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2025 Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools

236 Colleges in the United States
17,864 Master's Degrees
$60,960 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a master's degree in public health, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #14 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 236 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for public health students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 17,864 master's degrees in public health to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Public Health School for Your Master's Degree

Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools The public health master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality public health program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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.

More Ways to Rank Public Health Schools

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More Public Health Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The public health school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Health in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public health. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Public Health

1

Johns Hopkins University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public health. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the public health major at Johns Hopkins University get $9,830 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University

2

University of California - Los Angeles is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in public health. UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Public Health master's degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles receive an earnings boost of approximately $14,351 above the typical income of public health majors.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of California - Los Angeles

3
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

Boston University is a good option for individuals interested in a master's degree in public health. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Public Health master's degree recipients from Boston University earn a boost of approximately $7,463 over the typical earnings of public health graduates.

More information about a master’s in public health from Boston University

4

George Washington University is a good option for individuals interested in a master's degree in public health. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the public health program at George Washington University earn $8,469 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in public health from George Washington University

5
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Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.

Public Health master's degree recipients from Emory University receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,862 over the average income of public health graduates.

More information about a master’s in public health from Emory University

6

Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the public health program report average early career earnings of $62,622.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

7

UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the city of Seattle.

Master's recipients from the public health degree program at University of Washington - Seattle Campus earn $9,165 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

8

Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the public health program make about $60,926 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

9

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the public health program report average early career earnings of $58,611.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Southern California

10

Located in the city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the public health major at Rutgers University - New Brunswick get $6,611 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public health from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

11

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Those public health students who get their master's degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities receive $9,427 more than the average public health grad.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

12
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA

Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Public Health master's degree recipients from Tufts University earn a boost of about $9,714 over the typical earnings of public health graduates.

More information about a master’s in public health from Tufts University

13

Located in the large city of Houston, UTHealth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the public health program report average early career income of $60,515.

More information about a master’s in public health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

14
295 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public health from University of California - Berkeley

15
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University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the public health program at University of Iowa earn $8,194 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Iowa

16

Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Public Health master's degree recipients from University of Maryland - College Park earn a boost of about $11,647 above the average earnings of public health graduates.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Maryland - College Park

17
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University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Those public health students who get their master's degree from University of Pennsylvania earn $4,536 more than the standard public health grad.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Pennsylvania

18
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.

Master's recipients from the public health program at New York University make $5,692 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in public health from New York University

19

Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those public health students who get their master's degree from Northwestern University make $5,899 more than the typical public health graduate.

More information about a master’s in public health from Northwestern University

20
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University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.

Students who graduate with their master's from the public health program state that they receive average early career wages of $54,905.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Florida

21

UMass Amherst is a fairly large public university located in the city of Amherst.

After graduating, public health master's recipients generally earn around $61,185 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Massachusetts Amherst

22

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station.

Those public health students who get their master's degree from Texas A&M University - College Station receive $8,449 more than the typical public health student.

More information about a master’s in public health from Texas A&M University - College Station

23

University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tucson.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the public health program earn about $57,296 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Arizona

24
38 Annual Graduates

Pitt is a very large public university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.More information about a master’s in public health from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

25
47 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public health from Cornell University

Rest of the Top Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools

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Brown University
Providence, RI
30
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
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32
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Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

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38
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University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
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University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Public Health students that almost earned our Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
48 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
49 Georgetown University Washington, DC
50 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
51 Oregon Health & Science University Portland, OR
52 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
53 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
54 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
55 SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Brooklyn, NY
56 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
57 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
58 Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA
59 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
60 Duke University Durham, NC
61 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
62 University of New England Biddeford, ME
63 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
64 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
65 University of Maryland - Baltimore Baltimore, MD
66 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
67 Arcadia University Glenside, PA
68 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
69 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
70 Benedictine University Lisle, IL
71 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
72 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
73 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
74 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
75 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
76 Adelphi University Garden City, NY
77 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
78 Simmons University Boston, MA

Public Health by Region

View the Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Public Health has other similar majors worth exploring.

Public Health Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Public Health 12,307
Health Services Administration 1,279
Other Public Health 1,150
Public Health Education and Promotion 953
Environmental Health 798
International Public Health/International Health 516
Community Health and Preventive Medicine 336
Health/Medical Physics 163
Behavioral Aspects of Health 121
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene 117

Majors Similar to Public Health

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 49,855
Mental & Social Health Services 17,274
Health & Medical Administrative Services 15,811
Allied Health Professions 14,052
Communication Sciences 10,306
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 8,128
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 3,910
Medical Illustration & Informatics 2,134
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 1,995
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 1,887

Notes and References

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