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Health Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach health education programs at various educational levels.

Types of Degrees Health Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Health Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	34
Bachelor’s Degree	894
Master’s Degree	524
Doctor’s Degree	20

What Health Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Health Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Health Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Health Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Health Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Educational Teaching Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Literacy Education Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Science Education Professor
• Adult Basic Education Instructor
• Music Education Professor
• Adjunct Education Professor
• Lecturer
• Secondary Education Professor
• Mathematics Education Professor
• Education Professor
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Professor

What Can You Do With a Health Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Health Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	47.3%
Bachelor’s degree	34.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	7.2%
Master’s degree	6.3%
Less than a high school diploma	2.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.8%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 63.1% of Health Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	929	63.1%
Men	543	36.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Health Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	853	57.9%
Asian	74	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	195	13.2%
Black or African American	188	12.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	19	1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	64	4.3%
Race Unknown	47	3.2%
International Students	30	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Health Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Health Education Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Health Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	4	8
Master’s	11	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Health Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Health Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Secondary Education and Teaching	10,594
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.