Online MPH programs are the top choice for many healthcare professionals today! In fact, most employers of health educators, medical managers, and epidemiologists prefer candidates with graduate-level education. Do you want increased responsibility, an impactful leadership role, and the salary to match? The best online MPH programs can prepare you for just that. Plus, they offer the benefit of flexibility, so you don’t sacrifice work while you learn.
However, it’s easy to pay more than you’d prefer for a degree that best suits your professional goals. The current difference between the most expensive and cheapest online MPH degree programs is a whopping $83,000! And that’s all between degrees that are accredited, offer online benefits, and significant career opportunities. Where is the best place to start with so many options and such an array of prices? GetEducated, of course!
GetEducated has surveyed 194 online MPH programs from 134 regionally accredited colleges and universities to devise our “Best Buy” list. This ranking reveals the best online MPH programs at the most economical cost, below today’s national average. With this information, you can find a degree that fits your professional goals as well as your aspirational budget.
ARTICLE NAVIGATION: Rankings Table | Career Guide
Average Cost (In-state): ~$33,900
Least Expensive: University of North Texas Health Science Center ~$12,206
Most Expensive: University of Southern California ~$95,645
Our data-driven research of public and non-profit colleges creates a genuinely reliable system of scientific rankings. There are no misleading formulas here. We meticulously calculate total full-time tuition—including any fees—for the most accurate total cost. Our rankings cannot be bought, and they factually showcase the cheapest MPH programs online. The online master’s degrees listed above the gray dividing line are official 2022 “Best Buys” and cost less than the national average.
Best Affordable Online MPH Programs
| Rank | School / Degree | State | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | University of North Texas Health Science Center | (TX) | $12,206.00 $32,786.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
2 | Georgia Southern University | (GA) | $12,465.00 | All Students |
3 | Lamar University | (TX) | $13,629.00 | All Students |
4 | Oklahoma State University | (OK) | $14,714.70 $20,183.10 | In-State Out-of-State |
5 | Northeastern State University | (OK) | $15,400.45 $15,443.45 | In-State Out-of-State |
6 | Angelo State University | (TX) | $15,535.10 $32,671.10 | In-State Out-of-State |
7 | University of West Florida | (FL) | $16,153.20 | All Students |
8 | Spring Hill College | (AL) | $16,404.00 | All Students |
9 | Eastern Washington University | (WA) | $16,639.00 | All Students |
10 | Indiana State University | (IN) | $17,498.00 $22,568.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
11 | East Carolina University | (NC) | $17,509.95 $50,382.45 | In-State Out-of-State |
12 | Northern Arizona University | (AZ) | $18,078.00 | All Students |
13 | Mississippi University for Women | (MS) | $18,097.80 | All Students |
14 | The University of Alabama | (AL) | $18,480.00 | All Students |
15 | New Mexico State University | (NM) | $18,664.80 $10,500.00 | In-State/Out-of-State Military |
16 | University of South Florida | (FL) | $19,380.06 $38,101.14 | In-State Out-of-State |
17 | Concordia University - Nebraska | (NE) | $19,500.00 | All Students |
18 | Saginaw Valley State University | (MI) | $19,684.50 $37,027.50 | In-State Out-of-State |
19 | University of South Florida | (FL) | $19,864.35 $39,922.65 | In-State Out-of-State |
20 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | (NC) | $20,131.84 $51,478.12 | In-State Out-of-State |
21 | Texas A & M University - Commerce | (TX) | $20,146.00 $37,282.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
22 | University of South Florida | (FL) | $20,764.35 $40,822.65 | In-State Out-of-State |
23 | Utah State University | (UT) | $21,195.00 | All Students |
24 | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | (AR) | $21,390.00 | All Students |
25 | University of Illinois at Springfield | (IL) | $21,724.20 | All Students |
26 | University of Montana | (MT) | $21,742.00 $46,270.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
27 | San Jose State University | (CA) | $21,959.00 $38,591.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
28 | Tennessee State University | (TN) | $22,386.00 $32,004.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
29 | Husson University | (ME) | $22,519.00 | All Students |
30 | Morgan State University | (MD) | $22,533.00 $40,971.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
31 | University of Missouri-Columbia | (MO) | $22,603.50 $20,410.70 | In-State/Out-of-State Military |
32 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | (IL) | $22,768.20 | All Students |
33 | University of Evansville | (IN) | $23,472.00 | All Students |
34 | Concordia University Texas | (TX) | $23,740.00 | All Students |
35 | University of Southern Mississippi | (MS) | $23,945.40 | All Students |
36 | Indiana University Online | (IN) | $23,994.52 $28,409.04 | In-State Out-of-State |
37 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | (AL) | $24,216.00 | All Students |
38 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | (MA) | $24,300.00 | All Students |
39 | Kansas State University | (KS) | $24,595.20 | All Students |
40 | Indiana Wesleyan University | (IN) | $24,990.00 | All Students |
41 | Liberty University | (VA) | $25,075.00 $11,650.00 | In-State/Out-of-State Military |
42 | Idaho State University | (ID) | $25,198.56 $38,821.92 | In-State Out-of-State |
43 | Los Angeles Pacific University | (CA) | $25,200.00 | All Students |
44 | Old Dominion University | (VA) | $25,370.00 $27,262.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
45 | University of Bridgeport | (CT) | $25,470.00 | All Students |
46 | Indiana University Online | (IN) | $25,710.52 $30,125.04 | In-State Out-of-State |
47 | Andrews University | (MI) | $25,799.00 | All Students |
48 | South Dakota State University | (SD) | $25,865.70 | All Students |
48 | University of South Dakota | (SD) | $25,865.70 | All Students |
50 | Purdue University | (IN) | $26,199.60 $34,389.60 | In-State Out-of-State |
51 | Indiana University Online | (IN) | $26,294.85 $30,809.70 | In-State Out-of-State |
52 |  Southern New Hampshire University | (NH) | $26,484.00 $19,890.00 | In-State/Out-of-State Military |
53 | Regis College | (MA) | $26,550.00 | All Students |
54 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | (MA) | $26,881.00 | All Students |
55 | Rivier University | (NH) | $26,943.00 | All Students |
56 | Florida International University | (FL) | $27,000.00 | All Students |
56 | New England Institute of Technology | (RI) | $27,000.00 | All Students |
58 | SUNY at Albany | (NY) | $27,170.76 $31,964.76 | In-State Out-of-State |
59 | Saint Francis University | (PA) | $27,300.00 | All Students |
60 | University of Memphis | (TN) | $27,552.00 | All Students |
61 |  Ohio University | (OH) | $27,636.00 $28,434.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
62 |  Calvin University | (MI) | $27,720.00 | All Students |
63 | Nova Southeastern University | (FL) | $27,870.00 | All Students |
64 | East Tennessee State University | (TN) | $27,892.00 $34,873.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
65 | University of Florida | (FL) | $28,116.00 | All Students |
66 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | (NC) | $28,140.00 | All Students |
67 | Michigan State University | (MI) | $28,495.00 | All Students |
68 | Indiana University Online | (IN) | $28,596.95 $63,651.95 | In-State Out-of-State |
69 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | (AL) | $28,924.00 | All Students |
70 |  Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | (MN) | $29,040.00 | All Students |
71 | Saint Ambrose University | (IA) | $29,240.00 | All Students |
72 | Ferris State University | (MI) | $29,316.00 | All Students |
73 | University of Nebraska Medical Center | (NE) | $29,366.50 | All Students |
74 | Texas A & M University | (TX) | $29,383.20 $62,121.60 | In-State Out-of-State |
75 | University of Kentucky | (KY) | $29,421.00 | All Students |
76 | Western Kentucky University | (KY) | $29,694.00 $10,500.00 | In-State/Out-of-State Military |
77 | Northern Illinois University | (IL) | $29,958.96 | All Students |
78 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | (MA) | $29,991.00 | All Students |
79 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | (SC) | $30,038.75 $31,388.75 | In-State Out-of-State |
80 |  University of New Haven | (CT) | $30,282.00 | All Students |
81 | San Diego State University | (CA) | $30,804.00 | All Students |
82 | University of Toledo | (OH) | $31,119.40 $31,344.40 | In-State Out-of-State |
83 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | (SC) | $31,196.25 $32,546.25 | In-State Out-of-State |
84 | University of Illinois at Chicago | (IL) | $31,416.00 | All Students |
85 | California State University-Northridge | (CA) | $31,631.00 | All Students |
86 | National University (School Merged) Master of Public Health CEPH,14 | (CA) | $31,824.00 | All Students |
87 | University of Illinois at Chicago | (IL) | $32,164.00 | All Students |
88 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | (FL) | $32,500.00 | All Students |
89 | Kent State University | (OH) | $32,522.00 $32,982.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
89 | Kent State University | (OH) | $32,522.00 $32,982.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
91 | Louisiana State University-Shreveport | (LA) | $32,550.00 | All Students |
92 | University of Vermont | (VT) | $32,564.00 $44,618.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
93 | Shenandoah University | (VA) | $32,850.00 | All Students |
94 | Gwynedd Mercy University | (PA) | $32,967.00 | All Students |
95 | Central Michigan University | (MI) | $33,011.00 $19,202.00 | In-State/Out-of-State Military |
96 | Bay Path University | (MA) | $33,180.00 | All Students |
97 | Des Moines University | (IA) | $33,264.00 | All Students |
98 | Everglades University | (FL) | $33,585.00 | All Students |
| School / Degree | State | Price | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Azusa Pacific University | (CA) | $34,070.00 | All Students | |
University of Colorado Denver | (CO) | $34,986.00 $56,784.00 | In-State Out-of-State | |
University of Saint Joseph | (CT) | $35,238.00 | All Students | |
Oregon Health & Science University | (OR) | $35,646.00 $45,390.00 | In-State Out-of-State | |
University of Illinois at Chicago | (IL) | $35,788.00 | All Students | |
Barry University | (FL) | $36,020.00 | All Students | |
The Chicago School | (TX) | $36,091.00 | All Students | |
 Benedictine University | (IL) | $36,265.00 | All Students | |
University of New England | (ME) | $36,320.00 | All Students | |
California Baptist University | (CA) | $36,791.00 | All Students | |
University of Nevada - Reno | (NV) | $37,165.00 | All Students | |
Oregon State University | (OR) | $37,970.00 | All Students | |
North Dakota State University | (ND) | $37,970.94 | All Students | |
A T Still University of Health Sciences | (MO) | $38,250.00 | All Students | |
University of North Dakota | (ND) | $38,433.36 | All Students | |
University of Arizona | (AZ) | $40,715.50 | All Students | |
Madonna University | (MI) | $41,050.00 | All Students | |
Samford University | (AL) | $41,052.00 | All Students | |
University of Maryland-College Park | (MD) | $42,165.00 | All Students | |
Mercer University | (GA) | $43,092.00 | All Students | |
MCPHS University | (MA) | $43,660.00 | All Students | |
Medical College of Wisconsin | (WI) | $43,694.00 | All Students | |
Eastern Virginia Medical School | (VA) | $44,222.00 $56,262.00 | In-State Out-of-State | |
Temple University | (PA) | $44,306.00 | All Students | |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | (MN) | $44,707.00 $58,357.00 | In-State Out-of-State | |
Morehouse School of Medicine | (GA) | $45,300.00 | All Students | |
 Fairleigh Dickinson University | (NJ) | $45,400.00 | All Students | |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | (MN) | $45,682.00 | All Students | |
Creighton University | (NE) | $46,264.00 | All Students | |
Creighton University | (NE) | $46,264.00 | All Students | |
Hawaii Pacific University | (HI) | $47,450.00 | All Students | |
Loyola University Chicago | (IL) | $48,725.00 | All Students | |
Drexel University | (PA) | $52,864.00 $42,280.00 | In-State/Out-of-State Military | |
New York Medical College | (NY) | $53,045.00 | All Students | |
Loma Linda University | (CA) | $54,745.00 | All Students | |
Saint Louis University | (MO) | $60,195.00 | All Students | |
University of California | (CA) | $61,572.00 | All Students | |
Johns Hopkins University | (MD) | $62,095.00 | All Students | |
Tulane University | (LA) | $67,151.00 | All Students | |
Simmons University | (MA) | $67,800.00 | All Students | |
University of San Francisco | (CA) | $68,125.00 | All Students | |
Northeastern University | (MA) | $70,770.00 | All Students | |
New York Institute of Technology | (NY) | $71,910.00 | All Students | |
Tulane University | (LA) | $75,041.00 | All Students | |
University of Rochester | (NY) | $78,174.00 | All Students | |
Johns Hopkins University | (MD) | $79,460.00 | All Students | |
The George Washington University | (DC) | $79,735.00 | All Students | |
New York University | (NY) | $95,507.00 | All Students | |
University of Southern California | (CA) | $95,645.00 | All Students |
Accreditation & Program Notes
To qualify for a ranking, a program must be regionally accredited. Additional programmatic accreditation is noted in the rank table.
14 Options for this program have changed since publication.
CEPH Council on Education for Public Health
Rankings Note
These online college rankings are based on a GetEducated Summer 2022 review of regionally accredited online MPH programs. Total cost includes full-time tuition and fees and was valid at the time of collection and specific to the online learning program. School profiles for the online master degree programs in our directory may reflect a slightly different cost based on different editorial update schedules.
The published cost is an estimated sticker price for the entire online degree including fees. Actual costs may vary by student. Factors such as transfer credits, prerequisite courses, professional licensing and financial aid availability will affect final cost.
Editorial Note
Online schools do NOT pay to be included in any GetEducated online degree ranking. These rankings are editorially independent, open to any non-profit, regionally accredited or candidate college that offers a master’s degree that is available at least 80 percent through online learning and that is open to enrollment by the public. If your online college is regionally accredited and not currently reviewed by GetEducated, please contact us for inclusion.
These rankings of the cheapest online schools for public health may NOT be re-posted online or reprinted in any format without a license from GetEducated ®. Consumer finance bloggers and writers can contact our editors for a free custom article on the best online MPH programs for use on your website. Our mission: Help consumers GetEducated ® about the best online colleges for cost and credibility.
Career Guide: Best Online MPH Programs
If you are interested in helping thousands, potentially millions of people live happier, healthier lives, an online master’s degree in public health can help. With a top online MPA program, you’ll build a rewarding, challenging, and fascinating career.
What is an “MPH” Degree?
“MPH” stands for Master of Public Health, and it’s a graduate-level degree that focuses on the practical, applicable aspects of public health. It doesn’t teach nurses or doctors (although some have MPH degrees in addition to medical school) but instead teaches high-level awareness for injury, illness, contagious diseases, and other issues that affect the health of a community.
What to Expect from the Best Online MPH Programs
These are graduate programs that only take high-quality students. While you don’t need to be an academic virtuoso, you will need a bachelor’s degree in a similar field (microbiology, statistics, public health, sociology, etc.) with a quality GPA. Most programs only take students with a 3.0 or better in previous studies.
Once you gain entry into one of the best online MPH programs, you’ll be exposed to a wide variety of classes that help you understand major public health issues. Instead of focusing on care for a single patient, you’ll learn to study and track large-scale health issues. This might include obvious topics, such as how a disease spreads, but it could also include the increases in car accidents, smoking rates among certain demographics, or researching ideal diets for youth, adults, or the elderly.
These programs typically take two years of study to complete. However, if you take an accelerated program, you may be able to complete your master’s in less time. If you take summer courses and a large class load, it may be possible to complete the best online MPH programs in a calendar year.
The price for these programs can be affordable, but you need to take your time, investigate each program, and ask about tuition, as well as other fees. When researching almost 200 different MPH programs, we found that the average cost was $33,900. There was a vast range of prices, as the most expensive was over $95,000, while the least expensive was just over $12,000. That’s a difference of roughly $83,000, so you need to be thorough and find a program that works specifically for your budget.
The classes will change by program, but you can expect courses to cover a range of public health issues. You may study topics such as health policy, biostatistics, research methods, and organizational behavior.
These programs can also be specialized. Examples of concentrations in the best online MPH programs include epidemiology (essentially the study of disease causes), health behavior, or health administration.
Top Careers in Public Health
Health Education Specialist
- Salary: $48,860
- Education: Bachelor’s
- Experience: None
Keeping people informed on the latest health practices, helping them make informed decisions on wellness and care, and providing information on medical advancements. These tasks, and more, fall on the shoulders of a health education specialist. Basically, they teach people how to take care of themselves.
The minimum education for this career is a bachelor’s degree, but the best online MPH programs will help advance your career and could result in higher earnings. The top 10% in this profession earn over $70,000, a salary that is more likely when you have a master’s degree. According to the BLS, “some health education specialist positions require candidates to have a master’s.”
Epidemiologist
- Salary: $78,830
- Education: Master’s
- Experience: None
These are public-health scientists that investigate the broad-level patterns, causes, and results of sickness, disease, injury, and other health-related problems. They can perform a vast assortment of tasks that range from researching viruses to communicating with public officials. On any given day, they might collect information, create experiments, manage science programs, and communicate health findings to officials.
The pay for this career is strong, and the top 10% can expect salaries over $130,000. Most notable, however, is the expected growth for epidemiologists. Between 2020 and 2030, this career is expected to grow by 30%, far outpacing the national job growth of 8%. This growth will be fueled by an increased desire to reduce the spread of disease.
Certification for Careers in Public Health
Not all jobs involving public health will require certification. However, employers generally prefer candidates that are certified through groups like the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
An epidemiologist will not need certification, but advanced training and even a doctorate may be required for this profession.
Want to learn more about public health education and the best online MPH programs? Start with the programs on this list to find options that fit your price, schedule, and class requirements!