Community Health and Preventive Medicine Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Community Health and Preventive Medicine maps to BLS occupations averaging about $147,787, with roughly 3,715,330 workers nationwide in those roles. About 1,441 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $9,992.
Key Statistics
Community Health and Preventive Medicine: what the data shows
Common questions about community health and preventive medicine degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a community health and preventive medicine degree?
A Community Health and Preventive Medicine program is classified under NCES CIP 51.2208 in the Public Health field family (51.22).
A program that prepares public health specialists to plan and manage health services in local community settings, including the coordination of related support services, government agencies, and private resources. Includes instruction in public health, community health services and delivery, health behavior and cultural factors, local government operations, human services, health communication and promotion, health services administration in local settings, environmental health, preventive and comparative medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, family and community health, and applicable law and regulations
IPEDS counted 1,441 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of community health and preventive medicine degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 51.22 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Behavioral Aspects of Health (CIP 51.2212)
- Environmental Health (CIP 51.2202)
- Health Services Administration (CIP 51.2211)
- Health/Medical Physics (CIP 51.2205)
- International Public Health/International Health (CIP 51.2210)
- Maternal and Child Health (CIP 51.2209)
- Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene (CIP 51.2206)
- Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality (CIP 51.2213)
- Public Health Education and Promotion (CIP 51.2207)
- Public Health Genetics (CIP 51.2214)
- Public Health, General (CIP 51.2201)
How long does it take to get a community health and preventive medicine degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2208 in our file:
- 88 Associate (4.8% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 1,441 Bachelor's (77.9% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 320 Master's (17.3% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Registered Nurses (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 51.2208, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a community health and preventive medicine degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Community Health and Preventive Medicine to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Community Health Workers | 60,730 | $51,030 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | 16,960 | $97,020 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | 125,910 | $60,060 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 229,720 | $105,620 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a community health and preventive medicine degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Public Health bachelor's program family: median debt $25,768, median earnings $58,808 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.69.
About 5.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $9,992 and median net price is $17,321.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Community Health and Preventive Medicine and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$9,992 Median In-State Public
$39,800 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Community Health and Preventive Medicine majors are, on average, $9,992 for in-state public colleges, and $39,800 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Community Health and Preventive Medicine programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Community Health and Preventive Medicine from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Community Health and Preventive Medicine.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | 85,991 |
| 4 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 5 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Community Health and Preventive Medicine programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haskell Indian Nations University | KS | $600 |
| 2 | Cypress College | CA | $1,150 |
| 3 | MiraCosta College | CA | $1,158 |
| 4 | San Joaquin Delta College | CA | $1,180 |
| 5 | Monterey Peninsula College | CA | $1,188 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Community Health and Preventive Medicine programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 3 | St Petersburg College | FL | $1,471 |
| 4 | Middlesex College | NJ | $2,288 |
| 5 | San Joaquin Delta College | CA | $2,407 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Community Health and Preventive Medicine programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Community Health and Preventive Medicine programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Community Health and Preventive Medicine is in UT (192 completions). That state represents about 13.3% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is UT (0.18% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT | 192 | 13.3% | 0.18% |
| IL | 179 | 12.4% | 0.13% |
| VA | 166 | 11.5% | 0.14% |
| FL | 160 | 11.1% | 0.07% |
| IN | 112 | 7.8% | 0.11% |
| MA | 82 | 5.7% | 0.06% |
| NY | 76 | 5.3% | 0.03% |
| MD | 75 | 5.2% | 0.10% |
| OR | 66 | 4.6% | 0.15% |
| CA | 63 | 4.4% | 0.01% |
| WI | 58 | 4.0% | 0.08% |
| NJ | 41 | 2.9% | 0.05% |
| KY | 40 | 2.8% | 0.08% |
| MN | 29 | 2.0% | 0.03% |
| WA | 28 | 1.9% | 0.04% |
| SD | 20 | 1.4% | 0.17% |
| PA | 16 | 1.1% | 0.01% |
| LA | 12 | 0.8% | 0.03% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 51.22 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Behavioral Aspects of Health CIP 51.2212
- Environmental Health CIP 51.2202
- Health Services Administration CIP 51.2211
- Health/Medical Physics CIP 51.2205
- International Public Health/International Health CIP 51.2210
- Maternal and Child Health CIP 51.2209
- Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene CIP 51.2206
- Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality CIP 51.2213
- Public Health Education and Promotion CIP 51.2207
- Public Health Genetics CIP 51.2214
- Public Health, General CIP 51.2201
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2208 in the survey year used in our extract (1,849 total across levels below).
- 88 Associate (4.8% of IPEDS total)
- 1,441 Bachelor's (77.9% of IPEDS total)
- 320 Master's (17.3% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $147,787. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Community Health and Preventive Medicine graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | $152,361 | 3,282,010 |
| Community Health Workers | $64,353 | 60,730 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | $154,765 | 16,960 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $85,369 | 125,910 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $138,186 | 229,720 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Public Health CIP family (89 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Community Health and Preventive Medicine graduate.
- $25,768 median federal loan debt among completers
- $58,808 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$147,787 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Community Health and Preventive Medicine majors is $147,787.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Community Health and Preventive Medicine majors.
Occupations by Share
3,715,330 2023 Workforce
The number of Community Health and Preventive Medicine graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Community Health and Preventive Medicine by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Community Health and Preventive Medicine in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Community Health and Preventive Medicine.
Age distribution for Community Health and Preventive Medicine degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
1,441 Total Degrees Awarded
229 Male (15.89%)
1,212 Female (84.11%)
Gender distribution of Community Health and Preventive Medicine degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
639 White (44.34%)
249 Black or African American (17.28%)
237 Hispanic or Latino (16.45%)
177 Asian (12.28%)
69 Two or More Races (4.79%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Community Health and Preventive Medicine degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Community Health and Preventive Medicine are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Community Health and Preventive Medicine.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Community Health and Preventive Medicine field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Community Health and Preventive Medicine majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Community Health and Preventive Medicine majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Community Health and Preventive Medicine majors.
About
A program that prepares public health specialists to plan and manage health services in local community settings, including the coordination of related support services, government agencies, and private resources. Includes instruction in public health, community health services and delivery, health behavior and cultural factors, local government operations, human services, health communication and promotion, health services administration in local settings, environmental health, preventive and comparative medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, family and community health, and applicable law and regulations
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Community Health and Preventive Medicine.
CIP Code
51.2208 - Community Health and Preventive Medicine
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $25,768 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $58,808, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Community Health and Preventive Medicine graduate.
Women earned 83.0% of 2,571 Community Health and Preventive Medicine completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $147,787. The largest mapped role by headcount is Registered Nurses (3,282,010 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $9,992 in-state at public colleges and $39,800 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.