by our College Data Analytics Team
[Public Health](/majors/health-care-professions/public-health/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a public health degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 5 schools on the early-career earnings of their public health graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send public health graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
University Of Alabama At Birmingham earned the #1 spot for highest-paid public health graduates in Alabama. Set in the city of Birmingham, University Of Alabama At Birmingham is a public institution. After graduating, public health degree recipients from University Of Alabama At Birmingham typically earn about $75,329 annually.
Columbia Southern University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public health schools. Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit school located in the town of Orange Beach. Public Health graduates of Columbia Southern University earn a median of about $58,278 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #3 makes Samford University one of the highest-paying schools for public health. Samford University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Birmingham. Students who complete the public health program here go on to a median salary of roughly $57,501.
The University Of Alabama came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public health schools. The University Of Alabama is a public school located in the city of Tuscaloosa. Public Health graduates of The University Of Alabama earn a median of about $35,698 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at South University Montgomery earned it the #5 place for public health. Set in the city of Montgomery, South University Montgomery is a private for-profit institution. After graduating, public health degree recipients from South University Montgomery typically earn about $34,789 annually.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries public health graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 5 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.