Public Health Administration: Definition, Jobs, Salaries, and More

Public health administration pairs organisational and administrative know-how with public health goals. 

This exciting career field focuses on improving public health by overseeing the operation of public health organisations at the local, state, or national levels. Whether educating communities about common health concerns or staving off the spread of novel viruses, public health administration professionals provide an important service with a real impact. 

What is public health administration? 

Public health administration professionals improve the health and well-being of the public at large by assessing their health needs, developing outreach programmes, and managing public health facilities. Unlike public health practice, which is more focused on clinical work, public health administration is focused on designing wide-ranging programmes for the public and overseeing the organisations that do so. 

As a result, public health administration is primarily concerned with the business and organisational aspects of public health endeavors rather than the more hands-on aspects of the field. 

What is the difference between a master’s degree in public health (MPH) and a master’s in health administration (MHA)? 

The graduate degree most commonly associated with public health is the Master of Public Health (MPH), which prepares holders for a wide range of public health positions, including administrative and clinical ones. Sometimes, you can choose specialised programmes or tailor electives based on your interests.

The Master of Health Administration (MHA), meanwhile, prepares degree holders for the administrative side of healthcare in general, particularly as it relates to management, business, and organisation. This degree can prepare you for some public health administration positions and other managerial positions within healthcare, such as a hospital manager. 

What do public health administrators do? 

Public health administrators pair public health knowledge with an organisational and managerial approach. As a result, they focus on improving community-wide health outcomes by facilitating outreach efforts and managing public health facilities at the community, state, and federal levels. As a public health administrator, you may work in various positions in hospitals, non-governmental organisations, government offices, networks, pharmaceutical companies, and public health systems.

Although the exact responsibilities of a public health administrator will vary from job to job, some common duties include: 

• Creating awareness of basic public health practices or emerging concerns

• Assessing community health issues 

• Educating the public on common health issues, such as mental health issues and personal hygiene

• Advocating for beneficial public policies

• Developing public health plans to improve community health 

• Setting budgets and writing grants for public outreach projects

• Hiring and training staff 

• Organising and managing fundraisers

Public health administrator salary and job outlook 

In India, healthcare is a growing field poised to expand over the coming decades. The healthcare sector already has the distinction of being one of India’s largest employers as of 2024. As a result, those entering public health administration can generally expect positive job growth for the foreseeable future [1]. 

Public health administration salary 

The salary expectations for those working within public health administration are typically high. 

For example, the average base salary for a public health administrator in India as of February 2025 is ₹28,65,859 per year, according to SalaryExpert [2]. However, it’s important to note that, as with any job, the exact amount you will be paid will depend on your prior work experience, educational credentials, geographic location, and employer. Entry-level public health administrators in India typically start at ₹20,45,689, while senior-level professionals in the same position earn ₹36,11,780 [2].

Public health administration job outlook

The job outlook for public health administrators is positive. As the population increases alongside rising healthcare demands and digital technology, opportunities suited to public health professionals–including public health administrators–will likely continue to grow. With skills in this area, you can contribute to programme design and implementation, disease surveillance, policy-making, and more.

Careers in this field include clinical positions such as a medical director, hospital superintendent, or patient support specialist, strategic planning and marketing roles, community relations positions, regulatory specialists, and financial management positions.

How to become a public health administrator

To become a public health administrator, you must gain the proper training and experience to prepare you for the real world. As you begin, following these steps can help you gain the requisite knowledge and build a strong application for your first position. 

1. Get an undergraduate degree. 

Those hoping to enter the field of public health administration should have a bachelor’s degree in a related subject, such as public health, biostatistics, epidemiology, health science, health economics, healthcare administration, business, or management. In general, if you want to enter the field, you should look for a course that offers some health, management, and business training, which you can typically take with a mix of major and elective courses. 

2. Gain experience.

As with any job, employers will likely look favourably upon applicants with relevant prior experience. As a result, those hoping to become public health administrators could benefit from gaining work experience in entry-level healthcare and administrative positions, whether in nursing, clinical research, or public health. 

3. Consider postgraduate qualifications.

While a bachelor’s degree is typically the bare minimum for many public health administration positions, many employers may look more favourably upon those with a relevant master’s degree. Common degrees that public health administrators receive include a master's in public health (MPH), master's of health administration (MHA), or master's of business administration (MBA). 

You can also opt for a postgraduate certificate programme, such as a certificate programme in hospital and healthcare management, or other postgraduate certification in relevant areas, including biostatistics, epidemiology, global health, health management, or nutrition. In some positions, you may also benefit from a project management certification or a medicine qualification.

Start your public health career with Coursera 

Public health administration is an exciting field that combines business, organisational management, and public health to encompass a broad range of clinical, management, regulatory, financial, and strategic professional positions.

If you’d like to earn a related degree online, the University of Michigan’s Master of Public Health Programme is a two-year-long online graduate degree programme that builds expertise in core public health concepts, available on Coursera. If you’d rather start with a foundational programme, you can also take the Epidemiology for Public Health Specialisation course at Imperial College London, a beginner-level course.