Taking a close glance at the MPH offerings on the West Coast displays many, many options, largely centered in California’s 17 universities featuring online Masters in Public Health degrees. We’ve focused on the cream of the California crop by ranking the top 5 California MPH schools. Here we’ll look at some of the best MPH online programs on the West Coast:
UW
The University of Washington’s Executive MPH program is designed to take between 21 months to two year, and boasts a completion rate of 85%. The course load is heavy, requiring 63 credits during the two year span. Of those credits, 43 are mandated classes, with 8 being electives. For in- and out-of-state students alike, UW charges $860 per credit for an estimated $54,000 for the completed degree. The two year program is broken up into 7 quarters plus a capstone project/thesis, and despite being almost entirely online, does require six on-campus sessions in downtown Seattle, occurring no more than once per quarter.
Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University
This program is jointly offered between the OHSU and PSU. Sharing the resources of the two schools, and listing both universities on the degree, this online MPH has rigorous requirements for entry- with an undergrad minimum GPA of 3.0+ and needing competitive scores on either the GRE or MCAT. While offering many different specializations on campus, the only fully online MPH that the OHSU-PSU collaboration offers is the Primary Health Care and Health Disparities track. The program requires 56 credits, including 6 credits worth of internships. As a degree supported by the state of Oregon, in-state tuition is more affordable, at $401 per credit versus $605 for out of state students.
San Diego State University
SDSU rates very highly on our California centric rankings, placing 3rd, so it’s no surprise to see it here as well. The 20 month program are expected to attract applicants that already have work experience in the healthcare or social work fields. It is structured in eight eight-week sessions with one week break between each block, with two courses being completed in each segment. This includes 10 foundational classes in addition to elective options and a capstone project. The total cost for the program is $28,662.
University of Southern California
USC’s online MPH program has five specific outcomes, with concentrations in Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Health Education & Promotion, Global Health Leadership, Geohealth, and Health Services & Policy. Full-time students take two classes per semester, while part-time students only take one, meaning the degree can be completed between 2-4 years. There is a core of eight classes across each MPH specialization, with blocks of five classes distinguishing the concentrations from each other. As with all USC online graduate courses, the cost per course unit is $1,800.
University of California, Berkeley
The 27 month program offers two different concentrations, in Health Policy & Management or Global Health, with a full time student taking two courses every semester en route to the required 42 units. The UCB rate for graduate credits is $1,160 per unit. This program has interesting flexibility between online course and the physical classes; students are allowed to register for either online or in-person classes on a class-by-class basis as they see fit. Similar to the UW program, UCB’s Master of Public Health degree does require two separate one-week intensive campus experiences. The rigor of the degree and success of the program’s alumni groups earned UCB the #1 spot for our California specific rankings.
You may also enjoy our ranking of the Top 25 Online MPH Programs.
