List of All U.S. Colleges With a Public Health Major
As the study of the population’s overall wellbeing, public health is one of the world’s most pressing issues. Experts in this field study epidemiology, hygiene, and disease on a broad scale, oftentimes using their findings to guide government actions and regulations.
Pandemics aren’t the only immediate public health issue worth grappling. Students in the public health major cover health education, outbreak prevention, injury prevention, potable water accessibility, and more.
Interested in this major? Here, we’ll break down which colleges offer public health programs and what to look for in a school.
Overview of the Public Health Major
Course requirements will vary depending on your school, but most students can count on covering these key concepts:
- Biology
- Calculus
- Communications
- Epidemiology
- Health Science
- Statistics
Some programs will require that you write a thesis, perform research, or complete an internship. If not, most at least have these as open options.
Successful public health majors tend to be compassionate and globally aware. They value equity and education, and they typically have a head for numbers. In keeping with their passion for education, these students are strong communicators equipped with the speech and writing skills necessary to clearly convey their findings.
Grad school is an additional factor to think about as you consider this major. Since most public health majors go on to grad school anyway, you should ask yourself if you’d like to get a Master’s in Public Health and major in something else for your undergraduate education, like Health Science, to diversify your knowledge and skillset.
Paired with grad school or not, public health majors open themselves up to a broad range of job opportunities, though the one you’ll be best suited for will mostly depend upon your specializations and skills.
Graduates often become health educators, consultants, and community health workers, researching health issues and sharing their findings with the broader community. Those with an especially scientific bent become epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and environmental scientists. Those skilled in managing often become health administrators and managers or develop health marketing campaigns.
Still, a Master’s in this field will ultimately give you a greater edge in terms of salary, stability, and prospects.
What to Look for in a College as a Public Health Major
CEPH Accreditation
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), through the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) is responsible for accrediting public health programs. It’s the most widely-trusted accreditation council for this field, and attending a school within it will give your degree significant credibility. In order to receive CEPH accreditation, programs must have a sufficiently rigorous curriculum and properly cover certain concepts, like ethical decision making, advocacy, community, critical thinking, research methods, and more.
Concentrations
Depending on your preferred career, you may want to specialize in a certain area. Common concentrations include health education, epidemiology, and biostatistics. These will help you develop the skill sets necessary for your chosen career, so it’s helpful to look into whether A) your school offers concentrations within your areas of interest, and B) that these programs are strong.
Labs and Research Opportunities
For all grad school hopefuls, this element is especially important, and many public health majors seek a postgraduate education. Look into your college’s undergraduate research opportunities. How expansive are they? Which professors do work that fits your interests and career goals? What percentage of public health majors perform research, and how does the school support their efforts? Check out their facilities; are the labs up to date and accessible?
List of All U.S. Colleges With a Public Health Major
|
School Name |
City |
State |
|
University of Alabama at Birmingham | UAB |
Birmingham |
Alabama |
|
University of Alabama |
Tuscaloosa |
Alabama |
|
Samford University |
Birmingham |
Alabama |
|
University of Arizona |
Tucson |
Arizona |
|
Northern Arizona University | NAU |
Flagstaff |
Arizona |
|
University of Arkansas |
Fayetteville |
Arkansas |
|
California State University, Los Angeles | Cal State LA |
Los Angeles |
California |
|
California State University, Northridge | CSUN |
Northridge |
California |
|
University of California, Berkeley | UC Berkeley |
Berkeley |
California |
|
University of California, San Diego | UCSD |
La Jolla |
California |
|
San Diego State University | SDSU |
San Diego |
California |
|
San Jose State University | SJSU |
San Jose |
California |
|
Santa Clara University |
Santa Clara |
California |
|
University of Colorado Denver | CU Denver |
Denver |
Colorado |
|
American University |
Washington DC |
Washington DC |
|
University of Florida |
Gainesville |
Florida |
|
University of Miami |
Coral Gables |
Florida |
|
University of South Florida | USF |
Tampa |
Florida |
|
Agnes Scott College |
Decatur |
Georgia |
|
Georgia State University |
Atlanta |
Georgia |
|
Mercer University |
Macon |
Georgia |
|
University of Hawaii at Manoa | UH Manoa |
Honolulu |
Hawaii |
|
Boise State University | BSU |
Boise |
Idaho |
|
Augustana College |
Rock Island |
Illinois |
|
University of Illinois at Chicago | UIC |
Chicago |
Illinois |
|
Northern Illinois University | NIU |
Dekalb |
Illinois |
|
University of Evansville |
Evansville |
Indiana |
|
Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis | IUPUI |
Indianapolis |
Indiana |
|
Valparaiso University | Valpo |
Valparaiso |
Indiana |
|
University of Iowa |
Iowa City |
Iowa |
|
University of Kentucky |
Lexington |
Kentucky |
|
University of Louisville |
Louisville |
Kentucky |
|
Dillard University |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
|
Tulane University |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
|
Xavier University of Louisiana |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
|
Johns Hopkins University | JHU |
Baltimore |
Maryland |
|
American International College | AIC |
Springfield |
Massachusetts |
|
Curry College |
Milton |
Massachusetts |
|
University of Massachusetts Lowell | UMass Lowell |
Lowell |
Massachusetts |
|
University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst |
Amherst |
Massachusetts |
|
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | MCPHS |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
|
Northeastern University |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
|
Regis College (Massachusetts) |
Weston |
Massachusetts |
|
Wheaton College (Massachusetts) |
Norton |
Massachusetts |
|
Calvin College |
Grand Rapids |
Michigan |
|
Wayne State University | WSU |
Detroit |
Michigan |
|
University of Southern Mississippi | Southern Miss |
Hattiesburg |
Mississippi |
|
Lindenwood University |
Saint Charles |
Missouri |
|
Maryville University |
Saint Louis |
Missouri |
|
University of Missouri | Mizzou |
Columbia |
Missouri |
|
Saint Louis University | SLU |
Saint Louis |
Missouri |
|
University of Nebraska Omaha | UNO |
Omaha |
Nebraska |
|
University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV |
Las Vegas |
Nevada |
|
Caldwell University |
Caldwell |
New Jersey |
|
Montclair State University | MSU |
Montclair |
New Jersey |
|
Rutgers University–New Brunswick | Rutgers |
New Brunswick |
New Jersey |
|
The College of New Jersey | TCNJ |
Ewing |
New Jersey |
|
Ithaca College |
Ithaca |
New York |
|
New York University | NYU |
New York |
New York |
|
University of Rochester |
Rochester |
New York |
|
Syracuse University |
Syracuse |
New York |
|
Appalachian State University |
Boone |
North Carolina |
|
University of North Carolina at Charlotte | UNC Charlotte |
Charlotte |
North Carolina |
|
University of North Carolina at Wilmington | UNC Wilmington |
Wilmington |
North Carolina |
|
Baldwin Wallace University | BW |
Berea |
Ohio |
|
Bowling Green State University | BGSU |
Bowling Green |
Ohio |
|
Kent State University |
Kent |
Ohio |
|
Miami University |
Oxford |
Ohio |
|
University of Mount Union |
Alliance |
Ohio |
|
Ohio Northern University | ONU |
Ada |
Ohio |
|
Ohio State University | OSU |
Columbus |
Ohio |
|
Ohio University |
Athens |
Ohio |
|
Youngstown State University |
Youngstown |
Ohio |
|
University of Oklahoma |
Norman |
Oklahoma |
|
Oregon State University | OSU |
Corvallis |
Oregon |
|
Pacific University |
Forest Grove |
Oregon |
|
Drexel University |
Philadelphia |
Pennsylvania |
|
Franklin and Marshall College | F&M |
Lancaster |
Pennsylvania |
|
Muhlenberg College |
Allentown |
Pennsylvania |
|
West Chester University | WCUPA |
West Chester |
Pennsylvania |
|
Brown University |
Providence |
Rhode Island |
|
Roger Williams University | RWU |
Bristol |
Rhode Island |
|
Belmont University |
Nashville |
Tennessee |
|
East Tennessee State University | ETSU |
Johnson City |
Tennessee |
|
Austin College |
Sherman |
Texas |
|
Texas A&M University–Commerce |
Commerce |
Texas |
|
Sam Houston State University | SHSU |
Huntsville |
Texas |
|
Texas A&M University |
College Station |
Texas |
|
University of Texas at Austin | UT Austin |
Austin |
Texas |
|
University of Texas at San Antonio | UTSA |
San Antonio |
Texas |
|
Brigham Young University | BYU |
Provo |
Utah |
|
Utah State University |
Logan |
Utah |
|
Westminster College (Utah) |
Salt Lake City |
Utah |
|
Bennington College |
Bennington |
Vermont |
|
Central Washington University | CWU |
Ellensburg |
Washington |
|
Eastern Washington University | EWU |
Cheney |
Washington |
|
University of Washington |
Seattle |
Washington |
|
West Virginia University | WVU |
Morgantown |
West Virginia |
|
University of California, Merced | UC Merced |
Merced |
California |
|
University of Arkansas at Little Rock | UA Little Rock |
Little Rock |
Arkansas |
|
University of California, Irvine | UC Irvine |
Irvine |
California |
|
George Washington University | GW |
Washington |
Washington DC |
|
Indiana University Bloomington | Indiana |
Bloomington |
Indiana |
|
University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland |
College Park |
Maryland |
|
University of Michigan |
Ann Arbor |
Michigan |
|
Westminster College (Missouri) |
Fulton |
Missouri |
|
Portland State University | PSU |
Portland |
Oregon |
|
Lehigh University |
Bethlehem |
Pennsylvania |
|
Furman University |
Greenville |
South Carolina |
|
University of South Carolina | USC |
Columbia |
South Carolina |
|
Shenandoah University |
Winchester |
Virginia |
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?
No matter your major, you must be academically comparable to previous years’ admits to be a competitive college applicant. Most selective schools use the Academic Index, a complex tool based on your grades, test scores, and class rankings, to evaluate academic aptitude and filter out students who don’t meet their standards.
The qualitative aspects of your application, like your essays and extracurriculars, are your place to show who you are and demonstrate fit with your chosen schools and major. Students interested in public health can showcase their passions through getting involved in the healthcare field in high school. Internships, public health nonprofit volunteering, research, and shadowing medical professionals are all great ways to learn about this field and expand your knowledge.
If you’re struggling to figure out where you match up to other applicants, we recommend using our free Chancing Engine. Unlike other solely stats-based chancing calculators, ours considers your profile holistically, including both your quantitative stats and qualitative extracurriculars.
