

Jasmine Suarez

Health and Wellness

When choosing a concentration, consider the area of population health you're passionate about.

Fortune earns a commission for purchases made from affiliate partners via some links on our site; other links are not affiliate partner links. <a href='/affiliate-disclosure/'>Click here</a> to read the full Fortune advertiser disclosure and how we earn commissions.

We have independently evaluated the products and services below. We may earn affiliate revenue from links in the content.

Fortune Editors

Fortune Education is designed to be your guide to navigating this new, rich and somewhat overwhelming world of education. Our team of experienced editors is committed to scouring the universe of online offerings in order to rank, rate, provide comparisons and recommend the right solutions for you and your career.

Fortune Education

Uncategorized

homepage

articles

Articles Hub

By Region

By State

By Cost

Business

Career Hub

Tech

EDUCATION

EDUCATION ARTICLES

HOW TO CHOOSE A CONCENTRATION IN A MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM

How to choose a concentration in a master of public health program | Fortune Education

Rich Griset

10 free data analytics courses you can take online

https://fortune.com/education/articles/free-data-analytics-courses/?itm_source=parsely-api

Preston Fore

2024 real estate school review: AceableAgent

https://fortune.com/education/articles/real-estate-school-review-aceableagent/?itm_source=parsely-api

Brad Haft

Best health coach certifications for 2024

https://fortune.com/education/articles/best-health-coach-certifications/?itm_source=parsely-api

Brit Morse

A law associate making $300,000 a year at Skadden Arps quit over the firm’s deal with Donald Trump

/article/rachel-cohen-making-300k-year-law-associate-skadden-arps-quit-protest-firms-deal-trump/

Get ready to pay more than $2,000 for a new iPhone: Experts say Trump’s 125% tariff on China is a ‘complete disaster for Apple’ akin to ‘Armageddon’

/2025/04/10/apple-iphone-16-price-complete-disaster-china-trump-tariffs/

It’s about to get a lot harder for job seekers as tariffs are set to make the hiring landscape even more daunting

/2025/04/07/trump-tariffs-labor-market-more-challenging-job-seekers-economists-say/

This company does peer performance reviews—And then lets everyone read each other’s evaluations

/2025/03/24/performance-review-process-company-allows-all-workers-read-garner-health-workplace-culture/

2024 health coach certification review: Catalyst Coaching Institute

/education/articles/health-coach-certification-review-catalyst-coaching-institute/

A guide to a nurse’s salary: Broken down by all 50 states and industry type

/education/careers/nurse-salary/

2024 health coach certification review: Institute for Integrative Nutrition

/education/articles/health-coach-certification-review-institute-for-integrative-nutrition/

10 high-paying public health jobs right now

/education/careers/public-health-jobs/

Jason Del Rey

Is eBay actually sexy again as the ecommerce old-timer’s stock surges to an all-time high?

/2025/07/31/ebay-earnings-live-sports-cards-trading-pokemon/

Erik German

Meet the CIA-backed venture fund behind Palantir, Anduril—and a spy tool that might be on your phone

/2025/07/29/in-q-tel-cia-venture-capital-palantir-anduril/

Dana Hull

Kiel Porter

Bloomberg

Tesla engineering VP Moravy says company in ‘big swing moment’

/2025/07/27/tesla-engineering-vp-lars-moravy-big-swing-moment-musk-robotaxi-optimus-semi/

Christiaan Hetzner

Volkswagen seeks audience with Trump, dangling more than $10 billion in U.S. investments in exchange for tariff exemptions

/2025/07/25/volkswagen-trump-tariffs-exemptions/

Whether you’ve just completed your undergraduate degree or you are a professional with years of experience, Fortune is here to guide you on the next step of your educational journey.

How to choose a concentration in a master of public health program

About the Contributors

Top Articles

10 free data analytics courses you can take online

2024 real estate school review: AceableAgent

Best health coach certifications for 2024

MPH@GW: An Online MPH With Connections in Washington, D.C.