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. Course requirements will vary depending on your school, but most students can count on covering these key concepts: 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. 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. 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. 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? [amp-cta id="9459"] 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 Notice a school that’s missing? Email us and let us know! 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.Overview of the Public Health Major
What to Look for in a College as a Public Health Major
CEPH Accreditation
Concentrations
Labs and Research Opportunities
List of All U.S. Colleges With a Public Health Major
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?
