A health and wellness master’s degree online is the best way to advance in holistic healthcare and conventional medicine. These programs benefit those pursuing leadership in community and organizational wellness, coaching careers, and even public health education. And that’s not all! In particular, a master’s in health education online offers certification preparation, fieldwork experience, and an industry-aligned, accredited curriculum.
However, when it comes to the best online colleges for health and wellness, the top deciding factor for all aspiring students is the same: cost! Today’s health promotion, education, and population health professionals might make upwards of $75,000 a year. But currently, the most expensive health and wellness master’s degree online costs around $51,000. With the right information on your side, you could cut that cost down by $39,000.
That’s where GetEducated comes in. We’ve discovered the top 14 best online health and wellness programs for a “Best Buy” price! After surveying 23 degrees from 21 regionally accredited colleges, our editorially independent ranking has been published just for you. With this information, you can enroll in the health and wellness master’s degree online that fits your goals and lifestyle.
ARTICLE NAVIGATION: Rankings Table | Career Guide
Average Cost (In-state): ~$26,700
Least Expensive: University of Central Arkansas ~$11,700
Most Expensive: Thomas Jefferson University ~$51,014
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 online health education degree programs. The health and wellness master’s degree online options listed above the gray dividing line are official 2022 “Best Buys” and cost less than the national average.
Best Affordable Health and Wellness Master’s Online
| Rank | School / Degree | State | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | University of Central Arkansas | (AR) | $11,700.00 | All Students |
2 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | (AR) | $13,788.00 | All Students |
3 | University of West Florida | (FL) | $14,999.40 | All Students |
4 | Indiana Institute of Technology | (IN) | $15,525.00 | All Students |
5 | CUNY Lehman College | (NY) | $16,086.40 | All Students |
6 | Concord University | (WV) | $17,493.00 | All Students |
7 | Washington State University | (WA) | $18,660.00 | All Students |
8 | Indiana University Online | (IN) | $18,896.30 $42,266.30 | In-State Out-of-State |
9 | Canisius College | (NY) | $21,945.00 | All Students |
10 | West Virginia University | (WV) | $22,770.00 | All Students |
11 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | (IL) | $22,784.00 | All Students |
12 | Boston University | (MA) | $23,360.00 | All Students |
13 | University of Maryland-Baltimore | (MD) | $23,624.00 $31,064.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
14 | Ohio University | (OH) | $23,688.00 $24,372.00 | In-State Out-of-State |
| School / Degree | State | Price | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Michigan State University | (MI) | $27,392.00 | All Students | |
University of Providence | (MT) | $32,436.00 | All Students | |
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science | (IL) | $34,912.00 | All Students | |
Johns Hopkins University | (MD) | $38,427.00 | All Students | |
Johns Hopkins University | (MD) | $39,600.00 | All Students | |
Johns Hopkins University | (MD) | $39,991.00 | All Students | |
Northwestern University | (IL) | $41,748.00 | All Students | |
Drexel University | (PA) | $42,480.00 $33,975.00 | In-State/Out-of-State Military | |
Thomas Jefferson University | (PA) | $51,014.00 | 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 health and wellness master’s degrees online. 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 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 health education 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 health and wellness master’s degrees online for use on your website. Our mission: Help consumers GetEducated ® about the best online colleges for cost and credibility.
Career Guide: Health and Wellness Master’s Online
If you have been working in healthcare, either in an administrative role or as a care provider, nurse, or support specialist of any kind, a degree in health promotion, education, or population health could be perfect for your future.
Generally referred to as “public health,” this is an academic discipline that teaches you how to keep large populations safe and healthy. If you want to do more with your healthcare career, these online master’s degrees might be the perfect choice.
What to Expect from a Health and Wellness Master’s Online
Before you can dive into the classroom, you need to know if you qualify for these degrees. Graduate programs, including a health and wellness master’s degree online, come with high requirements. You’ll need to have completed a bachelor’s degree in public health or a similar subject, such as biology or epidemiology. Simply graduating may not be enough; most require a 3.0 or better from previous studies.
You also need to research the tuition costs. When looking at 23 different health and wellness master’s degree online programs, we found that the average cost was $26,700, a fairly affordable price for a degree that can bring high incomes. While the most expensive was over $51,000, the least expensive was just under $12,000.
During these programs, you’ll be exposed to a variety of subjects that make you an elite medical leader. You’ll learn to plan and assess public health programs, and you’ll develop the decision-making skills that allow you to lead at the forefront of the industry.
Courses will vary widely, but you can expect classes that take a deeper dive into the healthcare field. Course may include the principles of biostatistics, innovations in healthcare, chronic disease, and occupational health. The degree may also include aspects of psychology and sociology, or even social behavior, which are important to the task of keeping people healthy. You may also get an education on communicating with healthcare providers, which can be a challenge for people who are not doctors or nurses.
Top Careers in Health Promotion
A health and wellness master’s degree online prepares you for a variety of careers. While you may transition into jobs that deal directly with individual patients, this education largely prepares you for broader careers that don’t deal with one person’s health, but with the overall health of a population or the efficient management of healthcare efforts.
Your career could include positions as a public health advisor for local, state, or federal governments. You could work in research positions, helping to develop new approaches to keeping people healthy. You could manage healthcare facilities or provide guidance or major decisions.
There are many possible directions for your career, but some of the top positions after a health and wellness master’s degree online include…
Health Services Manager
- Salary: $101,340
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree
- Experience: 5 years or more
A health services manager is, first and foremost, a manager. They fill the role of a leader in the healthcare organization, holding a job that is more like a CEO or company president than a doctor or nurse. A health and wellness master’s degree online would be perfect for someone working in an administrative job who wants to expand into a larger role.
The pay for this career is excellent, and the top 10% command salaries over $205,000. While you’ll need experience, qualified, skilled candidates will be highly-rewarded.
Epidemiologist
- Salary: $78,830
- Education: Master’s Degree
- Experience: None
An epidemiologist studies the overall health of a population. The ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of sickness and injuries, and their tasks may include designing experiments, collecting information, analyzing results, and reporting their discoveries.
With a knowledge of various health issues, these professionals take a high-level approach to wellness. With the current emphasis on public health and the prevention of another pandemic, epidemiologists are expected to see a career growth of 30% between 2020 and 2030.
Additional Requirements for Working in Health Education
To work in public health careers, you may need licensing or certification. Many, however, will not need this additional requirement. A health services manager, for example, does not usually need certification. This is a management role that does not involve direct caregiving, so licensing won’t be an issue. Managers in nursing facilities, however, may need certification.
An epidemiologist, on the other hand, may need an education beyond a master’s degree. A doctoral degree in medicine or epidemiology may be required for this complex career.