# Health Education Specialists

> Provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Use data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May link health systems, health providers, insurers, and patients to address individual and population health needs. May serve as resource to assist individuals, other health professionals, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/health-education-specialists
- SOC code: 21-1091.00
- Career family: Community and social service
- Median annual pay: $64,070 (10th percentile $42,990, 90th percentile $118,200)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.6%
- Openings a year: 6,900
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 11 |
| Investigative (I) | 72 |
| Artistic (A) | 26 |
| Social (S) | 86 |
| Enterprising (E) | 37 |
| Conventional (C) | 49 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 95/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 93/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 92/100)
- Getting Information (importance 88/100)
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (importance 88/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 87/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 86/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 86/100)
- Scheduling Work and Activities (importance 86/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 84/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Learning Strategies, Active Learning, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Coordination, Instructing

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, English Language, Administrative, Psychology, Public Safety and Security, Mathematics, Sociology and Anthropology, Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media

## Also called

Behavioral Health Educator, BLS Instructor (Basic Life Support Instructor), Breastfeeding Educator, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Certified Breastfeeding Educator (CBE), Certified Diabetes Educator, Certified Health Education Specialist, Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), Certified Lactation Educator, Clinical Educator

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5115) (CIP 5115, 969 colleges)
- [Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5100) (CIP 5100, 917 colleges)
- [Public Health](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5122) (CIP 5122, 836 colleges)
- [Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0909) (CIP 0909, 621 colleges)
- [Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5105) (CIP 5105, 58 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Touro College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/touro-college-2795) | Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | $93,075 | $135,742 | $12,500 |
| [Valparaiso University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/valparaiso-university-3111) | Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | not reported | $115,095 | $20,500 |
| [University of Delaware](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-delaware-2905) | Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | $34,007 | $107,695 | $26,891 |
| [Utah State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utah-state-university-3102) | Public Health | $77,239 | $93,161 | not reported |
| [Syracuse University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/syracuse-university-2667) | Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $63,858 | $90,535 | $24,250 |
| [University of Southern California USC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-southern-california-usc-3050) | Public Health | not reported | $89,522 | $17,279 |
| [Southern Methodist University SMU](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southern-methodist-university-smu-2498) | Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $56,398 | $89,330 | $17,375 |
| [George Washington University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-washington-university-1066) | Public Health | $55,305 | $87,217 | $19,500 |

## Related careers

- [Community Health Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/community-health-workers): $51,850 median pay
- [Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/nursing-instructors-and-teachers-postsecondary): $80,250 median pay
- [Rehabilitation Counselors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/rehabilitation-counselors): $46,850 median pay
- [Health Informatics Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/health-informatics-specialists): $105,850 median pay
- [Healthcare Social Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/healthcare-social-workers): $67,880 median pay
- [Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/health-specialties-teachers-postsecondary): $107,310 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.