Public Health

Earn Your Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health 

What is the connection between heart disease and diabetes? Why do some communities have better access to health care than others? What’s our plan when disaster strikes? Public health experts investigate big, probing questions like these every day. While doctors and nurses are concerned with diagnosing and treating patients, public health professionals focus on disease prevention and wellness promotion in order to help create and maintain flourishing communities.

With a bachelor’s degree in public health from Loyola University New Orleans, you’ll gain an interdisciplinary understanding of public health that combines scientific exploration, research and communication skills, and ethical decision-making. Depending on your interests, you could research patterns in diseases, design fitness and nutrition programs for vulnerable populations, or help control and prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that nearly 14% of all jobs will be within the health care and social assistance industry by 2029, making it the fastest growing sector in the U.S. economy. You’ll prepare for highly in-demand roles in health care, communications, and community advocacy, or you can continue your studies to gain specialized skills. 

Choose between a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, which emphasizes the natural sciences, or a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health, which offers the most flexibility to create your plan of study around your interests. Loyola also offers a Minor in Public Health, which can complement many different areas of study—from business administration to mass communication and journalism.

Careers in Public Health

Earning your bachelor’s degree in public health can prepare you for an expansive array of opportunities across industries, from marketing and communications to policy, advocacy, and education. You could work for private companies like health insurance providers, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals, or for nonprofit and government agencies. Because of the growing demand for health-related roles, we estimate that a degree in public health is about 10% more lucrative than the average college degree, according to data from PayScale.

Some potential roles available to graduates include:

• Contact tracer
• Clinical trials manager
• Community health worker
• Public health analyst
• Health inspector

New Orleans is an important nexus for public health institutions, offering you a diverse and competitive job market upon graduation. Greater New Orleans, Inc. estimates that the public health sector accounts for more than 80,000 jobs in the region, with 15.6% growth in the industry from 2010 – 2020. You can gain professional experience while you learn with research opportunities and internships through local universities, hospital systems, government agencies, and medical schools. You can also connect your passion for public health to community initiatives through volunteer opportunities, service learning, and leadership development programs. You’ll graduate ready to take charge of your career.