4 Behavioral Science Careers in Public Health

Organizations worldwide are using insights about human behavior to spur progress across a broad range of areas. For example, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has identified more than 200 governmental agencies across 56 countries that use behavioral science to guide and improve their public policies.

This widespread application of the study of human behavior translates into a variety of careers in behavioral science. Individuals equipped with expertise in human behavior are prepared to enter any of an array of rewarding fields.

Individuals considering enrolling in an advanced degree program, such as a Master of Public Health (MPH) program with a concentration in social and behavioral sciences, can benefit from learning about careers in behavioral science.

What Is Behavioral Science?

The behavioral sciences focus on the factors that influence human behavior at the individual, community and worldwide level. Knowledge gleaned from the study of human behavior can be used to strengthen programs and policies aimed at improving the quality of life for an entire population.

How Do the Behavioral Sciences Relate to Public Health?

Insights gleaned from the behavioral sciences can be used to address a variety of challenges in the public health field. For example, knowledge of what drives human behavior can help an epidemiologist devise strategies to reduce the spread of diseases, improve vaccination rates and strengthen public responses to epidemics.

Professionals with expertise in the behavioral sciences can also:

Create programs to help reduce risky behaviors in a community
Recommend enhancements to a community’s environment to improve citizens’ health
Suggest changes to maximize the effectiveness of specific public health programs or policies

4 Behavioral Science Careers in the Public Health Field

Individuals who earn a public health master’s degree work in fields such as biostatistics and epidemiology, health informatics and environmental science. Pursuing a public health degree with a concentration in behavioral science can prepare individuals to pursue any of an array of behavioral science careers, examples of which are presented below.

Health Policy Analyst

Expertise in the behavioral sciences is valuable when working as a health policy analyst. Professionals in this role analyze health policies and identify ways to improve those policies. They apply their analytical and critical thinking skills as they pinpoint issues affecting a policy’s effectiveness, conduct research and propose public health policies that are both effective and practical.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes health policy analysts within the occupation of political scientist, for which it forecasts 7 percent job growth from 2022 to 2032. That rate of job growth is more than twice the BLS’s 3 percent job growth projection for all occupations during that time. According to the BLS, the median annual salary of political scientists was $128,020 as of May 2022.

Health Education Specialist

Working as a health education specialist entails analyzing a community’s health needs, designing programs to educate individuals about ways to improve their health and well-being, and analyzing ways to make existing programs more effective. Health education specialists use their skills in areas such as analysis and problem-solving to educate people about how changing certain behaviors can improve their health.

The BLS projects 7 percent job growth for health education specialists from 2022 to 2032. These professionals had a median annual salary of $59,990 as of May 2022, according to the BLS.

Social and Community Service Manager

Social and community service managers focus on managing and evaluating the effectiveness of programs that promote the well-being of community members. They use their analytical and managerial skills to work with community stakeholders, manage program outreach services and develop program proposals and program assessments. They also can be responsible for drafting funding requests and overseeing budgets.

According to the BLS, employment of social and community service managers is expected to grow 9 percent from 2022 to 2032. The BLS also reports that, as of May 2022, the median annual salary of social and community service managers was $74,240.

Epidemiologist

The strong connection between human behavior and the spread of infectious diseases makes behavioral science expertise helpful to professionals working as epidemiologists. Individuals in this role examine diseases and look for ways to reduce their spread through health policies, research and education. They use their skills in areas such as statistics and critical thinking to synthesize their work and share the results with public health policymakers. Epidemiologists also can specialize in an area such as public health preparedness or environmental health.

The BLS projects that jobs for epidemiologists will grow an impressive 27 percent through 2032. The median annual salary of epidemiologists was $78,520 as of May 2022, according to the BLS.

Benefits of Earning an MPH Degree

For those who want to pursue a behavioral science career in public health, earning an MPH degree with a concentration in behavioral science is a good option. Public health professionals with behavioral science expertise can use that knowledge to help improve people’s quality of life.

Earning an MPH degree can also prepare an individual to work in any of a wide variety of settings, such as government agencies, hospitals, international organizations, community organizations or consulting firms.

Courses that MPH programs offer provide students with the opportunity to develop expertise in many subjects. For example, the MPH program that Augusta University Online offers includes coursework in areas such as social behavioral change, health management, health policy, public health research and informatics. Students also complete a capstone project through which they have the opportunity to apply their public health expertise to a real-world topic in public health.

Strengthening Public Health Through Behavioral Science

Knowledge of the behavioral sciences can be a tremendous asset for professionals working to improve public health. By choosing to pursue a behavioral science career in public health, individuals can contribute to their community in meaningful ways.

Individuals who have an interest in the behavioral sciences and public health can explore Augusta University Online’s Master of Public Health degree program to learn how it can help them achieve their goals. With a choice of three concentrations — social and behavioral sciences, health management or health informatics — the program can set the stage for a fulfilling career. Embark on the path to a worthwhile career today.

Sources:
American Public Health Association, What Is Public Health?
Behavioral Science & Policy Association, Who We Are
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, “Harnessing the Power of Behavioural Science to Improve Health”
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Observatory of Public Sector Innovation, “Mapping the Global Behavioural Insights Community”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “Linking Human Behaviors and Infectious Diseases”
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Epidemiologists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Education Specialists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Political Scientists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Social and Community Service Managers
World Health Organization, Behavioural Sciences for Better Health
ZipRecruiter, How to Become a Health Policy Analyst?