Public Health
Public Health
About
There are various career options within public health - from academic research and epidemiology to health promotion and policy.
Careers advice
- Health Careers: Careers in public health
- Faculty of Public Health: Careers in public health - includes resources on the different career areas and routes into public health
Industry news
Sources of news include:
- New Scientist
- Public Health Journal
- Public Health Matters - a blog from Public Health England
Professional bodies
These represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates.
They also provide development for people already working in the sector. Follow them and sector skills bodies on LinkedIn, or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.
Professional societies/institutes
- Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)
- International Epidemiological Association
- Faculty of Public Health
- UK Public Health Association
- Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
Research councils/institutes
- Medical Research Council
- Economic and Social Research Council
- UK Clinical Research Collaboration – collaborative research to improve UK public health
- National Institute for Health Research
- Fuse (the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health) in the North East
Government agencies
- UK Health Security Agency
- Offce for Health Improvement and Disparities
- Health Protection Scotland
- Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland
- Public Health Wales - see also NHS Wales: Public Health
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Non-governmental organisations/charities
- World Health Organization
- United Nations
- King’s Fund - independent charity working to improve health and care in England
Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.
Making contacts
Talking to people working in the sector can give you an insight into roles in public health and be useful for networking and speculative applications.
You could start with:
- Newcastle alumni on LinkedIn – find out what our graduates have done after graduation
- ResearchGATE - professional online network for researchers across scientific disciplines
- NHS Research and Development Forum - network for those managing and supporting research and development in health and social care
Social media, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter, can also be useful for making contacts, finding employers and opportunities.
Related sectors
You may also be interested in:
- Healthcare
- Life Science
- Science careers outside the lab
- Government, Politics and Policy
- Development
- Economics and Statistics
Or see Explore Occupations for more options.
Roles & Skills
A Master’s degree or PhD relating to public health can be valuable for developing a career as a public health specialist either in the UK or overseas.
Some specialist consultant roles in public health require clinical backgrounds. See Study & Training for more information.
NHS Health Careers provides information on the core public health roles available within the NHS.
The following job profiles include descriptions of typical duties and entry requirements.
Epidemiologist
Environmental health practitioner
Health improvement practitioner
Health and safety adviser
Skills employers look for
Employers in this sector look for skills including:
- a strong interest in public health and the ability to handle and interpret data and statistics
- an analytical and investigative mind and the ability to organise and carry out research
- the ability to project-manage, prioritise tasks, meet deadlines and work with minimum supervision
- leadership and the ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams
- strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to understand legislation and policies
- attention to detail and a logical and methodical approach to problem-solving
Gaining Experience
Getting into public health is competitive. Work experience is invaluable in developing relevant skills and demonstrating your interest and commitment to recruiters.
Some employers offer internships, for example, Wellcome Trust and the World Health Organisation.
Hospitals also sometimes offer work experience. Try contacting your local NHS trust hospital. You may have to go through the HR department.
Professional bodies and research councils also advertise opportunities, including research, funding and studentships. See About for a list of organisations.
Smaller organisations often don’t advertise work experience, so you may need to contact them directly, with a speculative approach. Do this early, as it can be very competitive.
Finding work experience
Internships
- Search for vacancies on MyCareer and sign up for personalised email alerts
- PHG Foundation - offer paid internships and voluntary opportunities
- The Epidemiology Group – based at the University of Aberdeen
- See Internships, placements & shadowing for additional sources of work experience
For sources of opportunities relating to statistics, see Economics and Statistics.
Finding companies
Find organisations that interest you and get in touch directly – ideally with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for.
Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a polite phone call or email to show that you’re keen.
For more advice on approaching companies directly, see targetjobs: Discover hidden internships: the art of speculative applications.
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) - lists pharmaceutical companies, can filter by those which offer work experience
- Find organisations on MyCareer - click ‘Search' then 'Organisations’ to find companies the Careers Service has worked with. Can filter by keyword, sector and region
- Making Contacts – advice on how to find and approach people for help with your career
- LinkedIn Find Alumni tool – see where Newcastle graduates are working for inspiration
- Researching Employers – source and research companies
Other ways to gain experience
You could also:
- become a health champion with RSPH’s Young Health Champions programme or NICE Evidence Search Student Champion Scheme
- think about work shadowing - try contacting primary care services (eg health centres, GP surgeries, pharmacies), hospitals and local authority public health teams (eg Newcastle City Council), to ask about opportunities
- undertake voluntary work - see Volunteering for help with finding opportunities. The Public Health Jobs blog has a useful article on finding work experience, with links to relevant charities
- become active in student societies, such as Teddy Bear Hospital, Marrow Society and Mind the Gap
- network to build contacts by attending events and conferences, commenting on relevant blogs or joining a professional body
Part-time work can help you develop relevant skills. Researcher roles, for example, can be useful experience for getting into public health and epidemiology. To search, log on to MyCareer and also visit Part-time jobs.
Finding Jobs
Opportunities are found within the NHS, local and central government, the World Health Organisation, academic institutions and the not-for profit sector.
Competition for positions in this sector is strong.
There are few formal graduate schemes available in public health. Related schemes include Wellcome Trust Graduate Development Programme and the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme in health informatics and analytics. Apply early - the NHS graduate scheme usually opens in October and closes mid-November for the following year's entry.
Smaller companies don’t always advertise jobs or work experience. You may need to contact them directly with a speculative approach. Do this early, as it can take time and be very competitive.
Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and also research employers for speculative applications.
Vacancy sites
- Search for vacancies on MyCareer
- NHS Jobs
- Civil Service Jobs
- Jobs.ac.uk - vacancies in universities and academia
- lgjobs.com – local government job vacancies
- HealthJobsUK - search under Allied health professions or Administrative Services
- Public Health Jobs
- BMJ Careers
- World Health Organization: Vacancies
- HSJjobs.com
- BUPA Careers
- CharityJob
- Health and Safety Executive
To find opportunities outside the UK, see GoinGlobal and International Jobs.
Finding employers
Find organisations that interest you and get in touch directly – ideally to a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for.
Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a polite phone call or email to show that you’re keen.
For more advice on approaching organisations directly, see targetjobs: Making speculative applications for graduate jobs.
Talk to people in the sector to get insight into roles found in public health and epidemiology.
- UK Public Health Network - member organisations
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)
- European Public Health Alliance – list of not-for-profit organisations across Europe working in public health
- LinkedIn Find Alumni tool – see where Newcastle graduates are working for inspiration
You can also find organisations on MyCareer - click ‘Search' then 'Organisations’ to find companies the Careers Service has worked with. Can filter by keyword, sector and region.
Study & Training
For some careers within public health and epidemiology, it can be beneficial to have studied a Master’s level qualification in an area relating to these subjects.
Typical courses include taught/research Masters and PhDs in:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Health Data Science
- Health Informatics
- Dental Public Health
- Public Health Nutrition
- Population Health
The following websites can help you find relevant courses and training opportunities:
- Newcastle University postgraduate prospectus
- Findamasters
- Find a PhD
- Prospects
- NHS Speciality training in public health – requires significant work experience in public health
- UK Health Security Agency: Epidemiology, Surveillance and Public Health courses
Applying
Applications for these courses are usually made directly to the institution.
Funding
For UK students, a Government postgraduate loan scheme is available for both Masters and doctoral courses.
See Further Study for information on other sources of funding, including scholarships and PhD studentships.