Michigan·Community and Social Service Occupations·SOC 21-1091

Best Health Education Specialist programs in Michigan, ranked by enrollment

Provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles.

24 schools in Michigan run programs that feed this job, graduating 870 people a year. The job pays a median of $56,360 in Michigan across about 1,480 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledHealth EducatorClinical InstructorPublic Health EducatorHealth Education SpecialistEducatorInstructorHealth CoachFitness Coach
Graduates / yr
870
in Michigan
Median pay · Michigan
$56,360
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,480
people employed
Schools
24
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
56%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,357
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Michigan that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

7 programs in Michigan that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Michigan (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 Michigan page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 51.2201In Michigan
498
57.2%
14$36,762$25,076
2
CIP 51.2207In Michigan
219
25.2%
5$36,762$25,076
3
CIP 51.0001In Michigan
60
6.9%
4$34,545$25,000
4
CIP 51.1504In Michigan
53
6.1%
3$37,335$22,861
5
CIP 51.2210In Michigan
17
2.0%
3$36,762$25,076
6
CIP 51.2212In Michigan
12
1.4%
1$36,762$25,076
7
CIP 09.0905In Michigan
11
1.3%
3$39,658$24,500

Top 24 schools in Michigan

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 24 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Wayne State University
Detroit, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
283Public Health, General$32,58458%81%
2University of Michigan - Dearborn
Dearborn, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
96Public Health Education and Promotion58%56%
3Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI Public · 3 feeder programs
78Public Health, General81%85%
4University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
60Public Health Education and Promotion$36,18193%16%
5Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
47Public Health, General$59,33058%88%
6Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
47Public Health Education and Promotion48%72%
7Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI Public · 3 feeder programs
39Public Health, General59%90%
8Washtenaw Community College
Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
36Health and Wellness, General33%
9Davenport University
Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
31Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling$41,22557%$22,12698%
10Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
31Public Health, General67%83%
11University of Michigan - Flint
Flint, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
23Public Health, General40%70%
12Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
20Public Health, General$38,78146%80%
13Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
18Public Health, General58%85%
14Mott Community College
Flint, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
11Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling32%
15University of Detroit Mercy
Detroit, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling67%$16,10975%
16Henry Ford College
Dearborn, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
10Public Health, General17%
17Andrews University
Berrien Springs, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Public Health, General72%$17,80082%
18Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
5Public Health, General47%91%
19Hope College
Holland, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5International Public Health/International Health80%$21,74679%
20Bay Mills Community College
Brimley, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
4Health and Wellness, General30%
21Calvin University
Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
4Public Health, General74%$22,39171%
22Northern Michigan University
Marquette, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
3Health and Wellness, General52%84%
23Madonna University
Livonia, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Public Health, General60%$16,90463%
24Adrian College
Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Public Health, General48%$20,35773%

All 24 schools in Michigan

Every school in Michigan 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.

All schools in Michigan that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Wayne State UniversityDetroitPublic2832
University of Michigan - DearbornDearbornPublic961
Michigan State UniversityEast LansingPublic783
University of Michigan - Ann ArborAnn ArborPublic601
Oakland UniversityRochester HillsPublic472
Saginaw Valley State UniversityUniversity CenterPublic471
Central Michigan UniversityMount PleasantPublic393
Washtenaw Community CollegeAnn ArborPublic361
Davenport UniversityGrand RapidsPrivate not-for-profit311
Grand Valley State UniversityAllendalePublic312
University of Michigan - FlintFlintPublic231
Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilantiPublic202
Western Michigan UniversityKalamazooPublic181
Mott Community CollegeFlintPublic111
University of Detroit MercyDetroitPrivate not-for-profit111

What health education specialists earn in Michigan

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Michigan
$56,360
Mean annual
$59,660
Jobs in state
1,480
What the range looks like
10th pct$37,750Median$56,36090th pct$89,050
Versus the national median
-12.0%

U.S. median $64,070. Michigan pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.79×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Michigan

Traverse City, MI
$58,700median
40 jobs
Flint, MI
$61,740median
50 jobs
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$55,660median
420 jobs
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
$59,640median
170 jobs
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
$52,630median
50 jobs
Midland, MI
$41,910median
30 jobs
Ann Arbor, MI
$43,510median
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
avg
170 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.5%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
7,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
3,200
71,800 → 75,000
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

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

SpeakingActive ListeningWritingLearning StrategiesActive LearningReading Comprehension

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Michigan

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 Michigan.

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 498 degrees in Michigan in 2024-25, 57.2% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Public Health, Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Public Relations. Together they graduate about 870 people a year in Michigan.

How much do health education specialists earn in Michigan?+

The median is $56,360 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 12.0% 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 Michigan?+

24 institutions in Michigan reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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.

Health Education Specialists in other statesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkUtahIndianaNorth CarolinaFloridaArizona

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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