How Do Public Health and Public Policy Relate?
By Staff Writer

If you’re thinking about a career in which you help people get the resources they need to live a healthy life, you may be interested in a master’s in public health and administration. Public health and administration degrees allow you to learn more about how the government shapes the policies that affect people’s well-being and access to health care. You’ll have the opportunity to apply for jobs that will allow you to create change for communities and people who rely on government health and welfare programs for their well-being.

Do public health majors run for office?

If you’re thinking about working towards running for public office, it’s important to know that public health policy and politics often go hand in hand. Many people with a master’s in public health and administration have aspirations of shaping public health law and policy as elected officials. Public health policy and politics can be a great combination, as a degree in public health and administration shows people that you care about how government policies affect their day to day well-being.

Many people who study public health administration and practice believe that all public law and health policy creators are responsible for protecting the health of their communities. This can sometimes cause controversies in public health and health policy between people who advocate for public health and those who make laws. Those who are elected and work in the field of public health policy and administration have the opportunity to shape laws around welfare, health care, community resources, and other aspects of public health administration and practice that affect the health of the community.

Of course, many public health policy experts work in government agencies, such as Health and Human Services, where they can also shape policy from the inside.

Public policy and public health: What’s the difference?

If you’re trying to decide whether you’re interested in a degree in public health policy and administration, you may be wondering about the difference between public health and public administration. Public health administration and management officials typically work directly with health care issues that affect communities, such as providing free or low cost government health insurance to kids, access to public health centers, and providing food and health care to low-income women and children. The greatest difference between public health and public administration is that people who work strictly in public administration also are responsible for programs that address other facets of communities, such as welfare, community upkeep, crime, and more.

When you have a public health administration and management degree, you’re responsible for creating policy and practice in promoting public health. This often means going beyond promoting current public health policies and government regulations. You’ll use your knowledge of public health policy and ethics to create new initiatives that improve communities. When you work in public health and public administration, you’ll work with communities to understand their unique needs. You’ll use this information to create public health policies and government regulations that will help circumvent controversies in public health and policy, ensuring that public policy and ethics go hand in hand.

What do people with public health degrees do?

When you choose to dedicate your career to policy and practice in promoting public health, you’re helping people get the resources they need to stay healthy, happy, and productive in their communities. Your degree in public health and administration will allow you to work side by side with people who dictate public policy. You’ll be able to use your public health and public administration knowledge to help guide public policy decisions, ensuring that policies are made in the best interests of the people who are directly affected. Working in public health administration and management means that you will have the opportunity to create change for the people and communities who need it most.

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