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98 Most Affordable Online MPH Programs

Cheapest online MPH programs Best Buy sealOnline MPH programs are the top choice for many healthcare professionals today! In fact, most employers of health educators, medical managers, and epidemiologists prefer candidates with graduate-level education. Do you want increased responsibility, an impactful leadership role, and the salary to match? The best online MPH programs can prepare you for just that. Plus, they offer the benefit of flexibility, so you don’t sacrifice work while you learn.

However, it’s easy to pay more than you’d prefer for a degree that best suits your professional goals. The current difference between the most expensive and cheapest online MPH degree programs is a whopping $83,000! And that’s all between degrees that are accredited, offer online benefits, and significant career opportunities. Where is the best place to start with so many options and such an array of prices? GetEducated, of course!

GetEducated has surveyed 194 online MPH programs from 134 regionally accredited colleges and universities to devise our “Best Buy” list. This ranking reveals the best online MPH programs at the most economical cost, below today’s national average. With this information, you can find a degree that fits your professional goals as well as your aspirational budget.

ARTICLE NAVIGATION: Rankings Table | Career Guide

Average Cost (In-state): ~$33,900
Least Expensive: University of North Texas Health Science Center ~$12,206
Most Expensive: University of Southern California ~$95,645

Our data-driven research of public and non-profit colleges creates a genuinely reliable system of scientific rankings. There are no misleading formulas here. We meticulously calculate total full-time tuition—including any fees—for the most accurate total cost. Our rankings cannot be bought, and they factually showcase the cheapest MPH programs online. The online master’s degrees listed above the gray dividing line are official 2022 “Best Buys” and cost less than the national average.

Best Affordable Online MPH Programs

RankSchool / DegreeStatePriceNote
1
University of North Texas Health Science Center
(TX)
$12,206.00
$32,786.00
In-State
Out-of-State
2
Georgia Southern University
(GA)
$12,465.00
All Students
3
Lamar University
(TX)
$13,629.00
All Students
4
Oklahoma State University
(OK)
$14,714.70
$20,183.10
In-State
Out-of-State
5
Northeastern State University
(OK)
$15,400.45
$15,443.45
In-State
Out-of-State
6
Angelo State University
(TX)
$15,535.10
$32,671.10
In-State
Out-of-State
7
University of West Florida
(FL)
$16,153.20
All Students
8
Spring Hill College
(AL)
$16,404.00
All Students
9
Eastern Washington University
(WA)
$16,639.00
All Students
10
Indiana State University
(IN)
$17,498.00
$22,568.00
In-State
Out-of-State
11
East Carolina University
(NC)
$17,509.95
$50,382.45
In-State
Out-of-State
12
Northern Arizona University
(AZ)
$18,078.00
All Students
13
Mississippi University for Women
(MS)
$18,097.80
All Students
14
The University of Alabama
(AL)
$18,480.00
All Students
15
New Mexico State University
(NM)
$18,664.80
$10,500.00
In-State/Out-of-State
Military
16
University of South Florida
(FL)
$19,380.06
$38,101.14
In-State
Out-of-State
17
Concordia University - Nebraska
(NE)
$19,500.00
All Students
18
Saginaw Valley State University
(MI)
$19,684.50
$37,027.50
In-State
Out-of-State
19
University of South Florida
(FL)
$19,864.35
$39,922.65
In-State
Out-of-State
20
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
(NC)
$20,131.84
$51,478.12
In-State
Out-of-State
21
Texas A & M University - Commerce
(TX)
$20,146.00
$37,282.00
In-State
Out-of-State
22
University of South Florida
(FL)
$20,764.35
$40,822.65
In-State
Out-of-State
23
Utah State University
(UT)
$21,195.00
All Students
24
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
(AR)
$21,390.00
All Students
25
University of Illinois at Springfield
(IL)
$21,724.20
All Students
26
University of Montana
(MT)
$21,742.00
$46,270.00
In-State
Out-of-State
27
San Jose State University
(CA)
$21,959.00
$38,591.00
In-State
Out-of-State
28
Tennessee State University
(TN)
$22,386.00
$32,004.00
In-State
Out-of-State
29
Husson University
(ME)
$22,519.00
All Students
30
Morgan State University
(MD)
$22,533.00
$40,971.00
In-State
Out-of-State
31
University of Missouri-Columbia
(MO)
$22,603.50
$20,410.70
In-State/Out-of-State
Military
32
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
(IL)
$22,768.20
All Students
33
University of Evansville
(IN)
$23,472.00
All Students
34
Concordia University Texas
(TX)
$23,740.00
All Students
35
University of Southern Mississippi
(MS)
$23,945.40
All Students
36
Indiana University Online
(IN)
$23,994.52
$28,409.04
In-State
Out-of-State
37
University of Alabama at Birmingham
(AL)
$24,216.00
All Students
38
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
(MA)
$24,300.00
All Students
39
Kansas State University
(KS)
$24,595.20
All Students
40
Indiana Wesleyan University
(IN)
$24,990.00
All Students
41
Liberty University
(VA)
$25,075.00
$11,650.00
In-State/Out-of-State
Military
42
Idaho State University
(ID)
$25,198.56
$38,821.92
In-State
Out-of-State
43
Los Angeles Pacific University
(CA)
$25,200.00
All Students
44
Old Dominion University
(VA)
$25,370.00
$27,262.00
In-State
Out-of-State
45
University of Bridgeport
(CT)
$25,470.00
All Students
46
Indiana University Online
(IN)
$25,710.52
$30,125.04
In-State
Out-of-State
47
Andrews University
(MI)
$25,799.00
All Students
48
South Dakota State University
(SD)
$25,865.70
All Students
48
University of South Dakota
(SD)
$25,865.70
All Students
50
Purdue University
(IN)
$26,199.60
$34,389.60
In-State
Out-of-State
51
Indiana University Online
(IN)
$26,294.85
$30,809.70
In-State
Out-of-State
52
Southern New Hampshire University
(NH)
$26,484.00
$19,890.00
In-State/Out-of-State
Military
53
Regis College
(MA)
$26,550.00
All Students
54
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
(MA)
$26,881.00
All Students
55
Rivier University
(NH)
$26,943.00
All Students
56
Florida International University
(FL)
$27,000.00
All Students
56
New England Institute of Technology
(RI)
$27,000.00
All Students
58
SUNY at Albany
(NY)
$27,170.76
$31,964.76
In-State
Out-of-State
59
Saint Francis University
(PA)
$27,300.00
All Students
60
University of Memphis
(TN)
$27,552.00
All Students
61
Ohio University
(OH)
$27,636.00
$28,434.00
In-State
Out-of-State
62
Calvin University
(MI)
$27,720.00
All Students
63
Nova Southeastern University
(FL)
$27,870.00
All Students
64
East Tennessee State University
(TN)
$27,892.00
$34,873.00
In-State
Out-of-State
65
University of Florida
(FL)
$28,116.00
All Students
66
Lenoir-Rhyne University
(NC)
$28,140.00
All Students
67
Michigan State University
(MI)
$28,495.00
All Students
68
Indiana University Online
(IN)
$28,596.95
$63,651.95
In-State
Out-of-State
69
University of Alabama at Birmingham
(AL)
$28,924.00
All Students
70
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
(MN)
$29,040.00
All Students
71
Saint Ambrose University
(IA)
$29,240.00
All Students
72
Ferris State University
(MI)
$29,316.00
All Students
73
University of Nebraska Medical Center
(NE)
$29,366.50
All Students
74
Texas A & M University
(TX)
$29,383.20
$62,121.60
In-State
Out-of-State
75
University of Kentucky
(KY)
$29,421.00
All Students
76
Western Kentucky University
(KY)
$29,694.00
$10,500.00
In-State/Out-of-State
Military
77
Northern Illinois University
(IL)
$29,958.96
All Students
78
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
(MA)
$29,991.00
All Students
79
University of South Carolina-Columbia
(SC)
$30,038.75
$31,388.75
In-State
Out-of-State
80
University of New Haven
(CT)
$30,282.00
All Students
81
San Diego State University
(CA)
$30,804.00
All Students
82
University of Toledo
(OH)
$31,119.40
$31,344.40
In-State
Out-of-State
83
University of South Carolina-Columbia
(SC)
$31,196.25
$32,546.25
In-State
Out-of-State
84
University of Illinois at Chicago
(IL)
$31,416.00
All Students
85
California State University-Northridge
(CA)
$31,631.00
All Students
86
National University (School Merged)
Master of Public Health CEPH,14
(CA)
$31,824.00
All Students
87
University of Illinois at Chicago
(IL)
$32,164.00
All Students
88
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
(FL)
$32,500.00
All Students
89
Kent State University
(OH)
$32,522.00
$32,982.00
In-State
Out-of-State
89
Kent State University
(OH)
$32,522.00
$32,982.00
In-State
Out-of-State
91
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
(LA)
$32,550.00
All Students
92
University of Vermont
(VT)
$32,564.00
$44,618.00
In-State
Out-of-State
93
Shenandoah University
(VA)
$32,850.00
All Students
94
Gwynedd Mercy University
(PA)
$32,967.00
All Students
95
Central Michigan University
(MI)
$33,011.00
$19,202.00
In-State/Out-of-State
Military
96
Bay Path University
(MA)
$33,180.00
All Students
97
Des Moines University
(IA)
$33,264.00
All Students
98
Everglades University
(FL)
$33,585.00
All Students
NOTE: The following schools did not make our Best Buy ranking but are also great online options.
School / DegreeStatePriceNote
Azusa Pacific University
(CA)
$34,070.00
All Students
University of Colorado Denver
(CO)
$34,986.00
$56,784.00
In-State
Out-of-State
University of Saint Joseph
(CT)
$35,238.00
All Students
Oregon Health & Science University
(OR)
$35,646.00
$45,390.00
In-State
Out-of-State
University of Illinois at Chicago
(IL)
$35,788.00
All Students
Barry University
(FL)
$36,020.00
All Students
The Chicago School
(TX)
$36,091.00
All Students
Benedictine University
(IL)
$36,265.00
All Students
University of New England
(ME)
$36,320.00
All Students
California Baptist University
(CA)
$36,791.00
All Students
University of Nevada - Reno
(NV)
$37,165.00
All Students
Oregon State University
(OR)
$37,970.00
All Students
North Dakota State University
(ND)
$37,970.94
All Students
A T Still University of Health Sciences
(MO)
$38,250.00
All Students
University of North Dakota
(ND)
$38,433.36
All Students
University of Arizona
(AZ)
$40,715.50
All Students
Madonna University
(MI)
$41,050.00
All Students
Samford University
(AL)
$41,052.00
All Students
University of Maryland-College Park
(MD)
$42,165.00
All Students
Mercer University
(GA)
$43,092.00
All Students
MCPHS University
(MA)
$43,660.00
All Students
Medical College of Wisconsin
(WI)
$43,694.00
All Students
Eastern Virginia Medical School
(VA)
$44,222.00
$56,262.00
In-State
Out-of-State
Temple University
(PA)
$44,306.00
All Students
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
(MN)
$44,707.00
$58,357.00
In-State
Out-of-State
Morehouse School of Medicine
(GA)
$45,300.00
All Students
Fairleigh Dickinson University
(NJ)
$45,400.00
All Students
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
(MN)
$45,682.00
All Students
Creighton University
(NE)
$46,264.00
All Students
Creighton University
(NE)
$46,264.00
All Students
Hawaii Pacific University
(HI)
$47,450.00
All Students
Loyola University Chicago
(IL)
$48,725.00
All Students
Drexel University
(PA)
$52,864.00
$42,280.00
In-State/Out-of-State
Military
New York Medical College
(NY)
$53,045.00
All Students
Loma Linda University
(CA)
$54,745.00
All Students
Saint Louis University
(MO)
$60,195.00
All Students
University of California
(CA)
$61,572.00
All Students
Johns Hopkins University
(MD)
$62,095.00
All Students
Tulane University
(LA)
$67,151.00
All Students
Simmons University
(MA)
$67,800.00
All Students
University of San Francisco
(CA)
$68,125.00
All Students
Northeastern University
(MA)
$70,770.00
All Students
New York Institute of Technology
(NY)
$71,910.00
All Students
Tulane University
(LA)
$75,041.00
All Students
University of Rochester
(NY)
$78,174.00
All Students
Johns Hopkins University
(MD)
$79,460.00
All Students
The George Washington University
(DC)
$79,735.00
All Students
New York University
(NY)
$95,507.00
All Students
University of Southern California
(CA)
$95,645.00
All Students

Accreditation & Program Notes

To qualify for a ranking, a program must be regionally accredited. Additional programmatic accreditation is noted in the rank table.

14 Options for this program have changed since publication.
CEPH  Council on Education for Public Health

Rankings Note

These online college rankings are based on a GetEducated Summer 2022 review of regionally accredited online MPH programs. Total cost includes full-time tuition and fees and was valid at the time of collection and specific to the online learning program. School profiles for the online master degree programs in our directory may reflect a slightly different cost based on different editorial update schedules.

The published cost is an estimated sticker price for the entire online degree including fees. Actual costs may vary by student. Factors such as transfer credits, prerequisite courses, professional licensing and financial aid availability will affect final cost.

Editorial Note

Online schools do NOT pay to be included in any GetEducated online degree ranking. These rankings are editorially independent, open to any non-profit, regionally accredited or candidate college that offers a master’s degree that is available at least 80 percent through online learning and that is open to enrollment by the public. If your online college is regionally accredited and not currently reviewed by GetEducated, please contact us for inclusion.

These rankings of the cheapest online schools for public health may NOT be re-posted online or reprinted in any format without a license from GetEducated ®. Consumer finance bloggers and writers can contact our editors for a free custom article on the best online MPH programs for use on your website. Our mission: Help consumers GetEducated ® about the best online colleges for cost and credibility.

Career Guide: Best Online MPH Programs

If you are interested in helping thousands, potentially millions of people live happier, healthier lives, an online master’s degree in public health can help. With a top online MPA program, you’ll build a rewarding, challenging, and fascinating career.

What is an “MPH” Degree?

“MPH” stands for Master of Public Health, and it’s a graduate-level degree that focuses on the practical, applicable aspects of public health. It doesn’t teach nurses or doctors (although some have MPH degrees in addition to medical school) but instead teaches high-level awareness for injury, illness, contagious diseases, and other issues that affect the health of a community.

What to Expect from the Best Online MPH Programs

These are graduate programs that only take high-quality students. While you don’t need to be an academic virtuoso, you will need a bachelor’s degree in a similar field (microbiology, statistics, public health, sociology, etc.) with a quality GPA. Most programs only take students with a 3.0 or better in previous studies.

Once you gain entry into one of the best online MPH programs, you’ll be exposed to a wide variety of classes that help you understand major public health issues. Instead of focusing on care for a single patient, you’ll learn to study and track large-scale health issues. This might include obvious topics, such as how a disease spreads, but it could also include the increases in car accidents, smoking rates among certain demographics, or researching ideal diets for youth, adults, or the elderly.

These programs typically take two years of study to complete. However, if you take an accelerated program, you may be able to complete your master’s in less time. If you take summer courses and a large class load, it may be possible to complete the best online MPH programs in a calendar year.

The price for these programs can be affordable, but you need to take your time, investigate each program, and ask about tuition, as well as other fees. When researching almost 200 different MPH programs, we found that the average cost was $33,900. There was a vast range of prices, as the most expensive was over $95,000, while the least expensive was just over $12,000. That’s a difference of roughly $83,000, so you need to be thorough and find a program that works specifically for your budget.

The classes will change by program, but you can expect courses to cover a range of public health issues. You may study topics such as health policy, biostatistics, research methods, and organizational behavior.

These programs can also be specialized. Examples of concentrations in the best online MPH programs include epidemiology (essentially the study of disease causes), health behavior, or health administration.

Top Careers in Public Health

Health Education Specialist

  • Salary: $48,860
  • Education: Bachelor’s
  • Experience: None

Keeping people informed on the latest health practices, helping them make informed decisions on wellness and care, and providing information on medical advancements. These tasks, and more, fall on the shoulders of a health education specialist. Basically, they teach people how to take care of themselves.

The minimum education for this career is a bachelor’s degree, but the best online MPH programs will help advance your career and could result in higher earnings. The top 10% in this profession earn over $70,000, a salary that is more likely when you have a master’s degree. According to the BLS, “some health education specialist positions require candidates to have a master’s.”

Epidemiologist

  • Salary: $78,830
  • Education: Master’s
  • Experience: None

These are public-health scientists that investigate the broad-level patterns, causes, and results of sickness, disease, injury, and other health-related problems. They can perform a vast assortment of tasks that range from researching viruses to communicating with public officials. On any given day, they might collect information, create experiments, manage science programs, and communicate health findings to officials.

The pay for this career is strong, and the top 10% can expect salaries over $130,000. Most notable, however, is the expected growth for epidemiologists. Between 2020 and 2030, this career is expected to grow by 30%, far outpacing the national job growth of 8%. This growth will be fueled by an increased desire to reduce the spread of disease.

Certification for Careers in Public Health

Not all jobs involving public health will require certification. However, employers generally prefer candidates that are certified through groups like the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

An epidemiologist will not need certification, but advanced training and even a doctorate may be required for this profession.

Want to learn more about public health education and the best online MPH programs? Start with the programs on this list to find options that fit your price, schedule, and class requirements!