Career Opportunities
What Can You Do With a Global Health Studies Major?
Mercer University global health studies graduates go on to diverse career paths. Our majors may pursue graduate school; participate in international fellowships, such as the Peace Corps or Fulbright programs; or start a career in a health profession or other field. See how our alumni are using their global health studies degree in the real world.
Our global health studies graduates have had jobs such as:
- Medical assistant
- Phlebotomist
- Research assistant
- Public health recruiter
- Registered nurse
- State contact tracer for COVID-19
- Health care consultant
- Data analyst
- Consular officer
- Federal program coordinator
- Associate consultant
- Project coordinator
- Mental health technician
- Aviation structural mechanic
- Global health professor
- Assistant director of wellness
- Navy chief of staff
Continue Your Education in Graduate School
If you choose to pursue graduate school, one of the global health studies professors can guide you in your academic endeavors. Our graduates have pursued higher-level education in the following fields:
- Health care
- Public health
- Divinity
- Foreign service
- Medical science
- Occupational therapy
- Epidemiology
- Health promotion and behavior
- Law
- Global health
The global health studies major shaped not only my career decisions but also many of the decisions about how I wish to interact with others and the impact I hope to leave on our world. The opportunities to travel led me to begin my postgrad life abroad and to recognize the value of seeking out diversity and being open to multiple perspectives. The classes provided me with a strong theoretical background in global health, which has proven to be invaluable as I navigate the complex power dynamics inherent in global health work.
My global health studies major helped me become a free thinker who sees the world for what it is. I value the information and culture we went over during my four years at Mercer and how I am able to have educated conversations about how the world works. I don’t know it all, but I definitely know how to look for the information out there and understand what is reliable information and what’s not.
My double-major in global health studies and global development studies, along with my minor in anthropology, gave me a holistic understanding of the social and environmental factors that impact health outcomes. The skills and knowledge I gained at Mercer have been essential in guiding my work with NoirUnited International and inspired me to pursue a career in public health that intersects with social justice and emergency response.
My Mercer degree has been invaluable throughout my career. The global health studies foundations that encourage comprehensive, global thinking prepared me to understand and apply epidemiology with a broad lens in domestic and international settings. Academically, I was prepared for the rigor of my Master of Public Health in global epidemiology, and I will draw upon the skills I learned as a global health studies major as I pursue my Doctor of Public Health.
My experience as a global health studies and international affairs double-major confirmed my desire to enhance the health of populations. When working to optimize inclusive care opportunities, combat social determinants of health, and advance health equity initiatives across the Duke University Health System in my current role, the fundamental knowledge I've gained from classes like global health challenges, health research methods, and global health policy, to name a few, inform my decisions.
My global health studies major has provided me insight into non-medical aspects of health that are crucial in being a compassionate provider. It has allowed me to be more aware of the other factors that play a role in acute illnesses, such as HIV, tuberculosis, and other communicable infectious diseases. Studying global health has helped me to continue to humanize my patients and remember the importance of connection and understanding.
