If you are considering getting your Master’s of Public Health (MPH), or another public health degree, one of the best options for your education is to get your public health education online. With the rapid growth of the Internet, there are many excellent opportunities to get your public health education remotely so that you can make a world of difference in public health. This holds true whether you are an experienced public health professional or if you are undergoing a career change.
With all of the high quality, distance learning options for public health today, you can choose many exciting public health specialties, including epidemiology, biostatistics, public health administration, environmental health, public health research or public health educator.
Most modern online distance education degrees in public health are offered nearly 100% online. In some cases, you may need to complete your clinical hours for your degree in your local area, but most courses may be completed online.
With your distance education in public health, you really can go as far as you can imagine, wherever in the world you live.
Featured Online MPH Programs
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California – http://onlinemph.usc.edu/
Concentrations: Global Health Leadership, Biostsatistics and Epidemiology, Health Education and Promotion
Respected Faculty: Stanley P. Azen, Ph.D.
Dean: Louise Ann Rohrbach, AB, MPH, PhD
Accreditation: Global Health Leadership, Biostsatistics and Epidemiology, Health Education and Promotion
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $1,536
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 3
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL – http://www.mph.lumc.edu/
Concentrations: Epidemiology, Public Health Policy and Health Management
Respected Faculty: Dr. Jim Sinacore, Dr. Ramon Durazo
Dean: Louise Darrell P. Wheeler, PhD, MPH, ACSW
Accreditation: Epidemiology, Public Health Policy and Health Management
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $905
# of Credits: 44
# of Concentrations: 2
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI – http://www.mcw.edu/mphprogram.htm
Concentrations: Public Health
Respected Faculty: Peter M. Layde, MD, MSc
Dean: Terry Brandenburg, MPH, CPH, MPA, MBA
Accreditation: Public Health
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $730
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 1
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: No
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA – http://www.sph.tulane.edu/
Concentrations: Master of Public Health, Master of Science In Public Health, Master of Science, Master of Health Administration, Master of Public Health And Tropical Medicine
Respected Faculty: Hong-Wen Deng, PhD, Richard Oberhelman, MD
Dean: Pierre Buekens, MD, PhD
Accreditation: Master of Public Health, Master of Science In Public Health, Master of Science, Master of Health Administration, Master of Public Health And Tropical Medicine
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $1,064
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 5
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
Saint Louis University
St. Louis MO – https://www.slu.edu/public-health-social-justice/education/graduate/public-health/index.php
Concentrations: Behavioral Science and Health Education, Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness, Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology,Global Health, Health Management and Policy, Public Health Practice, Maternal and Child Health
Respected Faculty: Elizabeth Baker, Ph.D, MPH, Darcell P. Scharff, PhD
Dean: Edwin Trevathan, MD, MPH
Accreditation: Behavioral Science and Health Education, Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness, Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology,Global Health, Health Management and Policy, Public Health Practice, Maternal and Child Health
GRE Requirement: No
Cost Per Credit: $1,010
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 9
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
Des Moines University
Des Moines, IA – http://www.dmu.edu/mph/
Concentrations: Public Health
Respected Faculty: Carolyn Beverly M.D., M.P.H., Steve Quirk
Dean: Jodi Cahalan, Ph.D., M.P.H. PA-C, DFAAPA
Accreditation:Public Health
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $540
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 1
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL – http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/index.htm
Concentrations: Public Health Practice, Public Health Administration, Global Disaster Management and Humanitarian Relief, Epidemiology, Infection Control, Health, Safety & Environment
Respected Faculty: William M. Sappenfield, MD, MPH, Julie Baldwin, Ph.D
Dean: Donna J. Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH
Accreditation: Public Health Practice, Public Health Administration, Global Disaster Management and Humanitarian Relief, Epidemiology, Infection Control, Health, Safety & Environment
GRE Requirement: No
Cost Per Credit: $877
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 6
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD – http://www.jhsph.edu/academics/degree-programs/master-of-public-health/
Concentrations: Food, Nutrition, and Health, Health Leadership and Management, Health Systems policy
Respected Faculty: Terri Beaty, Chris Beyer
Dean: Michael J. Klag
Accreditation: Food, Nutrition, and Health, Health Leadership and Management, Health Systems policy
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $954
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 2
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN – http://sph.umn.edu/
Concentrations: Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology & Community Health, Health Policy & Management
Respected Faculty: Jean Abraham Ph.D., Bruce Alexander Ph.D
Dean: John R. Finnegan Jr.
Accreditation: Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology & Community Health, Health Policy & Management
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $858
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 4
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: No
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC – http://www.sph.sc.edu/
Concentrations: Public Health Administration, Health Services Policy Management
Respected Faculty: Amidon, Roger, Ph.D, Khan, M. Mahmud, Ph.D
Dean: G. Thomas Chandler
Accreditation: Public Health Administration, Health Services Policy Management
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $625
# of Credits: 48
# of Concentrations: 2
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC – http://sph.unc.edu/
Concentrations: Leadership, Occupational Health Nursing
Respected Faculty: Leslie Lytle, Vangie Foshee
Dean: Dr. Barbara Rimer
Accreditation: Leadership, Occupational Health Nursing
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $475
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 2
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: No
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL – http://online.mph.ufl.edu/
Concentrations: Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Public Health Management and Policy, Public Health Practice, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Respected Faculty: Richard S. Hopkins, MD, MSPH
Dean: Dr. Sarah McKune, PhD, MPH
Accreditation: Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Public Health Management and Policy, Public Health Practice, Social and Behavioral Sciences
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $550
# of Credits: 42-48
# of Concentrations: 6
Min. Time Commitment: 3 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: No
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, TN – http://www.etsu.edu/cph/
Concentrations: Community Health, Epidemiology, Health Services Administration
Respected Faculty: Dr. Robert Pack, Xuefeng Liu
Dean: Dr. Randy Wykoff
Accreditation: Community Health, Epidemiology, Health Services Administration
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $442
# of Credits: 43
# of Concentrations: 3
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: No
Eastern Virginia Medical School – Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA – http://www.evms.edu/education/masters_programs/graduate_program_in_public_health/
Concentrations: Health Management, Epidemiology, Health Promotion, Environmental Health
Respected Faculty: Shelley Mishoe, PhD, MEd, Jeffrey A. Johnson DHSc
Dean: C. Donald Combs, PhD
Accreditation: Health Management, Epidemiology, Health Promotion, Environmental Health
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $808
# of Credits: 46
# of Concentrations: 4
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
Emory University
Atlanta Georgia – http://www.sph.emory.edu/
Concentrations: Applied Epidemiology, Applied Public Informatics, Prevention Science
Respected Faculty: Kevin Sullivan, PhD, J. Mark Conde, Kathleen R. Miner, PhD, MPH, MCHES
Dean: Melissa (Moose) Alperin, MPH, MCHES
Accreditation: Applied Epidemiology, Applied Public Informatics, Prevention Science
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $1,500
# of Credits: 54
# of Concentrations: 3
Min. Time Commitment: 3 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: Yes
Job Placement: Yes
Florida A&M University
Talahassee, FL – https://pharmacy.famu.edu/iph/
Concentrations: Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health, Health Policy and Management, Epidemiology
Respected Faculty: Alicetine D. Ashford, ED.D, MPH, C. Perry Brown, MSPH, DRPH
Dean: Michael D. Thompsom
Accreditation: Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health, Health Policy and Management, Epidemiology
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $922
# of Credits: 50
# of Concentrations: 3
Min. Time Commitment: 3 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
George Washington University
Washington DC – https://publichealth.gwu.edu/
Concentrations: Global Health Communication, Global Health Program Design, Monitoring & Evaluation (DME), Global Health Policy, Global Health Management
Respected Faculty: Josef J. Reum, PhD, MPA, Pierre Vigilance, MD, MPH
Dean: Lynn R. Goldman
Accreditation: Global Health Communication, Global Health Program Design, Monitoring & Evaluation (DME), Global Health Policy, Global Health Management
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $1,420
# of Credits: 45
# of Concentrations: 4
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: No
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda,CA – http://www.llu.edu/public-health/index.page
Concentrations: Health Education, Population Medicine
Respected Faculty: Helen Hopp Marshak, PhD
Dean: Tricia Penniecook, MD, MPH
Accreditation: Health Education, Population Medicine
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $810
# of Credits: 58
# of Concentrations: 2
Min. Time Commitment: 1.5 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI – http://www.mcw.edu/mphprogram.htm
Concentrations: Master of Public Health
Respected Faculty: Ruta Brazauskas, PhD, Peter M. Layde, MD, MSc
Dean: Terry Brandenburg, MPH, CPH, MPA, MBA
Accreditation: Master of Public Health
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $730
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 1
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: No
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: No
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM – http://publichealth.nmsu.edu/
Concentrations: Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Education
Respected Faculty: Dr. James Robinson, Dr. Rebecca Palacios
Dean: Dr. Mark J. Kittleson
Accreditation: Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Education
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $838
# of Credits: 51
# of Concentrations: 1
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: No
On Campus Requirements: Yes
Job Placement: Yes
New York Medical College
Valhalla, NY – https://www.nymc.edu/school-of-health-sciences-and-practice-shsp/
Concentrations: Health Policy and Management, Environmental Health Science
Respected Faculty: Annette Choolfaian, R.N., M.P.A., Lydia Cavieux, M.P.A.
Dean: Robert W. Amler, M.D.
Accreditation: Health Policy and Management, Environmental Health Science
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $910
# of Credits: 46
# of Concentrations: 2
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: Yes
Job Placement: Yes
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL – https://www.chhs.niu.edu/health-studies/programs/public-health/index.shtml
Concentrations: Health Promotion, Health Services Management
Respected Faculty: Arlene Keddie
Dean: Derryl Block PhD, MPH, MSN, RN
Accreditation: Health Promotion, Health Services Management
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $684
# of Credits: 43
# of Concentrations: 2
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: None
Job Placement: Yes
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL – https://osteopathic.nova.edu/ph/mph/index.html
Concentrations: Master of Public Health
Respected Faculty: Nicole Cook, Ph.D., M.P.A, Raymond Ownby, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A
Dean: Anthony J. Silvagni, D.O., Pharm. D., M.Sc., FACOFP
Accreditation: Master of Public Health
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $535
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 1
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: Yes
Job Placement: No
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA – http://www.sjsu.edu/hsr/academicprograms/mph/index.html
Concentrations: MPH Community Health Education
Respected Faculty: Dr. Edward Mamary, Dr. Van Ta Park
Dean: Charles Bullock
Accreditation: MPH Community Health Education
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $575
# of Credits: 42
# of Concentrations: 1
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: Yes
Job Placement: Yes
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE – http://www.unmc.edu/publichealth/
Concentrations: Public Health Practice, Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health
Respected Faculty: James Anderson PhD, Amr Soliman, MD, PhD
Dean: Jane Meza, PhD
Accreditation: Public Health Practice, Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health
GRE Requirement: Yes
Cost Per Credit: $560
# of Credits: 45
# of Concentrations: 3
Min. Time Commitment: 2 years
Financial Aid: Yes
On Campus Requirements: Yes
Job Placement: Yes
Selection Criteria for Top Online MPH Degree Programs
Accreditation
The quality of any public health program rests on the academic standards of the department that offers it. The qualifications of the faculty, the research and reference resources available, the subjects covered in the curriculum, the standards for administrative support and evaluation… these are all aspects of your degree program that you really want to know are nailed down.
That’s why accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health(CEPH) is a crucial criteria behind the schools on this list. As the speciality accreditation agency for public health programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Educationsince 1974, CEPH evaluates MPH programs according to the unique demands and core competencies required for public health service. Accreditation is so important that it is a requirement in order to sit for the major professional certification exam, the CPH (Certified in Public Health) from NBPHE(National Board of Public Health Examiners).
Concentrations
Behind accreditation, finding a school that delivers the right concentration may be the most critical criteria for selecting the right MPH program to meet your goals. Public health is a huge field, and no program in the world can teach you everything you might need to know about every aspect. Instead, most schools deliver in-depth concentrations, specialized tracks that zone in on one particular area of public health practice with the depth and expertise that the profession demands. We’ve worked hard to find schools for this list that have not only an excellent selection of interesting and applicable concentration options, but also that offer them with the depth and consideration they deserve.
Faculty
Although the CEPH accreditation process covers the basic skills and qualifications that a public health program must require of faculty, there’s plenty of room above that baseline for schools to distinguish themselves. There’s no question that it’s a field that has rock stars… professors like Minnesota’s Ancel Keys, who launched the revolutionary Seven Countries Study, or James Harlan Steele of UT, widely considered to be the father of veterinary public health.
And while not every school has a faculty that reaches those heights, there are many that have instructors who are highly respected in the field. We sought out programs who have faculty with genuine on-the-ground experience and expertise in the field who are active in making important contributions in both research and practice.
Reputation
The top schools in public health don’t hide their light under a bushel; usually we’re not the only ones who have figured out they belong on lists like this. We consider the opinions of other popular third-party rankings, such as those from The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, or the Economist. Chances are good that a school we’ve found at the top of the spectrum has also been well-reviewed by one or more of them.
Practicum
Public health is a hands-on business, and any CEPH-accredited program will include an applied practical experience component that puts you out in the real world for a face-to-face exposure to the conditions that you will face in practicing after graduation. This kind of internship experience is critical for the kind of practical, well-rounded graduates that the field demands, and some schools do a better job of planning, supporting, and placing students in experiential positions than others—and it’s particularly important to evaluate for online programs. The programs on this list are all at the top of their game when it comes to putting you into relevant, realistic, and well-supported placements where you can learn from practicing professionals while dealing with real-world problems of public health.
Remote Learning
When looking at online programs, there is a whole set of considerations that we apply beyond the basics required of any public health program. Is the remote program synchronous or asynchronous? Do you have the same access to faculty as on campus students? What kind of technical support is offered? How do experiential learning requirements and research opportunities fit in? Does the course have any on campus requirements, or can it be completed 100 percent online? These are all aspect that we consider before deciding what programs truly fit into the top online choices in MPH degrees today.
All schools shown here have been contacted and informed of their inclusion on this list. Schools that do not wish to be featured are immediately removed. School names are the registered trademarks of their original owners. The use of any trade name or trademark does not imply any association with the school.
