Skip to content Accessibility statement
Work, volunteering and career planning
HomeStudent homeWork, volunteering and career planningExplore your optionsJob sectorsPublic health

Public health

Public health is defined by the Faculty of Public Health as 'the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of society'.

Public health careers in the UK include a wide range of roles and entry levels: working in the NHS, for government or local councils, consultancy firms, charities or social enterprises, as well as research and academia. Qualifications required depend on the type of role and level. This page aims to provide career information for students studying for a Masters in Public Health. Your career choices will also be influenced by your previous qualifications and experience.

Find out about public health careers

Key resources

The University of York MPH course page lists some possible career opportunities, together with recommended elective module choices. 

NHS careers in public health

Faculty of Public Health careers information

Prospects: Public health careers

Coursera: What can you do with a Masters in Public Health? suggests different career paths following an MPH

See also other job sector pages including: Health services management, Data science and analytics, International development, Charity and voluntary sector, Civil service, central and local government.

Roles in Public health

See below for the range of roles in public health and links to explore these further.

Public health consultant

Public health consultant

  • NHS Careers Public health consultants and specialists
  • Specialty programmes - 5 years, NHS funded (typically 60-90 funded places per year). 
    • Specialist pathway for those with a medical or dentistry degree (Public Health Consultant with medical/dentistry degree approved by GMC or GDC)
    • Non-specialist pathway for those with other relevant work experience and qualifications (Public Health Specialist non-medical degree)
    • Faculty of Public Health (FPH) speciality training recruitment

Employers: Mostly related to service delivery, policy, research, communication, health promotion/improvement eg healthcare providers (NHS), local government, Civil Service, higher education, social care organisations

Public health research and policy

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds and delivers health and social care research to improve health and wellbeing and promote economic growth.

NIHR research funding - various schemes for researchers at different stages of their career. Much of this research would take place in HE but also in other organisations departments/agencies .

Employers:

Health promotion

Employers include NHS trusts and charities. Jobs may be advertised on NHS jobs, the Government Find a job site, Public Health jobs and Charity Job UK.

Epidemiology / scientific roles

Employers include the NHS, Higher education, UK Health Security Agency, Health & Safety Executive

Data and analytics

Employers include Higher education, charities, government departments and agencies, private sector eg consultancies

Work with international organisations

Work with international organisations may include health education, disease prevention and control, and work in crisis situations and disaster zones.

See also: international development

Consulting / Public health management

Healthcare consulting

Healthcare consultants help healthcare organisations to run their businesses efficiently. As a healthcare consultant you might be working for clients including healthcare providers, charities, local and national government. As well as an understanding of healthcare and current issues in the sector, you are likely to need data analysis, financial, problem solving and good interpersonal skills.:

Public health management

Alternatives to consider

Healthcare management

Medical communications / market access

Example employers: Costello Medical, Pharmagenesis, pharmaceutical companies, health charities

What skills do I need?

Typical skills required for a career in public health include:

  • An understanding of health issues (possibly including specialist knowledge in a particular area of health)
  • Research and data analysis
  • Empathy and relationship-building
  • People skills - excellent communication skills and the ability to influence and motivate
  • Organisation and project management
  • Teamwork, including working with colleagues across multi-disciplinary teams

For more information about professional skills and how to develop them, see the York Strengths Professional Skills page.

Example roles and profiles

Profiles

For more detailed information, see the sections above.

LinkedIn

If you use LinkedIn, look for York alumni who have studied Public Health to get an idea of possible roles following your course and to start building your professional network. (On LinkedIn, search for University of York, then click on Alumni and apply filters to find relevant profiles.)

Roles you may find include: Public Health Practitioner / Specialist, Health Improvement Practitioner, Research Assistant, Clinical Information Analyst, Business and admin roles with health charities.

York for Life

Join York for Life to connect with our global network of alumni. Start building your own network - find people from your course, look at different careers, ask questions and request a mentor.

Work experience

Many students on the Masters in Public Health course already have considerable experience in the health sector.

Employers value experience in healthcare, and with community groups and charities. If you have time, you could volunteer or try to do some work shadowing in a relevant setting.

Find jobs

UK

International students

Even if you are considering work in the UK, you may need to explore roles in both the UK and other countries. Securing work in the UK can be challenging because of funding, visa and sponsorship issues, and differences between healthcare systems. If you qualified as a doctor or dentist in your home country, you could explore routes to practise in the UK.

  • Doctors: Regardless of country of origin, medical professionals must be licensed to practice by the General Medical Council. Process involves: Passing English language tests, passing the PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) tests, completing a clinical attachment (unpaid work experience).See the BMA information for international doctors
  • Dentists: All dental professionals must be registered with the General Dental Council to work in the UK. See the GDC website for information about registering for overseas qualified dentists.
  • Medical and dental practitioners are eligible for the Health and Care worker visa.

India

Public Health roles may be in government, hospitals, academia and international agencies. Roles include healthcare administration, epidemiologists, public health educators, environmental scientists and biosecurity and some require a Masters or higher qualification. Look for jobs at:

Other countries

The sites listed above are examples of institutions and job sites advertising public health roles. Could you look for similar resources for your country?