Public Health and Journalism, BA

The program gives students an unusually practical combination of health-science and journalism experience. Students can apply public-health concepts through research, statistics, epidemiology, health-policy work, and capstone projects while developing professional reporting, data storytelling, visual journalism, and multimedia production skills. Northeastern's co-op model adds full-time professional experience, while Bouvé and CAMD provide access to health research environments and professional media-production facilities.

The strongest program-specific opportunities include:

• Science Writing — JRNL 3650: Students can learn to translate scientific and public-health information into accessible writing, directly connecting the two disciplines.

• Data Storytelling — JRNL 3700: Students can combine journalism with data-driven reporting, making quantitative public-health information more understandable to audiences.

• Visual Storytelling in Journalism — JRNL 2301: Provides practical development of visual approaches to reporting and storytelling.

• Video News Reporting and Producing — JRNL 5314: Students can develop skills in reporting and producing video-based news content.

• News Documentary Production — JRNL 5309: Provides a pathway for students interested in longer-form health and science storytelling.

• Foundations of Biostatistics — PHTH 2210: Students develop quantitative skills that can support evidence-based reporting and interpretation of public-health data.

• Principles of Epidemiology in Medicine and Public Health — PHTH 4202: Students learn epidemiological approaches that can strengthen their ability to understand and communicate health research.

• Health Education and Program Planning — PHTH 4540: Students explore how health education and public-health programs are designed and planned.

• Public Health Research: Bouvé offers undergraduate opportunities connected with areas such as Population Health and Health Equity, Occupational and Environmental Health, Cognitive and Behavioral Science, and Technology and Health.

• Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research: Public-health students can engage with research focused on health equity and social justice.

• Center for Community Health Education Research and Service: Provides an additional setting for community-oriented public-health learning and research.

• Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute: Students have access to an interdisciplinary research environment examining environmental and social dimensions of health.

• Bouvé Co-op: Students can gain full-time professional experience in healthcare and medical research environments, developing workplace skills alongside health professionals. Bouvé's co-op network includes more than 300 partners.

• CAMD Media Center: Students can use professional field-production equipment including Sony, Canon, and Panasonic camera systems, 50+ lenses, Sound Devices and Zoom recorders, microphones, LED lighting, DJI gimbals, and stabilization equipment.

• Recording Studio: CAMD's recording facilities include a Solid State Logic Matrix mixing console and Mac workstations with Pro Tools, Audacity, and Adobe Audition, supporting audio production and editing.

• Podcast Studio: The facility supports multitrack recording, sound effects, and remote guests, making it particularly useful for health podcasts and audio journalism.

• Broadcast Television Studio: Students can produce live broadcasts, prerecorded shows, and other video productions with streaming and remote capabilities.

Facilities: CAMD Media Studios and Facilities.

The Public Health and Journalism BA prepares graduates for careers where scientific accuracy, health knowledge, research, and strong communication intersect. Northeastern specifically identifies opportunities such as Reporter, Public Relations, Multimedia Specialist, Documentary Filmmaker, Web Producer, Business, and Lawyer, while the public-health component can also support careers and further study in health communication, community health, health policy, and related areas.

Typical job roles: Health Journalist, Public Health Communications Specialist, Science Writer, Health Policy Analyst.

These opportunities are strengthened by Northeastern's career and experiential ecosystem:

• Bouvé Co-op: Students can gain professional experience with healthcare, research, nonprofit, and other public-health employers while developing skills aligned with their career interests.

• CAMD Industry Network: Journalism students can access co-op employers including the Boston Globe, CBS Television, NBC Universal Television, Boston.com, Boston Bruins, Reebok, New Balance, and 360 Public Relations.

• Health Research Environment: Boston's concentration of hospitals, medical research organizations, and healthcare institutions creates opportunities for Bouvé students to connect academic learning with professional and research environments.

• Employment Outcomes: Northeastern reports that 96% of graduates were employed or in graduate school within nine months, while 93% of employed graduates had jobs related to their majors.

• Co-op-to-Employment: 58% of graduates received job offers from previous co-op employers, showing how Northeastern's experiential model can support the transition from university to employment.

• Starting Salary: Northeastern's official sources do not publish a program-specific starting salary for Public Health and Journalism BA graduates, so a specific salary figure should not be presented as an official program outcome.

• Professional Flexibility: The combination of public-health research, biostatistics, epidemiology, reporting, science writing, data storytelling, visual communication, and digital production gives graduates flexibility across health media, public-health organizations, communications, research, advocacy, and policy.

• Long-Term Accreditation Value: Northeastern's NECHE institutional accreditation provides ongoing institutional recognition, with the university scheduled for its next NECHE review in fall 2028.

• Graduation Preparation: The program requires at least 128 semester hours and includes an integrative journalism course and a public-health capstone, allowing students to graduate with an interdisciplinary portfolio of health and communication knowledge.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into master's-level study in Public Health, Health Communication, Journalism, Science Communication, Health Policy, Epidemiology, Global Health, Healthcare Administration, Communication, Media Studies, or related fields. Northeastern also offers a PlusOne accelerated BA/MPH pathway in Public Health, which can allow eligible students to complete the bachelor's and master's degrees in as little as five years.