New York·Community and Social Service Occupations·SOC 21-1091

Best Health Education Specialist programs in New York, ranked by enrollment

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

65 schools in New York run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,339 people a year. The job pays a median of $62,560 in New York across about 4,150 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledHealth EducatorClinical InstructorPublic Health EducatorHealth Education SpecialistEducatorInstructorHealth CoachFitness Coach
Graduates / yr
2,339
in New York
Median pay · New York
$62,560
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
4,150
people employed
Schools
65
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
54%
across those schools
Median net price
$25,874
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in New York that lead to this job

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

9 programs in New York that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in New York (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 New York 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 New York
1,683
72.0%
37$36,762$25,076
2
CIP 51.0001In New York
193
8.3%
12$34,545$25,000
3
CIP 51.2207In New York
186
8.0%
12$36,762$25,076
4
CIP 51.1504In New York
99
4.2%
7$37,335$22,861
5
CIP 51.2210In New York
97
4.1%
8$36,762$25,076
6
CIP 51.2209In New York
46
2.0%
3$36,762$25,076
7
CIP 51.2212In New York
23
1.0%
2$36,762$25,076
8
CIP 09.0905In New York
11
0.5%
1$39,658$24,500
9
CIP 51.0504In New York
1
0.0%
1$195,650

Top 25 schools in New York

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 65 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
387Public Health, General96%$15,3154%
2CUNY Graduate School and University Center
New York, NY Public · 3 feeder programs
286Public Health, General68%
3University at Albany
Albany, NY Public · 5 feeder programs
240Public Health, General61%69%
4University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
228Public Health, General$39,16475%74%
5SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Brooklyn, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
137Public Health, General
6New York University
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
80Public Health, General$37,57388%$29,0239%
7Monroe University
Bronx, NY Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
70Health and Wellness, General57%$12,02868%
8Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
69Public Health, General$43,28084%$28,85146%
9CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
68Public Health Education and Promotion$41,25551%57%
10State University of New York at Oswego
Oswego, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
63Health and Wellness, General60%81%
11CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
49Public Health, General25%
12SUNY Old Westbury
Old Westbury, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
45Public Health, General45%84%
13CUNY Hostos Community College
Bronx, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
44Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling$38,33616%
14Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
32Health and Wellness, General53%63%
15Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
32Public Health, General
16CUNY Kingsborough Community College
Brooklyn, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
29Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling$31,07228%
17Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
28Public Health, General76%49%
18Cornell University
Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
27International Public Health/International Health$44,51695%$17,6139%
19University of Rochester
Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
22Public Health, General85%$25,87440%
20CUNY York College
Jamaica, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
21Public Health Education and Promotion$43,00032%64%
21New York Medical College
Valhalla, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
21Public Health, General$63,059
22CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
19Public Health Education and Promotion$47,44457%54%
23Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
18International Public Health/International Health
24Jamestown Community College
Jamestown, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
18Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling40%
25St Bonaventure University
Saint Bonaventure, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Public Health, General67%$23,35282%

All 65 schools in New York

Every school in New York 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 New York that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit3874
CUNY Graduate School and University CenterNew YorkPublic2863
University at AlbanyAlbanyPublic2405
University at BuffaloBuffaloPublic2282
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences UniversityBrooklynPublic1371
New York UniversityNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit802
Monroe UniversityBronxPrivate for-profit702
Syracuse UniversitySyracusePrivate not-for-profit691
CUNY Lehman CollegeBronxPublic682
State University of New York at OswegoOswegoPublic631
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeNew YorkPublic492
SUNY Old WestburyOld WestburyPublic451
CUNY Hostos Community CollegeBronxPublic441
Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdalePublic321
Upstate Medical UniversitySyracusePublic321

What health education specialists earn in New York

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

Median annual in New York
$62,560
Mean annual
$67,030
Jobs in state
4,150
What the range looks like
10th pct$44,830Median$62,56090th pct$95,980
Versus the national median
-2.4%

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

Job concentration
1.01×

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

Metro areas in New York

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$64,110median
3,380 jobs
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY
$68,170median
120 jobs
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
$69,060median
330 jobs
Syracuse, NY
$59,360median
120 jobs
Ithaca, NY
$60,420median
40 jobs
Kingston, NY
$52,190median
30 jobs
Binghamton, NY
$50,950median
40 jobs
Rochester, NY
$59,000median
280 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 New York

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 New York.

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 1,683 degrees in New York in 2024-25, 72.0% 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 9 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, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 2,339 people a year in New York.

How much do health education specialists earn in New York?+

The median is $62,560 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.4% 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 New York?+

65 institutions in New York reported graduates from at least one of the 9 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 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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