Explore career options in public health and health promotion
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles a public health and health promotion program may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
Public health focuses on the health of whole populations and communities rather than the health of particular individuals. Public health professionals assess the social, behavioural, cultural, political, economic and institutional context of health problems in the general population and in specific population groups and intervene effectively in their management. Public health includes assessing threats to health by working with communities, governments and non-government agencies in the planning, delivery and evaluation of public health programs. Environmental health practitioners are part of the public health workforce, and are involved in assessing risk, developing policy, monitoring conditions, and promoting environmental practices for the protection of public health.
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Career fields
*Denotes further study at postgraduate level likely to be required
- State and federal health departments
- Local government
- Health promotion
- Policy advising
- Environmental and occupational health
- Aged care service providers
- Public and private hospitals
- Mental health promotion
- Health Insurance funds
- Community health services
- NGOs such as The Cancer Council and The National Heart Foundation
- International health
- Infection control
- Epidemiology*
- Health services management*
Employment roles
- Public health officer
- Environmental health officer
- Health promotion officer
- Community program coordinator
- Project manager
- Corporate health manager
- Workplace health manager
- Health and safety advisor
- Health advisor
- Research project officer
- Sustainability officer
- Disaster risk officer
- Climate resilience officer
Occupation snapshot
Part-time share
46%
Employed
5,100
Weekly earnings
$1,102
Future demand
Strong
This data is based on the occupation profile for health promotion officer retrieved from the Government's website Jobs and Skills Australia, December 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
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Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- Australian Public Service recruitment
- Australian Government Department of Health
- Careers at CSIRO
- Kelly Scientific Resources
- New South Wales Government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- Queensland Health vacancies
- Research Career Jobs (Australia and New Zealand)
- Your World Healthcare
Notable alumnus: Chanel Dunn
Chanel Dunn, a paediatric occupational therapist, completed her Master of Public Health entirely online from Griffith University while managing full-time work and family responsibilities.
She was recognised for her outstanding academic performance with the Griffith Award for Academic Excellence and is passionate about working with professionals to create positive health outcomes at a population level.
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Public Health Association of Australia
- Environmental Health Australia
- Australian Health Promotion Association
- Australasian Institute of Digital Health
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to promoting decent work and economic growth, advancing the principles of responsible and sustainable consumption and production, and advocating for peace, justice, and resilient institutional frameworks.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning: