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10 Degrees For You If You’re Starting College as a Healthcare Major

The healthcare industry and its recognition worldwide have existed for several centuries. However, global health challenges, such as the recent pandemic and increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses, have highlighted its significance even more.

Besides being one of the fastest-growing fields, healthcare is one of the few professions that allow you to make an actual difference in someone’s life. Whether through direct patient care, contributing towards a medical breakthrough, or advocating for underrepresented communities—opportunities for making a positive impact are endless in this industry. Furthermore, since healthcare is constantly evolving and embracing new technologies, you can stay at the forefront of innovation and shape the future of medicine by learning sonography certificate programs online.

For many college students who want to go into healthcare, the selfless drive to help an individual and pursue a rewarding career is often the primary reason. However, it is equally important to understand the numerous job security benefits and opportunities for career growth this field provides. But with so many career options, even within the healthcare industry, choosing the right one may seem complex.

Therefore, we list ten degrees that may suit you best and are most likely to align with your interests.

1. Health Administration

Health administration is a degree that allows you to pursue your interest in medicine and develop a unique blend of business acumen with it. Although professionals of this degree hold various positions and roles, their primary responsibility is improving healthcare efficiency, delivery, and outcomes.

Advanced qualifications of this degree, such as a health care MPA (Master of Public Administration), allow you to pursue even more diverse career opportunities across different sectors. And with the high demand for competent leaders and administrators, this degree can ensure job security for a long time.

2. Public Health

With a public health degree, you can positively impact your community or the general public by raising awareness, promoting healthy behaviors, or staging interventions. You can specialize in many disciplines, including epidemiology, environmental health, or health policy. Each of these has a particular set of job roles, but all of them can significantly influence improving a population’s health.

The rising need for evidence-based strategies and prevalent complex health concerns has recently increased the demand for public health professionals. Therefore, pursuing a degree in this field can guarantee a lucrative and stable career for however long you need it.

3. Nutrition and Dietetics

A nutrition and dietetics degree provides a comprehensive knowledge of the relationship between food and nutrition and how it impacts overall health. This information is crucial in preventing nutrition-related diseases or devising treatment strategies by promoting healthy eating habits in patients.

If you’re interested in working in hospital or clinical settings, this profession can provide you with plenty of work opportunities within these workplaces.

4. Nursing

Your interest in healthcare may stem from an inherent desire to help people and improve patient care wherever possible. Unfortunately, many people are only aware of a physician’s role in patient care when several other healthcare professionals are just as crucial. A primary example of this is nurses with various responsibilities ranging from patient advocacy and emotional support to administering treatments and raising awareness.

A nursing degree allows you to pursue versatile and highly sought-after career pathways. More importantly, the more effort you put into enhancing your knowledge and skills, the more employers seek you out and offer lucrative salaries with numerous job benefits.

5. Pharmaceutics

A pharmaceutics degree offers its candidates a deep scientific knowledge and understanding of drug development, delivery systems, and formulation. You can gain expertise in various disciplines like pharmacokinetics or drug safety, which makes you an indispensable asset in the healthcare industry.

Pharmaceutical careers are one of the highest-paying ones in healthcare. Whether you choose to work in a private organization or for a public hospital, your chances of growing in this profession will always be within reach.

6. Biomedical Engineering

This degree is excellent for healthcare majors interested in combining engineering principles with medical applications. Many technological breakthroughs that healthcare workers commonly use in medicine today are thanks to the efforts of biomedical engineers. Therefore, this field holds high prestige in the industry.

Also, biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary program that offers opportunities to collaborate with professionals from other industries and fields. This means the nature of your work can always be stimulating and dynamic while also being fulfilling at the same time.

7. Psychology

Psychology majors understand the complexities of the human brain, behaviors, emotions, and mental functioning well. This understanding is crucial in effective communication with patients and their families and ensures a more inclusive treatment approach. It also equips you to provide counseling and address any underlying patient concerns regarding their problems.

In the past decade, the mental health field has made significant progress in getting recognized as a critical part of providing holistic patient care. This acceptance has increased the demand for skilled and competent psychologists worldwide, providing graduates with excellent job prospects and career stability.

8. Physiotherapy

A physiotherapy degree is another ideal choice if you want to major in healthcare since it’s essential in promoting and improving the physical well-being of an individual. Although this profession can be incredibly diverse, most commonly, graduates specialize in injury prevention, rehabilitation, or pain management. Using your expertise and skills in various therapeutic exercises and techniques, you can restore the mobility and function of a patient’s body. Moreover, this degree allows you to work in several workplace settings like hospitals, clinics, or even sports centers.

9. Radiography

Medical imaging and diagnosis have become common in most routine medical procedures worldwide. With a radiology degree, you can gain expertise in MRIs, ultrasound, CT scans, and X-rays, significantly contributing to making an accurate and timely diagnosis. Due to technological advancements, radiology is now an indispensable discipline of the healthcare industry since it allows physicians and surgeons to make better-informed decisions regarding patient care.

10. Clinical Research

This degree plays a crucial role in advancing the current medical knowledge and ensuring continuous improvement in patient care. Your expertise in research methodology, data analysis, and other skills will allow you to contribute towards evidence-based medicine significantly.

Conclusion

Besides helping the community, you can build a meaningful and highly respected career in the healthcare industry. But with so many options to pursue, picking the right one can be a tough choice. Therefore, start by identifying your interests, strengths, and limitations before choosing a degree that best resonates with them.