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2024 Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools

308 Colleges in the United States
16,133 Master's Degrees
$51,865 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.

College Factual reviewed 308 schools in the United States 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 16,133 master's degrees in public health during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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 quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different 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 full 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

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
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 15% 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
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

It is hard to beat Harvard University if you want to pursue a master's degree in public health. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those public health students who get their master's degree from Harvard University receive $71,643 more than the average public health student.

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

2

It's difficult to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public health. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.

Those public health students who get their master's degree from Columbia University in the City of New York make $22,940 more than the typical public health graduate.

More information about a master’s in public health from Columbia University in the City of New York

3
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Emory University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public health. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.

Soon after graduation, public health master's recipients typically make around $52,686 in the first five years of their career.

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

4

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

Public Health master's degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University earn a boost of about $11,906 over the typical income of public health graduates.

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

5

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

Soon after graduating, public health master's recipients generally earn about $49,931 in their early careers.

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

6
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

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

Master's recipients from the public health program at Vanderbilt University earn $72,311 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

7

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

After graduating, public health master's recipients typically make around $51,640 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8

UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Public Health master's degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles earn a boost of about $13,546 over the typical income of public health majors.

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

9

WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the public health program earn an average of $48,193 in their early career salary.

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

10
248 Annual Graduates

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

11
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
31 Annual Graduates

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

12
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.

Public Health master's degree recipients from Yale University earn a boost of around $23,528 over the typical income of public health majors.

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

13
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI

Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence.

Master's recipients from the public health degree program at Brown University earn $7,446 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

14

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

Those public health students who get their master's degree from George Washington University receive $8,019 more than the average public health graduate.

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

15

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

Master's recipients from the public health degree program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill get $4,971 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

16
46 Annual Graduates

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

17
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

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

Master's recipients from the public health major at Boston University get $4,753 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

18

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

Public Health master's degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus earn a boost of about $8,783 over the typical earnings of public health graduates.

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

19

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

Soon after graduation, public health master's recipients usually make around $52,799 at the beginning of their careers.

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

20

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

Those public health students who get their master's degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $7,387 more than the standard public health grad.

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

21
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

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

Master's recipients from the public health degree program at University of Pennsylvania make $4,363 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

22

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 $9,830 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

23
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA

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

Public Health master's degree recipients from Tufts University receive an earnings boost of about $12,987 over the typical earnings of public health graduates.

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

24

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

Master's students who receive their degree from the public health program make about $51,805 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Wisconsin - Madison

25

Located in the city of Omaha, UNMC is a public university with a small student population.

Master's recipients from the public health major at University of Nebraska Medical Center earn $4,506 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Nebraska Medical Center

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

26
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University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
27
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30
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University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
31
32

33
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Duke University
Durham, NC

33
34
35
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Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
36
37
38
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
39
40

41

42
43
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Georgetown University
Washington, DC
44
45
46

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
47 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
48 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
49 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
50 New York University New York, NY
51 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
52 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
53 University of Maryland - Baltimore Baltimore, MD
54 University of Georgia Athens, GA
55 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
56 University of North Texas Health Science Center Fort Worth, TX
57 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
58 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
58 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
60 University of Puerto Rico - Medical Sciences San Juan, PR
61 SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Brooklyn, NY

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 10,873
Health Services Administration 1,359
Other Public Health 1,076
Public Health Education and Promotion 965
Environmental Health 694
International Public Health/International Health 477
Community Health and Preventive Medicine 273
Health/Medical Physics 159
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene 90
Behavioral Aspects of Health 78

Majors Similar to Public Health

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 51,608
Health & Medical Administrative Services 15,736
Mental & Social Health Services 14,517
Allied Health Professions 12,328
Communication Sciences 9,211
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 9,152
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 4,109
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 1,694
Medical Illustration & Informatics 1,507
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 1,443

Notes and References

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