Webinar Reports On Explosive Growth In Undergraduate Training In
Public Health Since 2005
Epidemiology Remains Largely In The Province Of Graduate School
Programs
“Since 2005, a significant, sustained, and increasing number of
students have been receiving undergraduate degrees across all types of
public health programs.” That’s the conclusion of a study published in
Public Health Reports earlier this year by Jonathon Leider and
colleagues and the focus of a recent webinar in mid-September
sponsored by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.
The Numbers
According to the report, approximately 50,000 undergraduate students
graduated with public health majors in the 20+years between 1992-2012,
and undergraduate degree conferrals in public health grew 750% from
1992-2012.
Half of these degrees were given between 2008-2012 when conferrals
increased 90% and public health programs ranked among the top ten
fastest growing undergraduate majors among midsize and larger
programs. Many of the other fastest growing undergraduate programs are
in health or health related fields.
The
actual number of degrees conferred has grown from less than 1,000 in
1992 to more than 5,000 per year since 2010. The public health
degree-granting institutions increased from 45 in the early 2000’s to
176 by 2012. The public health major appeals to women more than men
since almost 80% of these degrees were awarded to women in 2012.
Type of Degrees
When examining the type of public health degrees awarded, nearly all
of the degrees were awarded in disciplines other than epidemiology.
For example, in 2012, programs conferred 6,464 degrees in public
health, with the largest numbers in such subjects as public health
education and promotion (1,887), general public health studies
(1,397), community health and preventive medicine (1,088), health
services administration (649), environmental health (287), health
policy analysis (83), and occupational health and industrial hygiene
(83). Biostatistics garnered 29 conferrals and epidemiology only 1.
Data for the last three years were not available for the report and
presentation.
Questions Raised
These trends in undergraduate educational preferences raise a number
of interesting questions which remain largely unanswered at this time,
according to the presenters at the webinar.
Will demand for undergraduate degrees in public health continue to
grow?
What type of activities/jobs are these baccalaureate public health
graduates engaged in after leaving college?
Are
they using these degrees as stepping stones to graduate training in
the field?
Will the undergraduate degrees in public health come to supplant the
masters degrees in public health or will it complement the graduate
training?
Will undergraduate programs begin offering majors in epidemiology? If
so, what role will these graduates play in the field?
What best accounts for the surge in undergraduates since the early
2000’s? Is it in response to the attack on 9/11? An increased
motivation to make a difference in the world? Another factor?
The
report was published in Public Health Reports. It may also be accessed
on the web at the website of the Association of Schools and Programs
of Public Health at:
https://tinyurl.com/ntmuabc
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