Just out of college, students will be prepared for a variety of entry-level jobs in governmental, multilateral, bilateral, nongovernmental, nonprofit, for-profit, consulting, research, advocacy, healthcare, and educational organizations. Since the curriculum offers students the flexibility to tailor courses to their interests, they will be able to prepare for a broad range of employment opportunities. Such jobs include positions like:

• Project manager or administrative coordinator for a nonprofit
• Social media outreach for a health equity advocacy group
• Program assistant for an international health program
• Research assistant for a scholarly research project
• Data entry specialist for government office
• Data analyst for nonprofit
• Outreach coordinator for human services organization
• Public health educator for government agency (e.g., Health Dept.)
• Health teacher in a K-12 school (teaching certification often required)
• Patient advocate, patient representative
• Consumer safety officer, consumer health advocate
• Disaster preparedness researcher
• Paralegal work assisting with social justice cases
• Medical/health writer
• Public health journalist
• Wellness manager for a public health facility or private corporation
• Research consulting for a health-related company
• Marketing or communication for an insurance agency

Together with other relevant graduation requirements, students who graduate with an HSOC degree will be well-prepared for further education in a variety of graduate programs, including: post-graduate credentials and graduate degrees in public health, global health, health promotion and health education, human services and community outreach, public policy and administration, health delivery systems management, social entrepreneurship, or healthcare, policy, law and advocacy (M.P.H., M.A., M.S.W., M.B.A., M.P.A., M.P.A.P., M.H.A., M.H.S.A., or J.D.), graduate-level clinical healthcare training to be a doctor, nurse, or allied health professional (e.g., M.D., PsyD, D.O., N.D., PA, N.P., R.N., R.D., R.D.N., P.T., O.T., D.C., or L.Ac. ), or graduate degrees in research and/or teaching on health, healing, and/or healthcare (Ph.D. or M.A.).

In order to advance in most health-related fields today, some level of graduate education is generally required. If HSOC students prefer to remain in the Vermont area for their graduate education, opportunities to pursue most of these degrees are available locally. If they wish to venture further afield, graduate education opportunities in these areas abound nationally, as well as internationally. Locally, the HSOC degree program can provide a smooth transition to the already existing Accelerated Master of Public Health (AMPH) at UVM, which provides a mechanism for students to earn both an undergraduate and master’s degree in 5 years. The program requires one undergraduate science and one undergraduate math course for application for the MPH, so students will need to use their distributives and general electives to obtain those requirements. Following acceptance into the Graduate College, students enrolled in the accelerated MPH program apply six Public Health graduate credits during their senior year toward both the undergraduate degree and the MPH. In addition, students can apply an additional three Public Health graduate credits taken during their senior year toward the MPH degree. Students would then take the additional credits required to complete the MPH during a fifth year of study. Additional training will help open up more opportunities.

There are many different kinds of jobs which align with the kind of preparation that students will attain through the combination of their undergraduate HSOC and their graduate training. For example, M.P.H. and relevant M.A. graduates are qualified for the following kinds of positions: epidemiologist; biostatistician; researcher; research consultant; senior data analyst; health information manager; legislative policy advisor; congressional staffer; health management policy advisor in government, non-profit or corporate organization; public health planner for state and local government; director of health NGO; academic policy advisor for health education programs; public health consultant for government or healthcare providers; program evaluator; public health educator; health communications specialist; health journalist; medical interpreter/translator; health promotion program coordinator; employee wellness coordinator in human resources department; health services administrator; program manager; health center administrator in a hospital or other facility; director of family health services facility; social worker; public health information officer; infection preventionist; health regulatory inspector; environmental health and safety manager; or emergency preparedness and bioterrorism coordinator, among many others. Many MPH graduates work with national and international organizations like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the World Health Organization (WHO). With a J.D. and related specialization, one can become a health care legal consultant, public health attorney, or human rights lawyer. An M.B.A. degree is often a recommended path for public health positions that requirement higher-level management acumen, whether in industry, social entrepreneurship, or government. With relevant technical, legal, or management training, graduates may also work in civil or biomedical engineering or in pharmaceutical or biotechnology fields. To become a university professor or a principal investigator designing large research projects or to lead a large national or international organization conducting nonclinical health, healing, or healthcare research, a Ph.D. is generally required. For positions requiring both high-level clinical expertise and research or management specialization, an M.D. is required together with the relevant research or management qualifications and/or experience. Most international members of Doctors without Borders are M.D.’s.