Health Sciences vs. Health Education: What Are the Differences?

September 8, 2025

If you’re passionate about improving health outcomes, whether through direct education, research, or healthcare systems, there are various career paths that can help you achieve exactly that. Below, our team has compiled some highlights on the health sciences and health education fields, their key differences, and why P.I.T. is the place to launch your journey in either field.

What Is Health Sciences?

Health science is the study of human health, disease, and physical and behavioral well-being. The field combines biology, chemistry, sociology, and psychology to give students a complete understanding of the human body and the factors that impact our health. Health sciences is an analytical and research-oriented approach to understanding and improving health at both individual and systemic levels.

Some of the daily responsibilities of a professional in health sciences can include:

Conducting research to identify health trends and risk factors in populations
Diagnosing diseases in clinical settings
Analyzing patient samples in laboratories
Promoting public health initiatives

There are numerous career paths to choose from in the field of health sciences. Common options include becoming a clinical researcher, nutritionist, physical therapist, healthcare administrator, epidemiologist, or genetic counselor.

What Is Health Education?

Health education is a specialization focused on teaching individuals and communities how to make healthier choices and prevent illness. A health educator will develop, implement, and assess health education programs and processes for their chosen target audience. The overall goal of a health educator is to improve the well-being of individuals and communities within a designated business or organization.

The common, day-to-day responsibilities of these healthcare professionals can include the following:

Assessing the health needs of a group through conducting surveys, interviews, and other forms of data analysis
Developing and implementing educational programs on health topics of interest, based on the results of their research
Evaluating the effectiveness of the program and making changes to deliverables as needed

Depending on the community you’re looking to serve as a health educator, know that there are plenty of occupations for you to choose from, including working as a community health educator, school health educator, workplace health educator, or clinical health educator.

Health Sciences vs. Health Education: Key Differences

In both health sciences and health education, the goal is to improve the health of individuals, but each field approaches this goal in different ways. Here are some of the key distinctions between health sciences and health education:

Career settings – Professionals in health sciences are more likely to work in hospitals, research institutions, government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, or insurance companies. Meanwhile, health educators typically work in schools, community centers, nonprofits, general workplaces, or healthcare facilities.
Approach – Careers in health sciences tend to be more analytical and research focused, while the health education field is focused on teaching individuals and groups.
Education requirements – Some roles in health sciences, specifically research positions, will require an advanced degree, while a bachelor’s degree is typically sufficient for entry-level roles in health education.
Target audience – Professionals in the health sciences field commonly work with healthcare systems, policymakers, and population-level data, while health educators are more likely to work directly with individuals, families, and communities to change their behaviors.
Impact timeline – In health sciences, operatives often working on long-term projects that can take months to years to see results. On the other hand, since health educators work closely with individuals or groups, they can see fairly immediate results of their work.

FAQs About Health Sciences and Health Education

What skills do I need to work in health sciences?

Though there are various career paths available to those in health sciences, some common skills are needed in any role in the field. If you’re a strong communicator and problem-solver with empathy and a good attention to detail, this could be the field for you.

What skills do I need to become a health educator?

For those wanting to excel in the health education sector, some of the hard and soft skills that are highly recommended include strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational capabilities, as well as a proficient understanding of health-related concepts.

Along with these core competencies, it’s important for those working as health educators to possess a passion for promoting healthy lifestyles for the given target audience, whether that is students, patients, employees, or communities.

What is the future outlook for the health sciences field?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of medical sciences is projected to grow faster than the average, with a growth rate of 9% from 2024 to 2034. This amounts to around 9,600 job openings each year, on average, over the next decade.

What does the future of health education look like?

Overall, the future of the health education field looks promising, as it’s been projected that there will be a 4% increase in employment from 2024 to 2034 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This equates to approximately 7,900 positions opening for health education specialists each year over the course of the decade.

Interested in Studying Health Sciences? Choose P.I.T.

The Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is proud to offer a Bachelor of Health Science degree to prepare students for a long-lasting and rewarding career in the industry via its multiple pathways. This program offering can be considered the perfect solution for students searching for an immersive program to kickstart their journey in health science or health education.

Just some of the advantages of choosing P.I.T.’s health sciences program include:

Our team offers personalized job placement assistance for students, such as job search coaching, resume and cover letter assistance, and interview training, to help them find opportunities tailored to their passions and preferences
Our school provides transfer agreements with selected accredited colleges to facilitate a seamless transfer process, ensuring each credit earned is maximized while also minimizing the cost
Our staff includes a supportive team of financial aid advisors who are dedicated to assisting students through the application process and helping them apply for financial aid as needed
Our expert faculty in the health science program has extensive experience in various clinical settings, and we’re passionate about working with students to provide them with an immersive, interactive curriculum

Start Your Journey at P.I.T.

Ready to take the next steps toward a rewarding career in health sciences? If so, apply to our distinguished program today. And for more information on the bachelor’s in health science curriculum, contact us directly, as we look forward to hearing from you!