Study Public Health in the USA: A Rutgers Education Path From Summer Program to Graduate School

When Lindsey Luper signed up for a summer program for high school students in 2018, she knew she liked science and health. She did not know what public health was. Eight years later, she is pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) at the Rutgers School of Public Health, concentrating in social and behavioral health sciences. The program that started it all — PHocus, short for Public Health: Outbreaks, Communities, and Urban Studies — gave her an early, structured look at a field she now works in professionally.

Her story carries practical lessons for any student weighing an education in the USA: early exposure clarifies interests, detours are normal, and structured support — from university summer programs to pathway options such as Shorelight Pathways for international students — can make the difference between guessing at a career and building one deliberately.

Why Early Exposure Matters in Public Health Education

Public health is one of the broadest fields in the American health landscape. It covers epidemiology, health communication, behavior change, environmental health, policy, and program evaluation — work that happens long before a patient ever reaches a clinic. The problem for high school students is that almost none of this is visible in a standard curriculum.

Luper’s turning point came from a teacher who mentioned PHocus, a summer experience offered through the Rutgers School of Public Health for students in grades 9 through 12. Over the course of the program, participants meet Rutgers faculty and practicing health professionals, visit community organizations, and study topics ranging from outbreak investigation to how health messages reach different audiences.

On the final day, students wrote their takeaways in chalk outside the building. Luper’s group wrote four words: “Public health is everywhere.”

That single sentence captures why early exposure is valuable. A student who spends a week meeting epidemiologists, health communicators, and community program staff learns quickly whether the field fits — long before committing four years to an undergraduate degree. If you are a high school student curious about health careers, explore summer and pre-college programs that introduce public health concepts before you choose a major.

Inside PHocus: A Model for Public Health Summer Programs

What does a well-designed public health summer experience actually look like? PHocus offers a useful template:

• Direct contact with practitioners. Students hear from Rutgers faculty and working professionals about real research and career paths, not just textbook definitions.
• Community-based learning. Visits to community organizations show how public health operates outside university walls.
• Hands-on demonstration. In one memorable activity, students use UV light to see what a handwashing attempt missed — a simple experiment that makes invisible germs concrete.
• Breadth of topics. From epidemiology to health communication, students sample the full range of the field.

When Luper returned to PHocus this year — this time as a graduate student helping to run activities — she noticed that many elements matched what she remembered: the visit to Rutgers Gardens, the handwashing demonstration. But her role had shifted. She now led sessions on health communication, one of her own specializations, and heard high school students describe interests in climate change, gun violence, and nicotine and tobacco. Different issues, one shared public health lens.

Changing Direction With Purpose: From Pharmacy to Population Health

Luper’s path was not linear, and that is part of its value as an example. When she applied to Rutgers, public health was on her list, but she enrolled in the pharmacy program instead. Roughly two years in, with internship experience in pharmacy settings behind her, she reached a clear conclusion: she did not want a career centered on clinical patient care.

“I was interested in what happens before someone needs medication,” she explains. “How can we have an impact on someone’s health earlier? How can we affect the health of more people at once?”

For students anxious about switching directions, her experience offers reassurance. Time spent in a program is not wasted if it produces clarity. Internships and coursework function as tests. The key is treating them that way — asking, honestly, whether daily work in the field matches your expectations. If it does not, adjusting course is a rational decision, not a failure.

What to Do When You Are Unsure About Your Major

Luper’s advice to college students who feel behind is direct: “It can feel like everybody around you has some perfect plan, especially when you get into your sophomore or junior year. They don’t.” Her recommendations are simple. Take an introductory public health class, and talk to faculty directly. At the Rutgers School of Public Health, she notes, many professors welcome conversations with prospective students — and even if a given professor does not work in your exact area of interest, they can usually connect you with someone who does.

Personal Experience as a Career Compass in Public Health

Interest in public health often begins with something personal, and Luper’s case is no exception. Her mother’s family emigrated from Hong Kong. Although they have lived in the United States for decades, navigating the American health care system has remained difficult at times — a reality shaped by language and cultural background.

That experience gave abstract coursework immediate relevance. In her current program planning classes, Luper studies questions such as: What does this community value? Which language will reach people best? Who do people trust to deliver health information? “When you see those issues play out in your own family, you understand why those questions matter,” she says. Her focus on program development, evaluation, health communication, and behavior change grew directly from that understanding: health systems must meet people where they are.

This is a pattern worth noticing. Students who connect coursework to lived experience — their own or their communities’ — tend to find direction faster and build more convincing applications to graduate programs later.

Studying Public Health at Rutgers University–Camden and Across the Rutgers System

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is one of the most respected public research universities in the USA, with major campuses in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden. For students planning a public health career, the system offers multiple entry points:

• Undergraduate preparation. Campuses such as Rutgers University–Camden offer coursework in health sciences and related disciplines that builds the foundation graduate public health programs expect — biology, statistics, the social sciences, and strong writing.
• Graduate specialization. The Rutgers School of Public Health grants the Master of Public Health, with concentrations including social and behavioral health sciences, the track Luper is pursuing.
• Faculty access. Across the system, professors engage with prospective students, a factor that matters more than most applicants realize. Guidance received early can shape an entire academic plan.

Have questions about which Rutgers program fits your goals? Write to us or schedule a conversation with an admissions advisor to review your options.

How Shorelight Pathways Support International Students in the USA

Luper’s story unfolded within the U.S. education system from the start. For international students, the same route requires additional steps — and additional support. This is where structured pathway programs become relevant.

Shorelight Pathways are designed for international students beginning their education in the USA. Rather than entering a large university directly, students start in a supportive, credit-bearing program that combines academic coursework with English language instruction, study skills, and dedicated advising. The model typically offers:

• Smaller classes and more individual attention during the critical first year
• Clear progression requirements defined from day one
• Credits that count toward a full degree at the partner university
• Guidance through the cultural and practical adjustments of studying abroad

For a student aiming at public health specifically, this structure can be especially valuable. The field demands strong communication, data literacy, and cultural awareness — capacities that a supported first year helps develop before the intensity of upper-level coursework begins. The timing is right as well: demand for trained public health professionals in the USA and worldwide has grown sharply since the pandemic, and U.S. public health degrees are recognized and respected by employers globally.

Learn more about how Shorelight Pathways can support your transition to a U.S. university degree and whether a pathway program is right for you.

Practical Steps for Future Public Health Students

Synthesizing Luper’s experience with the broader landscape of American higher education, here is a concrete sequence for students considering this field:

1. Seek exposure early. Summer programs, community health volunteering, and public health workshops reveal whether the field suits you — before tuition bills arrive.
2. Take an introductory course. One semester of introductory public health provides more clarity than months of online research.
3. Talk to faculty. Email professors, attend office hours, and ask about their research. Most are glad to talk, and conversations open doors.
4. Use internships as tests. Evaluate what the day-to-day work actually feels like, and be willing to change direction based on what you learn.
5. Connect personal experience to professional purpose. The questions that matter to you and your community can define a meaningful specialization.
6. If you are an international student, consider a pathway program. Structured support in the first year reduces risk and builds the academic foundation needed for success in the USA.

Ready to take the next step? Request more information about public health programs in the USA and schedule a free consultation to discuss which route matches your background and goals.

A Full-Circle Lesson in Public Health Education

The most instructive part of Luper’s story may be its ending — or rather, its continuation. The student who once wrote “Public health is everywhere” in chalk returned to teach the next cohort, guiding high schoolers through health communication exercises and fielding questions about climate change, gun violence, and tobacco. Each of those topics, she told them, can be viewed through a public health lens. That was the insight PHocus gave her at their age, and her education compounded it: a summer program clarified an interest, undergraduate coursework tested it, a detour through pharmacy sharpened it, and a master’s degree is now converting it into a career.

For students and parents evaluating education options in the USA, the sequence is worth copying. Start with exposure. Use coursework and internships to test assumptions. Lean on faculty. And where gaps exist — in language, preparation, or familiarity with the U.S. system — use structured supports such as pathway programs to close them. “A lot of people start with the same basic idea: I want to help people,” Luper says. “Figuring out what that actually looks like for you takes time.”

Time, in her case, was eight years — and it began with a single summer.

Have you participated in a summer program or pathway that shaped your education? Share your experience in the comments below, or explore our related articles on studying public health and health sciences in the USA.