External factors influencing students' decisions in choosing a public health study program, Faculty of Public Health, Halu Oleo University, Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, 2024

Background: Higher education plays a crucial role in improving the competence and quality of human resources, as the main pillar of nation building. Data shows that Indonesia has 3,107 universities, of which 95.97% are private universities. In the field of public health, the Faculty of Public Health of Halu Oleo University (UHO), which was established in 2011, shows significant development with two study programs and six specializations relevant to the needs of the community. The increasing interest in the UHO Public Health Study Program, which is accredited B, reflects the high public interest in this field. Public health graduates have broad employment opportunities, thanks to the interdisciplinary skills they acquire. This study aims to analyze the factors that affect students' decisions in choosing a specialization in the UHO Public Health Study Program, which is expected to provide insights for curriculum development and strategies to increase learning interest in the field of public health. Methods: The research method uses a quantitative approach with an exploratory research type. The sample in this study is active students of each batch in the public health study program, Faculty of Public Health, Halu Oleo University. The number of samples was 392 respondents. The sampling technique uses Proportionated Stratified Random Sampling. Data analysis using SMARTPLS 4. Results: The results showed that there was an influence on the role of parents with a path coeficient output value of 0.176 and a construct value above 1.96 of 3.995 and a p value of 0.000 < 0.05; there was an influence of promotion with a path coeficient output value of 0.230 and a construct value above 1.96 of 4.311 and a p value of 0.000 <0.05; there was an influence of consideration of job availability with a path coeficient output value of 0.230 and a construct value above 1.96 0.508 and the construction value above 1.96 is 9.908 and the p value is 0.000 <0.05; There was no peer influence with a path cognitive output value of 0.034 and a construct value below 1.96 which was 0.795 and a p value of 0.427 >0.05 with the student's decision in choosing the Public Health study program, Faculty of Public Health, Halu Oleo University. Conclusion: There is an influence of parents, promotion and job availability with students' decisions in choosing the Public Health study program and there is no peer influence on students' decisions in choosing the Public Health study program, Faculty of Public Health, Halu Oleo University. Therefore, the study program management needs to improve the promotion strategy through various media, such as social media, official websites, and other digital platforms or by involving parents in the process of introducing the study program through activities such as educational seminars, parent meetings, or information campaigns about prospective graduates. In addition, the faculty needs to develop cross-sector cooperation to improve student competence so that the graduates produced are competent and ready to work.