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2025 Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

57 Colleges in the Southeast Region
4,250 Master's Degrees
$55,094 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #14 in popularity, public health is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 57 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 4,250 master's degrees in public health to qualified students.

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 in the Southeast Region 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete 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

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When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Health in the Southeast Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for public health students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Southeast Region Schools for a Master's in Public Health

1
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
424 Annual Graduates
$63,822 Median Starting Salary

Emory University is one of the best 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.

Master's recipients from the public health degree program at Emory University get $8,728 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

2
514 Annual Graduates
$60,926 Median Starting Salary

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public health. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Public Health master's degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn a boost of about $5,832 over the average income of public health majors.

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

3
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
183 Annual Graduates
$54,905 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Florida if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public health. UF is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.

After graduation, public health master's recipients generally make around $54,905 in the first five years of their career.

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

4

Tulane University of Louisiana is a good decision for individuals interested in a master's degree in public health. Located in the city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Public Health master's degree recipients from Tulane University of Louisiana get an earnings boost of about $3,625 above the typical income of public health majors.

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

5
277 Annual Graduates
$56,823 Median Starting Salary

UAB is a fairly large public university located in the city of Birmingham.

After graduating, public health master's recipients typically make an average of $56,823 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of Alabama at Birmingham

6

Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduation, public health master's recipients usually make an average of $55,845 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of South Carolina - Columbia

7

UGA is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Athens.

Students who graduate with their master's from the public health program report average early career earnings of $47,001.

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

8
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL

Located in the suburb of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the public health program at University of Miami get $13,973 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

9
206 Annual Graduates
$58,339 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the public health program at University of South Florida - Main Campus make $3,245 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in public health from University of South Florida - Main Campus

10

Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the public health program report average early career income of $54,877.

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

11
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.

Those public health students who get their master's degree from Duke University receive $6,593 more than the standard public health student.

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

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Public Health students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Public Health Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
12University of KentuckyLexington, KY
13George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA
14University of Virginia - Main CampusCharlottesville, VA
15East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, TN
16Samford UniversityBirmingham, AL
17Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY
18The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
19The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL

Best Public Health Colleges by State

Explore the best public health colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Florida208763
Georgia190806
Virginia182601
North Carolina178519
Tennessee166212
Alabama151377
Kentucky147103
Louisiana147189
South Carolina14661
Mississippi14586
Arkansas12154
West Virginia112105

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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

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Public Health3,263
Health Services Administration247
Public Health Education and Promotion215
Environmental Health162
International Public Health/International Health128
Community Health and Preventive Medicine88
Other Public Health54
Health/Medical Physics48
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality25
Behavioral Aspects of Health18

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Nursing11,667
Allied Health Professions3,991
Mental & Social Health Services3,537
Health & Medical Administrative Services2,953
Communication Sciences2,178
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions1,624
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences493
Medical Illustration & Informatics433
Health Sciences & Services413
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services288

Notes and References

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