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Major · Health Professions

Specialized public health tracks outside the standard CIP categories

Public Health, Other is a catchall the federal CIP system uses for public health programs that don’t fit named categories like Public Health General, Environmental Health, or Community Health. About 1,457 degrees are awarded each year across 37 colleges, and specific program content varies considerably by institution.

Schools offering
37
Annual completions
1,457
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$58k

About this major

Public Health, Other is the catchall CIP code (51.2299) the federal classification system uses for ‘any instructional program in public health not listed above.’ In practice, that means specialized tracks — global health, public health informatics, maternal and child health, health policy concentrations — that a university chose not to file under the named codes for Public Health General (51.2201), Environmental Health (51.2202), Community Health (51.2208), Health Services Administration (51.2211), or Behavioral Aspects of Health (51.2212). Because the label is administrative rather than curricular, specific program content varies considerably by institution. Coursework typically blends epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, social and behavioral determinants of health, and research methods, with the specialization layered on top.

Students drawn to the major usually arrive with an interest in population-level health rather than direct patient care. Comfort with statistics and research design helps, since data-heavy coursework is unavoidable. The reading load skews toward policy briefs, peer-reviewed studies, and program evaluations. Cross-references in the CIP itself point to adjacent fields — Dental Public Health (51.0504), Epidemiology (26.1309), and Health Policy Analysis (44.0503) — which signals how often public health bachelor’s graduates pivot toward those graduate specialties.

The scale tells you what kind of major this is. Just 1,457 students complete it each year across 37 colleges, compared with 10,951 in Public Health, General. Top employers in the data — medical and health services managers at $117,960 and health specialties teachers, postsecondary at $105,620 — both reflect outcomes that follow graduate training rather than entry-level destinations for a 22-year-old with a bachelor’s degree.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Medical and health services managers $118k +23.2% Bachelor's degree
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary $106k +17.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$58k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$44k

Bachelor's

$58k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you’re interested in population-level health rather than one-on-one clinical work, if you’re comfortable working with data and statistics on a daily basis, if you’re willing to plan for an MPH or comparable master’s as a default next step rather than an optional add-on, if a specific specialization at one of the larger producers — UC-Irvine, Maryland, UCSD, George Washington, Michigan — actually matches what you want to study, and if mid-career destinations like medical and health services manager ($117,960, 23.2% projected growth) read as a long-term fit rather than an entry-level expectation.

Think twice if your real interest is direct patient care, since this is a population and policy degree rather than a clinical one. Reconsider if you can’t commit to graduate school, because most named public health roles require an MPH and the listed postsecondary teaching path requires a doctorate. The variability of this CIP also matters — two ‘Public Health, Other’ programs can teach different content, so verify the specific specialization at any school you’re considering before assuming it matches your goals. And if your interest is genuinely the standard public health core, the General track (10,951 completions, 335 colleges) gives you broader access and clearer transferability than this 1,457-completion catchall.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Public Health, Other

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 0 378 378
University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD 0 316 316
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 142 142
George Washington University Washington, DC 0 106 106
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 0 105 105
University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA 0 98 98
Temple University Philadelphia, PA 0 81 81
Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN 0 71 71
Henderson State University Arkadelphia, AR 0 29 29
Rowan University Glassboro, NJ 0 18 18
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Public Health, General

10,951 completions/yr

Public Health Education and Promotion

2,520 completions/yr

Community Health and Preventive Medicine

1,494 completions/yr

Health Services Administration

1,283 completions/yr

Behavioral Aspects of Health

380 completions/yr

Environmental Health

320 completions/yr

International Public Health/International Health

308 completions/yr

Pharmacy

258 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Public Health, Other field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Public Health, Other worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does Public Health, Other actually mean?
The CIP definition reads, in full, ‘Any instructional program in public health not listed above.’ It’s a residual category for specialized tracks — global health, public health informatics, maternal and child health, health policy concentrations — that universities don’t classify under named CIPs like 51.2201 Public Health General or 51.2208 Community Health. Because the label is administrative, two programs with the same CIP can teach noticeably different curricula.
How does this compare to Public Health, General?
Public Health, General (CIP 51.2201) is the dominant bachelor’s track with 10,951 annual completions across 335 colleges — roughly 7.5 times the volume of Public Health, Other’s 1,457 completions across 37 colleges. The two share identical median five-year earnings in the data ($57,621) and overlap on top careers like medical and health services managers ($117,960). The difference is curriculum specialization: General programs deliver the standard MPH-prep core, while ‘Other’ programs typically reflect a niche concentration the school chose to break out separately.
Do I need a master’s degree for public health work?
For most named public health roles, yes. Epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and senior health services managers overwhelmingly require an MPH or equivalent master’s, and the second career listed in this packet — health specialties teachers, postsecondary at $105,620 — needs a doctoral or professional degree. Treat the bachelor’s as preparation for an MPH program rather than a terminal credential. Bachelor’s-accessible roles do exist (community health workers, health educators, research assistants, public health analysts at smaller orgs), but typically at moderate wages.
What kinds of jobs do graduates end up in?
The packet lists medical and health services managers ($117,960 median, 23.2% projected growth, bachelor’s entry) and health specialties teachers, postsecondary ($105,620, 17.3% growth, doctoral required). Both wages reflect mid-career or graduate-credential outcomes rather than first jobs. Entry-level destinations more typical of recent bachelor’s graduates include health educator roles, community health worker positions, research coordinator jobs at hospitals or nonprofits, and analyst tracks at state and county health departments.
Where do most students earn this degree?
Completions concentrate at large public research universities. UC-Irvine leads at 378 bachelor’s degrees per year, followed by University of Maryland-College Park (316), UC-San Diego (142), George Washington University (106), and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (105). Together those five institutions produce more than 70 percent of all annual ‘Other’ completions, which is part of why this CIP behaves as a small, school-specific catchall rather than a coherent national program.
Is the bachelor’s worth it without graduate school plans?
The data points to a real but modest payoff. Bachelor’s completers report $58,486 median five-year earnings versus $44,277 for associate’s — about a $14,200 spread. Without an MPH, you’ll likely work in health education, community health, research support, or program coordination at moderate wages. Students set on epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy analysis, or hospital administration leadership should plan financially and academically for the master’s from the start.