Career Opportunities for Professionals with an Online PhD in Public Health

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Public health has come under the spotlight on the global stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Advancement in this field is vital and inevitable if we need to prevent a pandemic like this from ever occurring again. To aid this fight effectively, one can contribute by pursuing a PhD in public health.

Public health is the science of enhancing and protecting the health of different communities and individuals belonging to these groups. In the broad sense, public health covers a broad range of responsibilities regarding public health, such as developing public health-related policies, devising a plan to fight infectious and contagious diseases, etc.

There’s no doubt that nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals are our first defense line regarding public health and safety. Especially, professionals with a doctorate in public health can offer oversight for seeking treatment efficiency, creating a strategy to combat the spread of certain illnesses, and enhancing already existing healthcare approaches.  

In this article, we have discussed why PhD in public health is essential, how it helps grab future opportunities, and what you need to complete your PhD in public health online.

Importance of PhD in Public Health

PhD in public health is an imperative degree that prepares professionals for various work challenges and healthcare fields, such as advanced research, executive responsibilities, and supervisory support in an organization.

Here’s why PhD in public health online is essential for your career:

1. Multiple Opportunities

A doctorate in public health has the potential to unlock a sea full of opportunities in science, government, education, research, and medical fields. Considering the importance of the health of individuals in Africa, public health is rapidly evolving and expanding.

Additionally, with an increase in national and international population, we have also observed an increase in natural disasters, climate change, global virus spread, and biochemical attacks. Today, the spreading of diseases and infectious illnesses is far plausible than ever before. In between these changing verticals, public health plays a significant role in the safety of a country.

• We need public health professionals to help communities adjust to climatic change.
• We need public health professionals to handle the spread of infectious and contagious diseases.
• We need public health professionals to assess the health markers of a community and respond to them appropriately.

These openings offer a PhD in public health holder, a broad range of career opportunities.

2. Top Career Choices

Public health professionals are incredibly beneficial to society. Hence, these professionals with doctorate assume the top work roles. A doctorate in public health has the potential to offer you professional stability, full career options, and a sense of satisfaction in your job.

• You get a better and higher salary
• You have a sense of job security
• Your career path becomes stable
• You get the opportunity to supervise a team
• You get a chance to train budding public health professionals

Finally, you can reassure yourself that you are looking after the well-being of thousands of people.

3. Improved Learning Curve

A doctorate in public health offers the necessary skills to function in public health fields with various government bodies and institutions. Thus, the online course covers medicinal requirements, concepts, and fundamental knowledge related to public health.

Overall, a PhD in public health makes you a self-determining leader or researcher with leadership qualities, interpersonal skills, and improved communication power.

Educational and Research Requirements for Completing a PhD in Public Health

The commitment, time, research, and educational qualifications needed for a PhD in public health online vary in different schools. In general, you need the following prerequisites to enroll for a PhD in public health:

• Good academic scores
• Master’s education in public health
• (or) Master’s education in medical sciences
• Work experience in a similar field
• Research experience or knowledge in a similar field
• A few letters of recommendation

In most of the PhD in public health online courses, you need a master’s degree in the same or related field, as it helps in research and learning.

Roles You Can Assume After Doctorate in Public Health

After a doctorate in public health, you get various opportunities in public health fields, such as epidemiologist, consultant, global health professional, community health worker, public health nurse, and many more. We have discussed four major career roles below. Read on:

The duty of the global health professionals is to ensure the safety of the vulnerable community and work to improve the health of the communities through awareness programs, policy implementation, and researches. Overall, this professional’s duty is to make a difference in the community by taking up the following but not limited to crucial roles:

1. Biostatistician

Average Annual Pay

South Africa	Zimbabwe	Nigeria	Botswana	South Sudan	Ghana	Rwanda	Mauritius
R828,000	ZWL 436,000	₦663,000	BWP 22,700	SS£ 49,100	GH₵ 9,620	RWF 1,350,000	MUR 88,500

Responsibilities

Getting a PhD in public health degree will allow you to take up a biostatistician. Biostatistician’s role in the public health sector is crucial as they will the ones who develop statistical methods to translate the available data into information to take valuable public health-related decisions.

2. Epidemiologist

Average Annual Pay

South Africa	Zimbabwe	Nigeria	Botswana	South Sudan	Ghana	Rwanda	Mauritius
R589,734	ZWL 361,000	₦450,000	BWP 20,200	–	GH₵ 111,684	RWF 1,090,000	MUR 78,400

Responsibilities

The profession as an epidemiologist is another opportunity for a graduate with a PhD in public health degree. Upon taking up this position, you have to look for the patterns of a particular disease and determine solutions for such health issues. This is another crucial role in the public health sector.

Epidemiologists represent the entire public health domain, including community knowledge of infectious diseases and research necessary for fighting and controlling pandemics or epidemics. Epidemiologists also play a significant role in finding disease patterns. They use clinical observations, biostatistics, and interviews to know how diseases spread in communities. They are also responsible for designing studies and presenting research data on different organizations’ public health, disadvantaged groups, etc.

Epidemiology is specifically a technical field, so the demand for professionals in the area is high. While you just need a master’s degree to enter the field, a doctorate in public health makes your profile more substantial and better for government agencies, universities, and humanitarian organizations.

To sum up, epidemiologists do:

• plan and direct research studies;
• collect and examine data through observations, samples, interviews, and surveys, thereby finding causes of disease or other health issues;
• communicate findings to health practitioners, policymakers, and the public;
• manage global health programs by evaluating statistical data and research findings; and
• supervise professional and technical staff.

3. Public Health Consultant

Average Pay

South Africa	Zimbabwe	Nigeria	Botswana	South Sudan	Ghana	Rwanda	Mauritius
R215,967	ZWL 302,000	₦465,000	BWP 16,600	SS£ 50,800 SDG	GH₵ 6,940	RWF 893,000	MUR 66,500

Responsibilities

Public health consultants are the most in-demand professionals in public and private healthcare organizations. Such consultants will be the experts in providing healthcare advice to derive solutions to various health-related problems and initiate policy changes to create a better impact on community health. Majorly, they:

• conduct research and determine the best ways to address challenges in the public health sector;
• submit the findings and their suggestions to the respective authorities to proceed further;
• counsel needy people to find the best options to improve their health conditions;
• review existing health policies and programs and strive to enhance them, if needed; and
• discuss with health professionals and organizations to find the solutions to reduce health risks.

4. Public Health Policy Advisor

Average Pay

South Africa	Zimbabwe	Nigeria	Botswana	South Sudan	Ghana	Rwanda	Mauritius
R1,494,065	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

Responsibilities

Although a public health advisor may seem an amorphous role, these professionals connect moving parts of public health. This job role doesn’t entail a manager’s position, but it requires a public health professional to synthesize policies, research, and assess multiple programs’ regulations.

In reality, public health advisors assume many roles. Their unique job is to:

• create strategies to control and handle ongoing health issues;
• prioritize particular challenges by analyzing what is at stake and find a practical solution; and
• connect various public health endpoints, such as government agencies, healthcare providers, humanitarian organizations, etc.

5. Public Health Researcher

Average Pay

South Africa	Zimbabwe	Nigeria	Botswana	South Sudan	Ghana	Rwanda	Mauritius
R383,116	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

Responsibilities

As the name suggests, public health researchers conduct public health-related researches on disease patterns, health trends, and related risks to understand the state of the health of the community. Their responsibilities will be to:

• Develop and implement new research procedures
• Work with epidemiologists to identify infectious diseases and strive to find the solution for the same with advanced researches
• Conduct research works on environmental concerns and hazards that may place public health at risk
• Find the root causes of diseases or ailments that torment the common public
• Determine solutions to address the health-related risks prevailing in the community

6. Global Health Educator

Average Pay

South Africa	Zimbabwe	Nigeria	Botswana	South Sudan	Ghana	Rwanda	Mauritius
R157,500	NA	₦1,220,838	BWP 108,000	NA	NA	NA	NA

Responsibilities

Global health educators promote well-being by educating populations about different habits. They strategize plans and programs to identify and improve the overall health of individuals and the community. They also strive to improve health outcomes by collecting and analyzing data about specific populations. They also do:

• Determine the health needs of the community and educate them on health-related information and how to handle the situation in case of emergency
• Prepare materials, host events, and conduct programs to educate their community about various health issues
• Review the effectiveness of the conducted programs and plans
• Support vulnerable populations to get access to healthcare services, professionals, and related information
• Give training to other health workers and professionals
• Work to improve healthcare policies, better resources, and healthcare

Future Scope of a PhD in Public Health

A doctorate in public health is usually the highest education qualification in a country or the African region. Very few people pursue further studies after the completion of a doctorate. Hence, pursuing an online PhD in public health offers you ample future opportunities.

• You can pursue a teaching job and become a university lecturer or a college after completing a PhD in public health.
• You can do a job in healthcare organizations, hospitals, and humanitarian organizations.
• It is also possible to pursue further studies and enroll for Doctor of Science.
• Experience gained through a PhD in public health online degree offers you a chance to work in various research labs.

PhD in Public Health Online from Taksha Smartlabz in association with the University of Central Nicaragua

If you have finally decided to complete a doctorate in public health online, consider a course from Taksha Smartlabz with an academic partnership with the University of Central Nicaragua (TSL-UCN), TSL-UCN offers this PhD in public health. This course offers:

• A structured international curriculum
• Proficiency in the public health field
• Completely online education
• Feasible and flexible learning opportunity

TSL-UCN ‘s PhD program is a perfect combination of online, flexible learning paired with extensive research. For this reason, students pursuing a PhD in public health online from TSL-UCN get a chance to improve their skills and gain expertise.

Here’s what you get with a PhD in public health degree from Taksha Smartlabz in association with the University of Central Nicaragua:

• Advanced learning, quality education
• Affordable courses
• Advanced faculty support
• Online resources for any time learning
• Support from student mentors
• Multiple career options in fields like health educator, biostatistician, etc

If you are a professional interested in improving and promoting community health, then completing a doctorate in public health can help you assume advanced roles in this industry. For instance, academic researchers figure out public health factors for the health of communities and populations.

Learn more about the PhD in public health course from TSL-UCN and enroll today for advanced learning and application-based knowledge.