Public health is a perfect career choice for students with an interest in global health, health systems, disease prevention, and related areas.

Of late, Public Health has emerged as a lucrative career. Governments across the world are increasingly concerned about the threats to human health and wellbeing, as well as their impact on sustainability. SAARC’s ‘Delhi Declaration on Public Health Challenges’ issued earlier this year is a clear iteration of the same.

To become a Public Health professional, students do not necessarily require a Biology degree. Public Health professionals come from diverse academic backgrounds, including medicine, environmental sciences, psychology, anthropology, economics, and social sciences. There are schools across the world which offer excellent programmes in this field. The top 10 are listed below:

1. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
   
   Master of Public Health (MPH)
   
   U.S. News & World Report has ranked the Bloomberg School No. 1 among schools of public health since 1994. The Hopkins MPH degree prepares individuals to face challenges in global public health through multidisciplinary approaches. Students in the program will obtain a population-based perspective on health, along with rigorous training in a school wide curriculum focused on the core disciplines of epidemiology, biostatistics, management sciences and the environmental, biological, behavioural and social factors that influence the health of populations and communities. Both full-time and part-time/online programs are offered to students from all over the world.
   
    
2. UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
   
   Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA)
   
   This program has been designed for students interested in pursuing careers in healthcare management and consulting. The program focuses on developing competencies in public health philosophy with an orientation to management and policy-related careers in health services management. The MHA program is designed to help students improve decision-making capabilities and leadership skills, especially for the delivery of healthcare services.
   
    
3. Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health
   Master of Science (MS) in Epidemiology
   The Master of Science in Epidemiology provides students with a fundamental grounding in the principles of epidemiology and statistics, with an emphasis on the application of these disciplines to public health research. The program focuses both on the quantitative research skills and the application of these skills to real-world public health problems.
   
    
4. School of Public Health, University of Michigan
   
   Master of Health Informatics (MHI)
   
   The program aims at building knowledge of the healthcare system and master concepts in health policy, information science, and behavioural, cognitive, and organizational science. The program will help students develop methodological skills in high-powered analytics, systems analysis, planning, development, and implementation.
   
    
5. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
   
   Master of Science (MS) in Biostatistics
   
   The MS in Biostatistics program includes course work in statistical theory and methods, computing and data management, epidemiology, with an emphasis on public health.The Department of Biostatistics at Mailman School of Public Health offers specializations in Accelerated Pre-doctoral Training Track, Clinical Research Methods, Patient Oriented Research, Pharmaceutical Statistics, Statistical Genetics, and Theory and Methods.
   
    
6. School of Public Health, University of Washington
   
   Master of Science (MS) in Nutritional Sciences
   
   This is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with advanced understanding of human nutrition. The curriculum includes application in both research and community settings.
   
    
7. Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
   
   Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education (BSHE)
   
   The program aims at applying a broad spectrum of behavioral and social science knowledge, theory and methods to promote health, prevent disease and improve quality of life. The program will help students on identifying individual and societal determinants of health behaviors, illness, and disease, and in response design, implement, and evaluate behavioral and structural interventions.
   
    
8. UC Berkeley School of Public Health, University of California
   
   Master of Public Health (MPH) in Maternal & Child Health
   
   The program has been designed keeping in mind the newly emerging issues in maternal and child health and to the unique needs of the diverse communities, and prepares public health professionals through excellence in training, research, continuing education, service, and advocacy.
   
    
9. School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
   
   Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Environmental Health
   
   The PhD program addresses environmental and occupational health concerns. The program provides a wide array of specializations likeenvironmental infectious diseases, environmental & occupational epidemiology, occupational & environmental health nursing, and occupational health services research & policy.
   
    
10. UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California
    
    Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Sciences
    
    The program will prepare the students to engage in the planning, administration, and evaluation of public health programs, and policies that have as their objective the maintenance and improvement of the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations.