20 Best Masters in Public Health Online

The University of California, Berkeley is the flagship campus of the University of California system. UC Berkeley has more than 350 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, offered to over 40,000 students. Berkeley was one of the 14 founding members of the Association of American Universities.

UC Berkeley offers an online master’s in public health degree, also referred to as its professional master of public health program. The public health program offers degrees of specialization for students that include: 

• Health Policy and Management
• Community Health Services
• Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Spatial Data Science
• Global Health

Berkeley’s public health education curriculum is structured as a 2-year and 1-semester program (roughly 27 months), though it is possible to graduate in only two years. Online MPH students begin by taking six required core/breadth courses, before moving on to interdisciplinary courses related to their areas of specialization and professional interest.

MPH program applicants are expected to have two years of full-time public health work experience before entering the online MPH program. Students must also have completed a statistics course as an undergraduate, with a grade of B+ or the equivalent. Applicants must submit GRE scores as a part of the admissions process.

Harvard University is a private research university located in Cambridge, MA. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It has an annual endowment of almost $40 billion.

Harvard’s Master of Public Health online in epidemiology degree is a part-time, hybrid format program designed for working professionals. The MPH degree includes multiple residency opportunities, including a 3-week, all-day intensive course covering epidemiology and biostatistics. There is also a 3-day capstone residency centered around students’ presentations of their final practicum projects.

Public health students complete 45 credit hours in the program, which includes courses such as: 

• Environmental Health 
• Public Health Law
• Public Health Promotion
• Design and Conduct of Trials in Preventive Medicine

The public health curriculum also dedicates five hours to the student’s MPH practicum.

Founded in 1789, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. The school’s students, alumni, and sports teams are affectionately referred to as the Tar Heels. UNC at Chapel Hill has been referred to as a “Public Ivy,” meaning it is a school that offers an Ivy League-quality education at a public university price.

UNC is home to an online master’s in public health where students attend live, weekly classes delivered through Chapel Hill’s interactive online campus. The MPH program generally lasts between 20 and 36 months, depending on your enrollment status. The credit requirement for the program is between 42 and 49 hours.

Public health majors can pursue any one of the following four concentration areas: 

• Leadership in Practice
• Health Policy
• Nutrition
• MPH/RD

The concentration you choose determines the credit requirement for the master’s program. Each online MPH program begins with 12 hours of core courses, before diverting into public health electives and specialization coursework.

The master of public health degree includes a required field placement for all students. For example, students in the nutrition concentration are required to complete an internship as a part of their degree plan. This is paired with the Public Health Practicum, which allows students to combine professional experience with academic learning and support.

The University of Washington is located in Seattle, which is why the school shares a number of historical ties and professional relationships with companies such as Amazon, Boeing, and Nintendo. The school has a number of accomplished alumni, including 20 Nobel laureates.

Washington offers students an online master’s in public health degree. It is a blended format MPH program, combining online learning with in-person classroom experiences. There are six on-campus sessions required during the program, which students are generally able to complete in two years. 

Washington’s MPH degree is a 63-credit hour program that includes a practicum course and either a capstone project or an original thesis. On-campus sessions are completed at the Puget Sound Plaza, in downtown Seattle. On-campus sessions last three to five days each and help students connect with peers, faculty, and public health professionals from the Seattle area.

MPH students beginning the public health online master’s degree generally have five years or more of professional experience in the field of public health. Relevant experience can include work in fields such as: 

• Pharmacy
• Nursing
• Clinic management
• Health education
• Community health
• Environmental health

 UW also offers a graduate certificate program in public health practice.

The University of South Florida is one of the three “preeminent” universities in the state of Florida. It is the fourth-largest public university in the state of Florida, with three separate campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota. 

USF is home to more than 50,000 students and 16,000 academic staff members.

USF’s online master’s in public health degree in epidemiology is a 42-credit hour program, with coursework divided among: 

• MPH core (18 hours)
• Concentration core (15 hours)
• Elective courses (9 hours)

The MPH core courses include: 

• Translation to Public Health Practice
• Applied Learning Experiences
• Translation to Public Health Practice

USF has a number of versions of the MPH program available for students to choose from. These include an MPH in: 

• Public Health Practice
• Global Disaster Management
• Infection Control
• Social Marketing
• Nutrition and Dietetics
• Health, Safety, and Environment

The university also offers a graduate certificate in these fields, as well as in additional subjects such as Toxicology.

The University of Florida began in 1884 as the Florida Agricultural College, before eventually becoming a part of Florida’s university system shortly after World War II. Florida has its own Innovation Academy, which supports students interested in innovation, creativity, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Florida offers more than 25 majors that can include a minor in innovation.

USF’s online master of public health program is made up of 48 credit hours of coursework. No campus visits are required as a part of the program. Public health courses are structured on a semester schedule, with course content delivered in an asynchronous fashion through recorded lectures. Examinations are administered through an online proctoring service.

Courses in the online MPH program are divided among: 

• Public health core (15 credit hours) 
• Concentration courses (15-21 credit hours) 
• A public health internship (Five credit hours) 

The remaining credits in the online master of public health program are earned through individual seminars and elective courses. Public health students have seven years to meet graduation requirements.

Students who have a U.S.-awarded, health-based doctoral degree may request a 42-hour accelerated version of the online MPH program. 

Concentrations available to students in the MPH program include Public Health Practice and Social and Behavioral Science. All students complete a special project related to their internship experience.

New Mexico State University was founded as Las Cruces College in 1888. It is the oldest public institution of higher learning in New Mexico. Each year around the Christmas holiday, the school hosts a “Night of Lights.” During the event, students light more than 6,000 candles while accompanied by performances by the Las Cruces High School band.

NMSU has an online master’s in public health program that can include a concentration in either health behavior and health promotion (HBHP) or health management, administration, and policy (HMAP). 

Online coursework is delivered in an asynchronous format, to accommodate any working professional’s schedule.

The online public health degree requires 42 credit hours of coursework, which includes: 

• 15 core credits
• 18 concentration credits
• Three cultural foundation credits
• Three field experience credits

Students in the HBHP concentration choose between the thesis and non-thesis tracks. Courses common to both tracks include:

• Health Program Planning
• Public Health Finance and Budget Management
• Environmental Health
• Health Promotion

New Mexico’s MPH program is available in either the traditional, on-campus format or online via the school’s distance learning platform. The HMAP program concentration is only available for students completing the program online. Also, New Mexico State also offers an online graduate certificate program in public health.

San Jose State University is located in downtown San Jose, CA. SJSU has the highest international student enrollment of any campus in the California State University system. A large number of students also end up in roles at Silicon Valley technology firms, which provide significant financial support to the university.

SJSU’s master of public health program is a 42-unit, 24-month online degree program. Students meet on campus in San Jose once each year for 4-5 days but complete the remainder of their public health master’s program work online. Courses last between five and seven weeks and are taught sequentially, rather than concurrently.

Sixteen of the public health degree’s credits are dedicated to Health Education Core courses; four credits are devoted to fieldwork, and the remainder are public health core courses. Public health core courses include:

• Health Services Organization
• Principles and Skills of Health Administration
• Community Health Promotion
• Environmental Health

Dartmouth College is an Ivy League university located in Hanover, NH. It was one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Dartmouth houses 40 academic departments, divided among five schools: 

• The Graduate College
• The School of Medicine
• The School of Engineering
• The School of Business
• The original Undergraduate College

Dartmouth offers a hybrid online and on-campus MPH program designed to be completed in 22 months. Dartmouth admits roughly 40 students in each cohort, with students coming from a wide range of backgrounds, such as: 

• Researchers
• Policy analysts
• Physicians

Students progress through the master’s in public health program taking one course at a time.

Students spend three weeks per year on the Dartmouth campus, where they interact face-to-face with peers and faculty. Students design and complete a practicum project as a part of the program.

Courses include:

• Enhancing Teamwork & Communication
• Applied Improvement Methods
• Environmental Health
• Community Health Promotion

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. The student body is made up of almost 50,000 students, including more than 15,000 postgraduates. The school’s annual endowment is over $3.5 billion. Its sports teams are referred to as the Fighting Illini.

UIUC is home to the country’s only 100% online master’s degree in public health informatics. This degree requires 46 hours of coursework, as well as non-credit training in:

• HIPAA research
• Human Subjects Research
• Title IX training

The MPH program’s main coursework is divided between School of Public Health courses and degree program core courses. Samples of each of these include Determinants of Population Health and Legal and Ethics Issues in Public Health Informatics. 

Master of Public Health majors complete 28 hours of informatics core courses and 18 hours of School of Public Health core courses. UIUC offers a joint degree program that pairs the MPH with a Master of Business Administration degree.

In addition to the MPH in health informatics, master of public health programs in Community Health Sciences and Health Policy and Administration are also available, along with a doctoral program in public health leadership.

Texas A&M was originally Texas A.M.C. or Texas Agricultural & Mechanical College. The school is home to the George Bush Presidential Library. It is one of six Senior Military Colleges, meaning that it maintains a full-time volunteer corps of military cadets who study alongside traditional undergraduate students.

Texas A&M offers an online master of public health in either epidemiology or biostatistics, which can be completed in as few as two years. The master of public health requires coursework such as: 

• Epidemiological Methods
• Community health promotion
• Global Health
• Public Health Law

MPH students complete two elective courses toward the end of the program, along with an Integrative Learning Experience Capstone. Applicants are required to submit GRE scores, along with three letters of recommendation and a personal statement. A&M also offers a doctoral program in public health (DPH).

The University of North Dakota is the state’s oldest university and was established six years before statehood was granted. UND was the first school to offer a degree in unmanned aircraft systems operation, and it has one of the best men’s ice hockey teams in the country.

UND is home to one of the country’s best online public health degrees. The online master’s in public health program boasts a 100% graduate employment rate in health education-related careers. Students earning a public health degree can specialize in either: 

• Population Health Research & Analytics
• Health Management & Policy
• Indigenous Health

North Dakota’s Indigenous Health program is the only such program in the United States. 

The North Dakota MPH is a 42 credit hour master of public health designed to be completed in around 1.5-2 years on a full-time basis. Twenty-one credit hours are dedicated to MPH core courses, while the second half of coursework is dedicated to concentration courses and each student’s culminating experience.

Applications to the master of public health program are reviewed on a rolling basis, with students admitted for fall, spring, or summer matriculation, depending on when the application is submitted. Students attending the program part-time can generally meet the graduation requirements in three to seven years.

The George Washington University is often listed as one of the most politically active universities in the country. George Washington hosted a number of national and international politics events, including: 

• United States presidential elections
• Annual meetings of the World Bank
• The International Monetary Fund

George Washington’s Milken Institute of Public Health offers one of the best online MPH programs in the U.S.–an online master of public health program. The online MPH includes an option for one of six concentrations, which students can pursue through their elective courses. 

Concentration areas are: 

• Global Health
• Health Policy
• Environmental and Occupational Health
• Epidemiology and Public Health Research Methods
• Health Communication
• Program Planning and Evaluation

The MPH curriculum is made up of 45 credit hours. These credits are divided among: 

• Public health core
• Program-specific core
• Electives 
• Practicums
• Culminating experience courses

Public health courses are generally delivered in 10-week modules, with four modules offered each year. Students can earn the MPH degree in two, three, or four years.

In addition to the online program, GW offers a 1-year intensive MPH, which requires students to enroll full-time and to complete roughly 11.5 credits per quarter. There is also an intensive MPH that can be completed in 18 months, where students take roughly 7.5 credits per quarter.

The University of Maryland is a public university located in College Park, MD. Maryland has connections to a number of government agencies, such as the: 

• National Institutes of Health
• NASA
• Homeland Security

The Carnegie Foundation classifies UMD as a first-tier research university.

Maryland offers an online master’s in public health degree program with an emphasis in public health and policy. The public health degree is delivered through a blended learning format and can be completed in as little as 18 months. Students are required to attend six weeks of residency requirements during the program.

The 45 credit hours of MPH coursework includes courses on: 

• The principles of public health
• Public health practice and policy
• Internship and capstone requirements

Students take a total of 16 courses in the program. Students can opt to complete a thesis instead of a capstone project, and doing so will satisfy one of their core course requirements.

San Diego State University’s mascot is the Aztec Warrior, formerly known as “Monty Montezuma.” SDSU has often been recognized as one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly campuses in the country. Notable alumni include NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and LBJ Space Center director Ellen Ochoa.

San Diego State’s master’s in public health online program is intended for healthcare professionals who have at least three years of full-time work experience. The 18-month curriculum is designed to allow students to think critically about health-related behaviors, while still being able to pursue their careers.

This is a year-round MPH program, with students completing two courses per 8-week academic session. There are 10 foundational public health courses, such as Health Program Planning and Assessment. Students also complete elective courses, along with an 18-hour field placement experience and a capstone project.

Florida International University is located in the Greater Miami area. It is the fourth-largest university in the United States, with more than 55,000 total students. FIU’s main campus is home to the International Hurricane Research Center. The school is also home to one of the Top Model UN teams in North America.

FIU’s online master of public health program requires students to complete 45 credit hours of coursework. The program is designed to be completed in around 18 months. Coursework is divided among public health core, online general core, elective, and practicum/culminating experience courses. 

Public Health Core courses include Public Health Statistics and Health Behavior and Public Health. The Online General Core covers topics such as: 

• Health policy
• Health education
• Health demography
• Global health
• Environmental health risk assessment

Students take three elective courses, such as Environmental Disaster and Human Health.

Students have up to six years to meet the requirements for graduation. Applicants to the public health program must have a minimum GPA of at least 3.0 in their final 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. The practicum requirement can be waived for students with at least three years of full-time work experience in a public health practice setting.

The University of Minnesota has played host to a number of important research innovations and discoveries. Some of the discoveries pioneered by faculty and alumni of the school include:

• Puffed rice
• Bone marrow transplants
• The use of hydrogen as a renewable energy source

Minnesota is home to an online executive master of public health in public health practice. The MPH program can be completed in as few as 16 months, with the average student completing the program in around 3.5 years. All students in the online program receive in-state tuition rates.

The MPH program is delivered in a hybrid format that combines on-campus summer institutes with web-based course instruction. Public health program applicants must hold an advanced degree (master’s or higher) in a healthcare field or a Public Health Certificate in Core Concepts with a GPA of at least 3.25.

Core courses in the MPH program include required classes, such as: 

• Foundations of Public Health
• Biostatistical Literacy
• Ethics in Public Health

Elective coursework in the program can be completed during the Public Health Institute, which is offered during the last week of May and early June. The institute offers courses such as Applied Critical Thinking in the Workforce.

USC’s student-athletes are referred to as Trojans, which originates from a Los Angeles Times reporter’s 1912 column celebrating a come-from-behind win against Stanford. The school’s mascot is a horse named Traveler, who is ridden by an unnamed Trojan. They make appearances at the school’s home basketball and football games.

USC’s Keck School of Medicine offers a 42 credit hour online master’s in public health degree. Students choose from one of six concentration areas. The master’s program can be structured so that students earn the MPH in just one year, though there is also a two-year version of the program available.

Students take two to four courses each term, depending on their enrollment status. Concentration areas include: 

• Biostatistics and Epidemiology
• Community Health Promotion
• Global Health

Students with advanced professional degrees (such as an MD or PharmD) may also pursue a generalist track in the program.

In 2019, the University of Nebraska Medical Center was ranked No. 8 in the country by US World News & Report for having the best medical school specializing in primary care. The school was founded in 1880 and rapidly grew in the 1900s, with the addition of schools of pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center offers a number of master’s in public health degree options. These online MPH programs include concentrations in: 

• Biostatistics
• Epidemiology
• Health Services Administration
• Maternal and Child Health

Students are required to complete 42 credit hours in the MPH program.

Core coursework covers: 

• Planning and Evaluation
• Biostatistics
• Health Services Administration
• Environmental Health 

Elective courses cover topics related to the area of specialization, such as Health Care Finance, in the Health Services Administration track. Nebraska also offers a number of graduate certificate programs in areas such as Maternal and Child Health.

Johns Hopkins is a private university located in Baltimore. The main campus has 10 colleges, spread across Baltimore and Washington DC, and JHU operates international centers in Italy, China, and Singapore. John Hopkins has an annual endowment of over $4 billion and an overall student population of more than 26,000.

Johns Hopkins offers one of the best online MPH programs in the country–an online master’s of public health degree that is 100% online. Students must complete 80 credit hours of coursework, with courses split roughly evenly between core courses and electives. Core courses cover topics such as: 

• Assessing population needs
• Biology and public health
• Health equity

Students are required to complete a practicum experience as a part of the MPH program. This means students must spend at least 100 hours working on a career-relevant project at an established organization or agency. The hours can be completed all at once with one organization, or through a combination of experiences at different organizations.

Students applying to the program should have a minimum of two years post-baccalaureate, health-related work experience or a doctoral degree in a field related to public health. This work requirement can be fulfilled through experiences such as: 

• The Peace Corps
• Health policy journalism
• Research work related to health