Best Health Education Specialist programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment
Provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles.
28 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,232 people a year. The job pays a median of $57,510 in Massachusetts across about 2,420 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Massachusetts page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.2201In Massachusetts → | 962 | 78.1% | 19 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 2 | CIP 51.2207In Massachusetts → | 131 | 10.6% | 5 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0905In Massachusetts → | 61 | 5.0% | 3 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 4 | CIP 51.2212In Massachusetts → | 38 | 3.1% | 2 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 5 | CIP 51.1504In Massachusetts → | 15 | 1.2% | 3 | $37,335 | $22,861 |
| 6 | CIP 51.2210In Massachusetts → | 14 | 1.1% | 2 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 7 | CIP 51.0504In Massachusetts → | 7 | 0.6% | 2 | $195,650 | — |
| 8 | Health and Wellness, Generalmain feeder CIP 51.0001In Massachusetts → | 4 | 0.3% | 2 | $34,545 | $25,000 |
Top 25 schools in Massachusetts
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 28 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 378 | Public Health, General | — | 98% | $15,013 | 4% |
| 2 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 2 feeder programs | 251 | Public Health, General | $37,364 | 83% | — | 60% |
| 3 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 125 | Public Health Education and Promotion | — | 89% | $21,956 | 11% |
| 4 | Northeastern University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 95 | Public Health, General | — | 91% | $18,925 | 5% |
| 5 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 77 | Public Health, General | $43,046 | 65% | — | 83% |
| 6 | Worcester State University Worcester, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 54 | Public Health, General | — | 61% | — | 88% |
| 7 | Tufts University Medford, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 40 | Public Health Education and Promotion | $53,372 | 94% | $23,570 | 11% |
| 8 | University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Behavioral Aspects of Health | — | 52% | — | 91% |
| 9 | Simmons University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Public Health Education and Promotion | $45,331 | 72% | $24,848 | 70% |
| 10 | Regis College Weston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Public Health, General | $42,638 | 72% | $26,647 | 70% |
| 11 | Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Public Health, General | — | 62% | $35,358 | 85% |
| 12 | American International College Springfield, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Public Health, General | — | 46% | $23,595 | 100% |
| 13 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Public Health, General | — | 91% | $21,126 | 16% |
| 14 | Curry College Milton, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Public Health, General | — | 51% | $28,321 | 88% |
| 15 | Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Public Health, General | — | 53% | — | 88% |
| 16 | Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Public Health, General | — | 55% | — | 87% |
| 17 | Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling | $27,799 | 21% | — | — |
| 18 | Springfield College - Regional, Online, and Continuing Education Springfield, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Public Health Education and Promotion | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | International Public Health/International Health | — | 49% | — | 84% |
| 20 | North Shore Community College Danvers, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling | — | 18% | — | — |
| 21 | Cambridge College Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Health and Wellness, General | — | 11% | — | — |
| 22 | Hampshire College Amherst, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Public Health, General | — | 54% | $22,968 | 75% |
| 23 | Merrimack College North Andover, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 2 | Public Health Education and Promotion | — | 70% | $33,877 | 70% |
| 24 | Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Public Health, General | — | 73% | $26,445 | 68% |
| 25 | Dean College Franklin, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Health and Wellness, General | — | 54% | $28,874 | 74% |
All 28 schools in Massachusetts
Every school in Massachusetts with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Cambridge | Private not-for-profit | 378 | 4 |
| University of Massachusetts - Amherst | Amherst | Public | 251 | 2 |
| Boston University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 125 | 4 |
| Northeastern University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 95 | 1 |
| University of Massachusetts - Lowell | Lowell | Public | 77 | 1 |
| Worcester State University | Worcester | Public | 54 | 1 |
| Tufts University | Medford | Private not-for-profit | 40 | 2 |
| University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth | North Dartmouth | Public | 34 | 1 |
| Simmons University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 32 | 2 |
| Regis College | Weston | Private not-for-profit | 29 | 1 |
| Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 1 |
| American International College | Springfield | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| Curry College | Milton | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater | Public | 9 | 1 |
What health education specialists earn in Massachusetts
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $64,070. Massachusetts pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Massachusetts employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Massachusetts
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Health Education Specialists page.
How to become a Health Education Specialist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Massachusetts
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Health Education Specialists9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0905Health Communication
- 51.0001Health and Wellness, General
- 51.0504Dental Public Health and Education
- 51.1504Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling
- 51.2201Public Health, General
- 51.2207Public Health Education and Promotion
- 51.2209Maternal and Child Health
- 51.2210International Public Health/International Health
- 51.2212Behavioral Aspects of Health
Common questions
Answers for people weighing health education specialists programs in Massachusetts.
What degree do you need to become a Health Education Specialist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Public Health, General, which awarded 962 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 78.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Health Education Specialist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Public Health, Public Relations, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 1,232 people a year in Massachusetts.
How much do health education specialists earn in Massachusetts?+
The median is $57,510 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 10.2% below the U.S. median of $64,070. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for health education specialists growing?+
BLS projects a +4.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 7,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Massachusetts?+
28 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do health education specialists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Health Educator, Clinical Instructor, Public Health Educator, Health Education Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 21-1091.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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