2025 Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools in California
Ranked #14 in popularity,
public health is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 26 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of public health. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,929 master's degrees in public health during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Public Health School for Your Master's Degree
Your choice of public health for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on public health students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of public health students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How much debt public health students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized public health related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for public health students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Health in California
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for public health students seeking a a master's degree.
10 Top California Schools for a Master's in Public Health
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in public health needs to check out University of California - Los Angeles. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the public health program at University of California - Los Angeles get $9,935 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in public health from University of California - Los Angeles
University of Southern California is a good option for students interested in a master's degree in public health. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.
After graduating, public health master's recipients typically earn about $58,611 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in public health from University of Southern California
University of California - Berkeley is a good decision for students pursuing a master's degree in public health. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in public health from University of California - Berkeley
It is difficult to beat Loma Linda University if you want to pursue a master's degree in public health. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the public health program state that they receive average early career earnings of $59,598.
More information about a master’s in public health from Loma Linda University
SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Diego.
Those public health students who get their master's degree from San Diego State University make $5,099 more than the typical public health graduate.
More information about a master’s in public health from San Diego State University
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