Career
Health education specialists
Teach people and communities how to live healthier lives.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
- Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
- Maintain databases, mailing lists, telephone networks, and other information to facilitate the functioning of health education programs.
- Document activities and record information, such as the numbers of applications completed, presentations conducted, and persons assisted.
- Develop and present health education and promotion programs, such as training workshops, conferences, and school or community presentations.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Learning Strategies.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $64,070 a year and 6,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Health SciencesSee the degree →
- Public HealthSee the degree →
- Public Relations and AdvertisingSee the degree →
- Health CommunicationCIP 09.0905
- Health and Wellness, GeneralCIP 51.0001
- Dental Public Health and EducationCIP 51.0504
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Community Health Workers$51,850 · +12.7%
- Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$80,250 · +17.1%
- Rehabilitation Counselors$46,850 · +2.2%
- Health Informatics Specialists
- Healthcare Social Workers$67,880 · +8.5%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.