2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Health
401
Ranked Colleges
16,133
Degrees Awarded
$51,865
Avg Salary
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 40,596 people earned their degree in public health, making the major the 26th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public health graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $43,158 and had an average of $27,396 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 16,133 public health graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s” ranking looked at 401 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public health. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular public health programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Public Health Schools
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 “Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s”.
Top 25 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Health
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Washington University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s. GWU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 540 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full George Washington University Public Health Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s. Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 499 masters’s public health degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Johns Hopkins University Public Health Report
Out of the 401 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Emory University landed the #3 spot on the list. Emory is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 431 masters’s public health degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Emory Public Health Report
Out of the 401 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 354 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Harvard University Public Health Report
Out of the 401 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 340 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Columbia Public Health Report
Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 326 degrees to qualified masters’s public health students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Public Health at Liberty University
Benedictine University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s list. Located in Lisle, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 321 degrees to qualified masters’s public health students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Public Health at Benedictine U
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 303 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #9. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 248 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Berkeley Public Health Report
Southern New Hampshire University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. Manchester, New Hampshire is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public health degrees to 236 students in 2020-2021.
Full SNHU Public Health Report
University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. USF Tampa is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 224 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full USF Tampa Public Health Report
Boston University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 220 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Boston U Public Health Report
University of Alabama at Birmingham ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s list. UAB is located in Birmingham, Alabama and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 219 masters’s public health degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UAB Public Health Report
With a ranking of #14, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s list. This medium-sized school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 207 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full The Graduate Center, CUNY Public Health Report
With a ranking of #15, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 196 masters’s public health degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Health at USC
University of Arizona came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 195 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Arizona Public Health Report
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s list. CU Anschutz is a large school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 192 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Health at CU Anschutz
Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 189 masters’s public health degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Rutgers University - New Brunswick Public Health Report
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 186 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Public Health Report
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. UTHealth is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 178 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Public Health at UTHealth
With a ranking of #21, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public health degrees to 169 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Health at UMN Twin Cities
National University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 156 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full National University Public Health Report
Purdue University Global ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s list. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school handed out 153 degrees to qualified masters’s public health students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Public Health at Purdue University Global
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 152 masters’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full UIC Public Health Report
Walden University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Health Major for a Master’s ranking. Walden University is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 145 masters’s public health degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Health at Walden University